As an undergraduate and graduate student, I always made school my priority. My parents could not really contribute financially to my higher education, and as a result, I relied heavily on financial aid, including massive student loans. I did well academically overall and pursued mathematics, which is a subject I am passionate about. I did work part-time as a tutor, lab/teaching assistant, and grader to cover all my books and transportation expenses. It was hard working more than 20 hours on a given week because of school conflicts as I also needed to cover rent and utilities. Nevertheless, my grades and learning the material presented in class usually came first. My adult students are a different story. I understand that they have families of 4 kids who need to be homeschooled, are suffering from the side effects of triple by-pass heart surgery, are getting divorced from an abusive spouse, have been out of school between 6 and 35 years, and work three jobs just to survive. Reality is far from ideal, and I am fully aware of that. Any effort they make to further their education is commendable. Notwithstanding, I can't accommodate them with late assignments on a consistent basis. I also don't consider studying 8 to 10 hours outside of class an unreasonable proposition for a college level math course, which is at best remedial high school material. I also strongly believe that they should seek help from me or an available tutor as soon as they notice a poor grade on a quiz or problem set. But to my dismay, this is only wishful thinking. I tell all my students that math requires patience and dedication; unless you already know the material, it is unlikely that you can prepare well for a midterm the night before. Moreover, most of my students have either failed algebra on multiple tries or barely passed their Prep Math course with a D. With only two exceptions, the better students don't study as hard as they should because they are confident in their abilities, and then they see a decrease in their quiz scores. In turn, all of this stresses me out because program directors want to know why their students are not doing well in my class (which leads to mostly unsuccessful interventions with failing students), the students become angry and frustrated, and I start feeling incompetent as an instructor when only 3 out of 10 students show signs of truly understanding the material. I have been tempted to tell some of these students to reevaluate their choices and reconsider if attending college at this juncture in their lives is really the best idea. I know they are not studying as they should; they barely dedicate a few hours before class to their homework; they expect the allowed calculator will solve rational equations for them without having to know what is going on; and they simply don't assume any responsibility whatsoever for their performance in my class. Unfortunately, I know this might sound discouraging and would affect retention, so I bite my tongue. My department chair is aware of this, and he has told me it's a challenge that originates from our student body. Other than not passing along students from the Prep Math course with a grade below 80% (curve not included), which is something outside my control, I don't know how to minimize this source of stress. I would appreciate any insight.