Every year we stray further

Year after year, I realize that yet another expectation I could have reasonably held for students is no longer gonna fly.

I've never had seating charts for AP juniors/seniors. Sit where you want, if it becomes a problem, I'll handle it one-off. But here I am, stressing over a seating chart on a Sunday for the new semester because they are simply out of control.

I used to have a single, large problem/homework set for a unit that I could trust the students to pace themselves through. Sure, 1 or 2 per class would save it till the last minute or not do it, but most would. I'm supposed to be giving them a taste of what college would be like. Now we're doing smaller daily classwork that is due at the end of the period. Raise your hand when you're done, and I'll come check it.

I also have particularly rowdy 9th/10th graders. I can open up a can of classroom management when needed, but I shouldn't need to when they're almost 18. Ultimately it just makes more work for me. My SIL is a professor and tells me that college freshmen are just completely lost and mostly incapable of living up to college expectations. I want to do my part to prepare them better for college, but it feels damn near Sisyphean at this point.