I have no idea why students keep sending me emails explaining why they can't come to class. I don't really care what the reason is. An absence is an absence. I never refuse to accept any written assignment that is being handed in late, though. My position is: make up your mind, show up, don't show up, live with the consequences, it's all up to you. We are not in high school, and I have no need to know why any particular student couldn't drag himself to class. I keep explaining to students that the best thing they can do to get me into a good, positive, friendly mood is avoid wasting my time. I'm always available to talk about the course material. However, I seethe with anger when I'm forced to go over inane explanations of students' car trouble that prevented them from showing up.
Still, students keep sending in excuses. These excuses have a strange tendency to multiply right before spring break or on days when essays are due. I don't want to be cynical here, mind you. It is more than possible that relatives fall sick in droves, cars break down massively and alarm clocks fail by the thousand on the day before spring break. Who am I to say it can't happen?
There is just one question I have. Why is everybody's sickly relative who develops serious health issues on the day of the midterm always a grandmother? In the past three weeks I had three grandmas sick and one dead in my classes. Not a single grandpa, aunt, uncle, etc., though. It's not like I wish any harm upon these relatives, of course. I'm just wondering why grandmothers always fall sick according to such a convenient schedule.
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In my second year of college, my uncle was murdered by his wife, and I had to take two weeks off of classes to go hide at my other aunt's place out of state because I was in the same town and they thought she might come after me next (She hated our whole family) until we got the police on her.
It's a really good thing that story is real, because I imagine it comes off as one big whopper of a lie compared to a sick grandma.
That's a horrible story! I'm sorry you had to go through that.
I'm not saying I suspect students of lying or anything. When someone says their grandma died or had a heart attack, it feels really horrible to be suspicious. Who knows, it might be one huge coincidence. Now, whenever I see the word "grandmother" in a student's e-mail, I start laughing. And then I feel bad. What if this particular grandma is, indeed, sick?
(Regarding the reaction towards the word "Grandma") That's funny! I imagine if I were a professor, I would eventually develop that habit too. Same thing about sick pets, which seems to be popular here. I guess it shows how precious pets are to Missoulians, ranked right up there with Grandma.
My professors were very kind to me with my *unique* experience though. When I had emailed and called and explained it all to them, they cheered me up by sending me presents and sympathy cards and the homework I missed to my dorm for me to find when I got back. That made me realize how sympathetic and understanding they truly were. :)
I think in American lore, all grandmas are precious little old ladies whose lack of health must invoke sympathy in all. Not so much for Grandpas, Uncles and aunts. I wonder about Kids though. Do you get a lot of those?
I have quite a few students with kids. It might be a coincidence but those are always the best-organized, responsible students who never offer excuses. At least, I don't remember them ever doing so.
We share the same policy: don't send me emails to explain your absences. I even write this in bold characters in my syllabi.
Yet...
Ol.
I think the only reason someone should take exception to that to lack of absence rule is if something really bad happened which would require a longer absence. If someone really is dead, and you require more than a single day to sort everything out (especially financially), then it would probably be in your best interests that you tell the teacher, regardless of their policies concerning absence notification (though if something like that happened, it might be preferable to talk to them in person). Also, if you're honestly out of a class due to illness--as in, you can produce a note from a physician--and can't attend school, then sometimes the only way to avoid getting punished for your continued absence is to explain it.
For those people who are lucky enough have a grandparent left by the time they're in college, it's usually a grandmother. (I lost my last grandparent when I was 13; my kids were lucky to be in their 20s when their last grandparent passed away).
Aunts and uncles would be similar in age to the kid's parents...so less likely to pass away.
I've noticed a sudden raise in mortality in my classes last week as well..
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