“Sorry I am late!” That’s what teachers hear from students on a daily basis. Some students from NYC Museum School regularly arrive late to their first period class, which starts at 8:30.  Some arrive past 9 a.m.. Ms. DeStefano, an 11th grade English teacher, said that when students come late “it is a real problem for me as a teacher as they miss valuable instruction.” This sentiment is shared with many period 1 and period 5 teachers (one of the periods after lunch) since those periods are when students are late the most. 

11th Grade History teacher Mr. Johnson said lateness “…contributes to poor grades and negatively impacts their learning…”  Late arrival causes students to miss instruction which results in them not being able to complete their assignments. 

While it may seem harmless to sneak into the classroom after the bell has rung, the truth is that habitual tardiness can have significant consequences that extend far beyond just a few missed minutes of instruction. Math teacher Ms.Hachikian said, “…I’m talking about students coming in late at 9 o’clock and class is over at 9:15 am..”  Students are arriving after the first period, making it hard for them to get their work done and for the teachers to teach a whole lesson in just 15 minutes. 

Ms. Hachikian showed the difference in attendance between first and second periods. In her first period class, many students arrived late to her class which caused them to miss out on her lesson. During second period, most of the students have been coming in time and ready for class. The first period students are struggling the most as she mentioned what students tell her, “… ‘I haven’t learned this’ ‘you never thought this’ well you haven’t been in class…” Those students’ lateness is costing them their learning time and making them stay behind while the class is in another lesson.

Parent Coordinator Ms.Marshall said that they ”call home” for frequent lateness.  Guidance Counselor Ms. Williams said a solution was to “shift the official attendance period to second period.”

 So, what can you do to avoid the pitfalls of being late to class? We asked a few students how they could manage their time due to the fact that they live pretty far from school. Junior Samia Akther said, “…sometimes it can be my fault but other times it is the MTA. I have to take two trains.” Living far away can be one of the many excuses but prioritizing punctuality by setting your alarm a few minutes earlier and planning your morning routine to allow for unexpected delays can be more helpful for everyone.

“The reasons vary,” said Junior Ian Hausch-Fen. “Today it was the trains. There was train traffic. But it’s really a combination of things including oversleeping, how fast I get ready, and the MTA.”  When asked if he had any goals for arriving on time, he said, “Of course, I have goals!”