Meritocracy vs Punctuality..?

Meritocracy Vs. Punctuality…?

Oh dear. I had a tiring but fulfilling experience dealing with students and their parents this week. However, one disturbing issue kept cropping up amongst most of the parents, something along the lines of: ‘Is my child punctual? Because some teachers are complaining about it?’ I had to stop and smile to think.

As a teacher, it would be completely irresponsible to say punctuality amongst students is of little concern to me – but there you go, it is. One reason is that I am in a college where the students are the cream of the crop. Secondly, these students are young adults with minds mature beyond their age and who are not going to stop at anything to get what they want. Thirdly, they are also students who refuse to conform…they would rather have authority entrusted to them than to be followers. If they are left untended to as individuals, there will certainly be chaos. These students need to be understood and worked with, not asked to do as they are told. They have to be guided and refined so that they realize their responsibilities and do what they have to do in order to achieve what they aspire to achieve. This is where the teacher comes in.

As long as my students attend lessons, perform and participate during lessons, hand in their work and do not offend me, punctuality and other personal matters do not matter to me. However one may argue punctuality is a sign of respect, I will never think it is. Respect is to be earned not demanded; if a teacher cannot cope with the students, how can the students be expected to cope with their teacher. As aforementioned, these students know their responsibilities and they also are aware of the consequences of their actions. If they are late for lessons, they are definitely on the losing end. Then, it is up to them to catch up. My belief is that they have to exercise their rights as adults; to not only think of their responsibilities and executing them, but also live up to the consequences of their actions. Only then are they truly adults; only then they have no one to blame but themselves. This is the point where I hope they will be aware of their strengths and weaknesses as well as take steps towards developing the former and overcoming the latter.

When during exams, is punctuality taken into account when examiners mark and grade students’ work? No, excepting the fact students must be on time for their papers, which they are proving they are responsible when the time comes for them to be.

So, meritocracy or punctuality…meritocracy any day for me.