I really don’t see any excuses for chronic lateness. It’s not like I’ve never been late, because I have most definitely had my fair share of crises, and I understand that life happens. But when it comes down to being late all the time, especially for important events, there comes a point where you need to sit down and think about the problem.

Punctuality is something my family has always emphasized, and with good reason. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve gotten the dreaded “sorry, I’m going to be a little” text. I’m not a big fan of awkwardly sitting alone in public settings, so I try not to put others in such a situation.

Although chronic lateness is an issue for many adults, it is more of an issue for teens, especially for those who drive themselves places. This newfound freedom and responsibility is too much for some teens and can result in them becoming chronically late.

Jackie Peate (’17), however has learned how to handle her mom’s chronic lateness.

“Sometimes it bothers me,” Peate said. “But now I just accept it as a part of her and her personality.”

Fortunately, Peate is able to accept her mother’s tardiness because she’s used to it, but for many others, lateness is more of a deal breaker.

Spanish teacher Silvina Iglesias thinks punctuality is important for students.

“When you see a student that is constantly tardy you ask yourself ‘does he really care?’ and ‘does she really care?’ Then I have to spend more time catching that student up on the classwork they missed, which isn’t fair to the other students,” she said.

If teens don’t learn the lesson of punctuality now, it will lead to unprofessionalness in real life. If you’re late to school you get a tardy, but in the real world there are serious ramifications.

Daniel Haitermota (’17) shares his perspective on his almost daily tardiness. “I really just have trouble waking up at 6:30 in the morning. I usually stay up late doing all the homework we have in IB, but I do understand that in the real world there will be consequences for being late.”

Chronic lateness in a real work environment will most often get you fired immediately because no employer wants to deal with an inconsistent worker that comes to work when they “feel like it”. So next time you have somewhere to go, try leaving a little earlier.

-M. Felt