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 If a student or students do not turn in their work on time,or at all, should the teacher talk to the particular student one on one?  Do you accept late work in any experience you have had as a teacher?  If it is accepted, is there any kind of penalty?

Hi Kyle!

I think that how you handle late/missing work depends on your students' ages.  In elementary school, I believe that there should be much more grace for students who are still trying to navigate completing/turning in homework - this new element is often easily forgotten by young students.  

In middle school, the expectations for students are higher, but I still believe that for students who are struggling academically (or even struggling to engage with their learning), there should be methods of helping those students and extending grace to them.  For example, my 7th grade sister is highly unmotivated and often does not turn in work.  Some of her classes do not accept any late homework, so even if she does find the motivation to do the work it is often not accepted.  In my view, this practice discourages students, because it becomes impossible to catch up if they fall behind in class/home work.  

High school students are more developed and should be held to high standards of achievement, but there is room to extend grace here as well.  Many of these students have out of school obligations or may be struggling academically, and I believe that they should be encouraged to turn in work when they are able.  Of course, we must still hold students accountable, but we can do this with minor penalties while maintaining the view that the most important thing is that the work gets done (and the student is invested in their learning).  

Personally, I believe that rigorous standards and expectations for students should be applied to the entire class, but with the shared understanding that if students are having a tough time at home, or are struggling in class, you will work with them to accept their late work.  In order for this to work, students must know that this is an option for them if they truly need some grace.  Then this would be dealt with on an case-by-case basis with the student (and possibly their parents).  The most important thing here is that students feel that they are seen as individuals and trust that they are valued in the classroom.  Late/missing work can be a source of shame for students and cause them to feel as though they will never be good enough or catch up enough to get good grades, so starting a dialogue about opportunities for progress is key.  

Hope this helps!