By Shelly Williams/editor-in-chief

Not meeting deadlines could cost people their jobs in today’s career world.

But for Deana Lopez, the assistant superintendent of Keller ISD, deadlines are considered a distraction for students learning a subject.

“Grades are supposed to be given for mastery of a subject area,” she said in a Star-Telegram article.

Lopez suggested that teachers stop marking down assignments that students turn in a few days late.

The intended goal was to do away with the penalizing side of grading. No points deducted for a few days late, but a week late would be minus 10. Two weeks, minus 20 points.

Sorry, Lopez, but this idea is half-baked.

Mastery of a subject is important when succeeding in any career field, but accountability and self-discipline are just as valuable.

It’s called being responsible. 

Journalists would be fired for not meeting their deadlines, and that missed deadline would have a chain reaction when it came to producing a newspaper.

Doctors, arriving late for work, could create serious consequences for those who need them.

If mastery of a subject is the concern, have the teachers create more hands-on, conversational classrooms that leave an impact on students.

Students can then put what they’ve learned into practice better.

A deduction in grades for a late assignment teaches that not being accountable has consequences.

Meeting that deadline represents a level of trust for whomever someone may work for. If it’s not met, it’s difficult to trust a person enough to accomplish other tasks.

Some will argue a deadline has nothing to do with mastery of a subject but more to do with following someone else’s schedule.

How can someone master a subject if they can’t be held accountable for their actions?

Let’s face the music.

Most of us will be working for someone else.

So unless we’re all entrepreneurs and create our own schedules, knowing how to work in a timely manner is a must.

Thankfully, the Keller school trustees disagreed with Lopez — allowing teachers to give a 10-point deduction for each school day. After five days, a zero.