Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

No Time for Tardiness

1038998752Many of us are familiar with the cliched movie scene of a tardy high school student stumbling into class a few minutes late. He sits down sheepishly as the teacher cracks a one-liner at his expense, but all is forgotten and class moves on.

College academics, however, are a bit more high-stakes. Every minute in a Georgetown classroom is precious, but that applies to both the beginning and end of a class period.

When professors routinely allow lectures to drag past their end time whether to finish up a subject or remind the class of this or that announcement, it’s not just to the detriment of students who are antsy to leave class, but also to those anxious to arrive on time for their next one.

With many students at Georgetown — eager to take advantage of the Hilltop and the nation’s capital — juggling busy schedules, there’s often a narrow window between one class and the next. If a student’s upcoming class imposes an unforgiving tardiness policy, a violation of such a policy might have serious implications for the student’s standing in the class.

Some may have a job or internship to get to right after class. Add in travel time and the reliance on public transportation, and all of a sudden those few, seemingly inconsequential minutes become highly problematic.

Student-professor relationships are built on mutual respect — respect for both mutual effort and mutual appreciation of the other’s time.

Just as students are expected to show up to class on time, prepared and ready to learn for the next 50 or 75 minutes, so too are professors responsible for being conscientious of the amount of time they are allotted and plan their lectures accordingly.

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