Handling+Tardies

I get really frustrated when I continually have students tardy to my class. The students do not realize that they are distracting, not just to me, but to their peers as well. Due to this, I made a generic apology with fill in the blanks, and had it laminated. When a student is tardy to my class, they must fill in the blanks and read it to the class. This does work, and has helped cut down on the tardies.

The apology goes like this:

I apologize for my tardiness. I was __(action that caused the tardy)_____. I felt that ___________ was more important that being promt to class. I now realize that I have interrupted the flow of class and have caused a distraction. My actions are rude and inconsiderate and shall not happen again.


 * This is just a sample - sometimes I make it a little more personal, etc. just depends on trhe kid, but sometimes it is funny to see their reaction.*