Day 7: How can you best promote responsibility in your students?

I had to skip over this day for awhile.  I really struggled with the question because I am a firm believer that students don't learn things in a timeline with due dates...and yet, the only answer I could come up with for this question was:

Responsibility = turning in assignments on the assigned due date.

Frankly, I don't care WHEN students hand in assignments - as long as they can demonstrate they learned and the assignment impacted them personally or changed the way they thought about something.  (I teach Careers...to clarify the content.)

I am finally able to get past this one answer.

Today was our second day of school in the new year.  A practice that I have done each year (and semester now, since I have new students each semester) is that I have my students come up with class norms - rules and behavior statements that we ALL abide by in the classroom.  They get to brainstorm in small groups and then we combine the small group list into one group.  I find ways to make these rules positive ("Use inside voices" instead of "Don't yell") and combine rules that are similar.  I type up the list (actually this year, I used Wordle!) and then the class votes on the norms and the list is posted.  If and when there is a possible infraction, I refer the student back to the list.  Most of the norms are around responsibility.  Here's a sampling of what was suggested this year:

1.  Bring supplies to class every day.
2.  Come prepared to learn.
3.  Push in chairs when you leave.
4.  Turn in assignments on time.
5.  Give 100% effort.
6.  Pick up after ourselves.

They know what responsibility is and what it looks like. 

My point here is simple...if students are told WHY and they are in AGREEMENT and best of all, THEY THOUGHT OF IT, then that's how you best promote responsibility in students.

Did I just really say that?  And why did it take me so LONG?  :)