How To: Get to class on time
In discussions with students about the importance of class attendance, discuss the impact of students’ lateness on other students and on you. How do students feel when someone comes in ten minutes late? Or leaves after 30 minutes and returns 20 minutes later. And why would a student do that and is it ever okay? It’s important to air these questions with students and consider the impacts on others in order to create a shared space of mutual respect and accountability.
How does it feel when someone comes in late? The disruption is tangible:
- everything stops;
- students’ attention is drawn to the new arrival and they’re now thinking about that person rather than what they were doing;
- minutes of attention are lost; and
- mental energy is sapped as, following the interruption, their minds try to return to what they were doing before the disruption.
Even in a classroom where every student is working independently, there is disruption: students look up, and their attention is drawn from what they were doing. Some research suggests it takes up to 20 minutes to fully re-engage mentally in what you were doing when you’re interrupted.
If a student does arrive late, ask what the class can do to help them be on time.
Faculty are encouraged to share their own practices for navigating the city and ensuring they are where they need to be, when they need to be there.
Some tips for students:
- Getting around in New York City can be a speedy affair or it can take ages to get anywhere. Budget travel time into your day.
- Will you beat the light or have to wait? Plan for the longest time it takes you to walk from where you are to where you need to be. It takes longer than you think.
- Sign up for MTA Alerts.
- Schedule “travel time” in your calendar.
- Some smart watch and phone calendars have reminders that even factor in travel time and will remind you to head out.
- Add “travel” time for the wait for the elevator! Some are much slower than you’d ever think.
- Avoid back-to-back classes. (It’s also not good for learning and memory.)
- If you are running late to an appointment with a librarian or other New School staff member, let them know you are on your way and when they can expect your arrival. Not only is it considerate, you might be able to help another student by allowing the staff member to assist someone else while they wait for you.