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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW 'Deer Summit' will be televised ... Arson leaves Talent woman with few options ... Chris Honoré: The canary in the coal mine ... 'Deer Summit' will be televised ... Arson leaves Talent woman with few options ... Chris Honoré: The canary in the coal mine ... TEACHER'S TIPS Every minute counts, so make punctuality a habit Time lost to tardiness adds up, and builds a habit that's harmful and hard to break Comment By Paul R. Huard DailyTidings.com By Paul R. Huard Posted Oct. 27, 2014 at 1:30 PM By Paul R. Huard Posted Oct. 27, 2014 at 1:30 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Welcome back to school! A new year offers a clean slate • More to college admissions than just grades and test scores • A connection between Charlie Hebdo, MLK and the classroom • Your child's best best bet for success? It's you • AHS teacher speaks about Martin Luther King Jr. • Ashland history teacher earns summer fellowship » Social News Whether it is grade school, middle school or high school, it is the one behavior that can stealthily rob your child of an education and build one of the worst habits for him or her to take to the workplace. Tardiness. Yes, tardiness sometimes happens because of very understandable reasons: a fender-bender makes the rest of the day difficult, a doctor’s appointment delays the child’s arrival to class or the child is called away on a school-related matter. Those are examples of excused tardiness, reasons for being late to class that are usually no problem if they occur infrequently. But chronic unexcused tardiness hurts a student because every minute counts in the educational day. Over the years, I’ve had both students and parents chide me with, “It’s only a few minutes.” Yet, those minutes can add up. I’ve had students who have wandered into class unexcused five or 10 minutes late every class period for multiple days in a row. It didn’t take long before they had missed the equivalent of an entire class. A student’s chronic tardiness also disrupts the momentum of instruction, particularly if the student’s entrance disrupts the class or the teacher. Another concern is school safety. A student needs to be in the classroom, statistically one of the safest places in the United States. Also, students wandering the halls after the tardy bell can engage in misconduct ranging from bullying to vandalism. The habit of tardiness can have devastating effects on employability. Tardiness in the workplace is among the top three management issues listed by employers. (The other two reasons, by the way, are substance abuse and absenteeism.) A 2004 study in Wisconsin determined something that seems obvious: Students who were tardy to class were also tardy to work. What causes chronic tardiness? The results of several studies offer some interesting facts. • Students are social animals: Tardiness offers kids a few more minutes to visit with friends. • Lack of parental buy-in: If parents don’t think punctuality is important, students won’t either. • The school culture: Inconsistent enforcement of tardiness policies, lack of consequences for chronic tardiness and staff frustration (“We’ve tried everything!”) can contribute to the problem. However, there are actions that can turn around tardiness and increase punctuality. Here’s what a parent can do: • Know the attendance policies of your child’s school: All of the schools in the Ashland School District have the expectation that students will arrive to class on time unless there are mitigating circumstances such as family emergencies or other extenuating factors. Check with the office staff or go online to the school website and review attendance policies so you understand what the school considers on-time attendance. (High school seniors, take note: Always oversleeping and bad hair days do not qualify for an excused tardy.) • Model punctuality: If being on time matters to you, than there is a good chance it will matter to your child. If you show your child punctuality matters as well as tell your child it matters, your behavior sends a powerful message. Yes, life is messy and things happen — but how long would you keep your job if you were chronically late to work? • Sleep matters: For younger children, ensure there are regular and reasonable bed times on school nights. If your child has “the slows” in the morning, it might be the result of lack of sleep. Grade-school age children should have a minimum of 10 hours of sleep per night. High-school age teens need at least eight hours of sleep. In some families, getting children of any age to bed is a battle royal, but it is worth the fight. Well-rested children usually have less problems with tardiness than sleep-deprived children. Yes, it matters if your child is on time. Late to class means late to learn — and every minute of education counts. A former reporter who covered politics and government for newspapers in California and Oregon, Paul R. Huard teaches social studies and English courses at Ashland High School. The opinions he expresses are his own. By Paul R. 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