Amy, Thank you for your positive feedback. I do incorporate a variety of modalities into my classroom, blending lecture, presentations as well as directed and independent group activites. As you so aptly note, by utilizing a collaborative approach for appropriate material, I have been able to empower those students who may otherwise feel lost in the morass of material. I apologize that I drafted my initial post in such a way that you felt it appropriate to read into my statements and assume poor teaching technique resulting from "a waste of time". I do not believe that any effort spent on a student is a waste of time, so long as they are also participating in their education. One concept that seems to be diminished from my youth is that of personal responsibility. I offer tutoring at my student's convenience in addition to my office hours. I am always available for questions via email, text or phone about anything my students may be having difficulty with. I continuously accomodate my student's needs by identifying issues and deficiencies in either their retention or absorption of the material. I also, as did another of our peers in a similar environment, have streamlined the material to be covered so that the critical elements and concepts are addressed, and laying a solid foundation of accessible knowledge from which my students can then build and internalize the deeper meaning of the class. Without that base level of understanding, the vast majority of the material will evaporate once the exams are over, so I teach so that they will internalize the concepts and proceed from that point. Having said that, the point of my initial post was related to those rare students that, given a diverse and interactive classroom, multiple opportunities for extracurricular assistance, live or electronically, and individually focused direction, still fail to comform to appropriate classroom standards and make reasonable attempts to participate appropriately. While I do manage these and my other students effectively (or so their performance and assessments of my instruction indicate), my hope was that I might receive some constructive and productive feedback. I do appreciate your thoughts and time though.