I always try to point out the little things that students do well because most of the time they don't take them into consideration. Eventhough the student may be in college, they still enjoy getting stickers, or a smiley face on a test/quiz to know that they are doing well. Again something as small as that can really make the student feel better about themselves.

Hello, What do you do in a situation when a student has missed 25% of the class and has completed only one assignment... now it is close to finals day (two class periods away) and this student is trying to work his/her tail off to complete the assignments, understand the material and pass the course. I feel that if I allow this student to just squeak by in the end, it is not teaching them "real" lessons of life. What do you think?