due dates

My first project (pine needle baskets) was due on Friday. My master teacher gives the students a due date but allows them to take about 1-2 weeks outside of class to complete the project; the project must meet the criteria in order to be graded but no points are taken away for late work. My first class turned in seven out of thirty-two students. Not awful but not great. However, my second class turned in one. That's right, one. As in 1. I have thirty-one students in that class and one student turned in work. Yikes! So today we are back at school after another three day weekend and three students came in during lunch to work on their projects. Three! So by week's end I may have five baskets. What the hell!!! No wonder so many kids are failing art. I mean really? It is a pine needle basket. They have had about one month to make a six by three inch basket. And I get eight (8!) total out of sixty-three (63!) students. That is not even 15% (12.7% to be exact) of the students. WOW.