It was becoming a joke. My attendance record last year was funny at best and a source of deep embarrassment at worst. In sophomore year, I racked up a horrifying 51 unexcused tardies. It was normal for me to rush into classes a few minutes late, an irremediable habit. 

Then, this year, English teacher Sarah Muszynski entered with her class syllabus, informing me of the school’s new attendance policy. Four weeks into the school year, I still somehow have a clean record: zero tardies. 

The policy, in my experience, is proof that discipline is an important element in making students the best they can be. 

The Upper School is uniquely forgiving when we students make mistakes; other comparable schools in our area are stricter and far less flexible. 

For example, at Lick-Wilmerding in San Francisco, they have an attendance policy where four tardies result in a 1/6 grade drop; a clear course of action if student bullying or hazing occurs; and a grade-wide training at the beginning of each school year to discuss their student handbook. 

While I value our school’s grace and leniency, I think that clear and firm consequences—or, at least, the threat of them—could deter many of us from making errors in the first place. Ultimately, I believe our school needs more discipline to shape us into better students and better people. 

The new attendance policy requires checkpoints at six, eight, and 10 class absences, where families and administration get increasingly involved in conversations with the students. 

Consequences may result in students not receiving course credit, losing privileges like open-campus access, and taking a leave of absence.  A tardiness or mid-class break longer than 25 minutes, or three tardies, also yields an absence. 

I first learned about the attendance policy while interviewing US Master Scheduling & Academic Data Coordinator Kevin Dineen and Dean of Students Jackee Bruno and reporting on the new attendance tracking in Nexus last fall. I remember grimacing as they mentioned the potential of a discipline policy—What? Discipline at Nueva?—because getting anywhere on time is one of my biggest shortcomings. 

So, when the rules finally rolled out this fall, I was relieved by their relative leniency. 

I would need at least 18 tardies (which become six tardies)  to get a call to my parents! I knew that I would never reach this number—but, still, the possibility of getting in trouble flipped a switch for me. 

This year, I have changed my morning schedule, started communicating with my sister about leaving for school earlier, and have breakfast on the go if I am running late. 

Now, these are not significant sacrifices or struggles I am enduring to avoid discipline. I think, at Nueva, we often have this fear of implementing too much punishment because it could adversely affect students emotionally or mentally. 

At the risk of facing negative consequences—true consequences—I am a better student because of the administration’s stronger stance.

In many classes, being a few minutes late is the difference between knowing or not knowing the class agenda; getting or not getting the chance to review tricky problems on homework; and even, chatting or not chatting with classmates five minutes before class begins, which we all know are the most magical moments of this school. 

I believe that discipline at Nueva can extend beyond the new attendance policy. 

Again, I know our school’s patience for its students is what makes it unique and a wonderful place to be. I truly admire how we hear everyone out before dealing punishments, understand that one-size-fits-all solutions do not always work, and realize that nothing we do can be black or white. 

But sometimes I wonder, if leaving plates around campus resulted in detention, would our sofas still be littered with half-eaten lunches? If we knew the exact repercussions of misbehaving on school trips, would we find ourselves in restorative circles after the fact? If using slurs resulted in immediate suspension, would we have students using poisonous language so often? 

I acknowledge that punishment and discipline can be done poorly, that it does not work for everyone, and second chances are important. 

From informal conversations with my peers and classmates, though, many of us are not opposed to stricter guidelines at Nueva. Some even welcome it, citing that it would force us to break free of the ‘Nueva bubble’ by just a bit. 

While you may still find me sprinting to class in the mornings, I am not arriving late so often anymore. I know it is a small success, but I think I am proud because I am better prepared to be a professional and an active participant in my future. 

I am a more successful student because of discipline, and so could our student body.