Teaching responsibility

"I don't need to do this work right now," Jose told me one day. "I can just make it all up at the end of the nine weeks, and it'll still count the same." He reclined back in his desk chair, proud of his ability to manipulate a charitable and generous system.
"You're right, Jose. You can make this up at the end of the nine weeks," I stated. "But how are you going to make this up when you already have fourteen missing assignments over three weeks?"
He looked consternated. "Man, I ain't gotta worry about that. I'm good," he rationalized.
Jose would not do the work that day, or any other. The end of the nine weeks came, and he did not make any of the work up. He would repeat ninth grade English again next year.
To give the student credit, Jose's faults were not entirely his own. The United States educational system at large has generated an entire class of students whose belief is that, "If I don't do it now, they'll always give me the chance to do it later."
This mindset all started innocently enough. A few compassionate teachers decided that some of their unmotivated students would thrive better if they were allowed extended time to complete assignments. That notion, in and of itself, is not incorrect. The problem arose when, street-smart and system-savvy kids realized that they could exploit the good intentions of their teachers. Why even come to class if I can get all the work at the end and still get good grades?
Teachers and parents have got to work together to overcome this prevalent attitude among today's students. We have exercised our compassion long enough, and now is the time for a return to the ethics of personal accountability and responsibility.
How will our students ever be prepared for the "real world" if they are led to expect reward for procrastination? In any job, the expectation is that you will dutifully perform your task, and that you will do so promptly. By enabling our students with this "do it later" lethargy, we are setting them up for failure.
In every place and time within our society, there are boundaries and limits; concrete rules that are widely known and observed out of a sense of safety and well-being. Such boundaries should exist within the classroom as well -- time limits for make-up work, a given number of points deducted for tardy assignments, and other measures help students grasp the idea that for every bad decision, a negative consequence is attached. This is not to say that we should return to the days of finger-smacking with rulers or other antiquated disciplinary measures, but it is intended to be a wake-up call. If we don't set our kids on the course toward personal responsibility today, our modern-day recession will look like a Sunday picnic in comparison to the world that lies ahead. Prepare them today for the future of tomorrow.