Rubrics or Rubbish?

Over this past summer I found myself pondering the effectiveness of rubrics.  No matter how often I use one, or how I introduce it, I feel as though I have wasted my time creating it, except when it comes to the students that are "type A" like myself.  The majority of my students, once I have handed the rubric out, don't seem to be able to hang on to it long enough to make it out of my classroom with it still in their hands. 

This year I have become more frustrated, because it seems as though the most effective mode of communicating to parents assignments that are given out in class is through personally emailing them the assignments each week.  Don't get me wrong, I definitely don't mind doing this, but when does getting assignments done correctly and on time fall back on the student (ie. using their agenda to write down due dates, or checking a website for upcoming dates or assignments). 

While pondering the use of rubrics in my classroom, I began questioning a bigger issue in my classroom- what kind of student do I want to produce after spending a year with them?  I don't know about you, but the last time I thought about my life as an old meagor image of myself, I wanted to know that I could rely on a self-sufficient, responsible, caring individual- not someone I would have to email from my smartphone to tell them it was time for them to bring me my meds!  Just a thought!