TEACHSOC: late arrivals

[Sarah Murray]

Hi all... Here's the down side of a small class -- having more than half the class enter the room 15 minutes late!  In a class of 25, 5 slipping in late is annoying -- in a class of 10, with only 8 in attendance on a particular day, 5 walking in late is totally disrupting to the flow of the class.   What do I do to stop this from happening again?  I teach a Saturday class, with some students who've had me before and who signed up because I was teaching this class.  Today was the second class, and I really could not begin instruction with only 2 there (a third came in about 5 minutes late).  I am extremely punctual myself.   Here are some thoughts I had:  I won't begin class without at least 5 in the class (unless more than 15 minutes has expired), and will hold the class over for the corresponding length of time.   I'll tell them class now begins at 11:15 instead of 11, and will run 15 minutes later.   I'll begin each class with an informal discussion of pertinent current events, and wait for the others to trickle in before beginning the lecture.   I'll start each class with a 15 minute writing assignment, and tell the ones who don't finish because they were late that they'll have to stay after class to complete it.   The need for punctuality is clearly stated on the syllabus, and I told them plainly today that I didn't appreciate the lateness.   Which tactic should I employ -- or are there better ways?   Sarah Murray, adjunct William Paterson U of NJ