Photo courtesy of Kenji Thuloweit

Teachers should be both demanding and

One of the most common complaints about school is the quality of the teaching. Many students swear that the only reason they are getting a bad grade in a class is because of the teacher. While this might be true sometimes, the reality is that stricter teachers are better for students in the long run.

Students often say that the “best teachers’’ are the ones who accept late assignments, grade easier and are all around more relaxed. There is nothing wrong with this, but it can lead to bad habits, like constantly turning things in late and assignments not being the best quality. These bad habits make it harder to stay on top of work in very rigorous classes and are probably going to be detrimental in college.

When a teacher is strict about deadlines and rules, it is actually the best practice for college. The rules force students to be accountable for their work, and if something is not turned in on time, the only person to blame is the student who didn’t do the work. A lot of people complain about it being unfair when teachers give them zeros for late work, but in college it is going to be that level of toughness. It helps students have a chance to mature and become more self-sufficient.

Classes should become progressively more strict with regards to deadlines as a student ages. Freshman year, it is not beneficial to just slam students with harsh policies straight out of middle school. However, those younger students shouldn’t be coddled because it is going to be a harsh awakening when they get one or two teachers that year or the next that are considered “hard.”

Senior year everyone wants to just relax, and admittedly, seniors have worked hard to get to where they are, but teachers probably shouldn’t let them just drop off. The first semester of college is going to be extremely difficult if students have just spent an entire year turning in things late and getting credit for assignments half done.

If teachers really want to benefit students the most, they would make students be accountable, while also being fair at the same time. In college, there aren’t seven classes a day everyday, so there is more time for homework to get done. However, in high school, getting homework everyday in every single class can become extremely overwhelming. Teachers should be understanding of the extreme workload while also not being too relaxed with their deadlines.