I'm teaching a five-week summer class. We meet daily, have quizzes daily, and the first draft of the big essay is due today (Tuesday of week two). Here's an email I just received from a student who has missed five out of the first six classes and done no work:"Sorry I have not been present to class, my dad has suffered a massive heart attack and is at Vanderbilt hospital in Nashville, I have kept up with the material, its the only thing thats really keeping me sane. I will be there tomorrow, my dad is finally somewhat stable. thank you
Jo Flake"
Here's my immediate response:
Dear Jo Flake,
You've missed way too much class. You've attended one class our of six and earned no points. The syllabus clearly states that I allow no more than two absences. There's no way you can pass at this point. Try again some semester when you don't have this kind of distraction.
Hirohito Basketweaver, Ph.D.
Associate Professor - Department of Basketweaving
Jo Flake wrote back five minutes later:
"I know it does but Ive pretty much written review/essays about these [baskets] since Ive been here at the Hospital which i can send you, I really need this class, my dad said never to give up so could you please help me out? I wont miss anymore class
Jo Flake"
I'm not sure how to respond or if I should at all. I don't appreciate the attempt at manipulation; that's for sure.
We can NEVER fully know the truth of these hospital visits / flat tires / granny deaths, so just remove that entirely from the equation.
ReplyDeleteThen, I think it's simple. He's not going to pass. Drop.
Hmm. This one is tricky. I think I'd be inclined to reply sympathetically, reiterating that the student has simply missed too much class to receive full benefit from completing it, but to offer to work with him/her to make use of any avenues for dropping late and/or receiving a refund that are available to those with special circumstances. I'd cc the email to someone who might be able to advise the student about those options (probably a Dean of Students or someone in student services -- whoever handles special circumstances requests). Either that, or I'd contact that person (or my chair) directly first, asking how to proceed.
ReplyDeleteThe student may be dealing with a genuinely difficult circumstance, but (s)he's also, yes, being manipulative; the "my dad said never to give up" phrase raises my hackles, as does the ever-popular "pretty much written" -- if the student had really been using keeping up with the class as a way of coping, then some of those assignments would have been completed, and, probably, emailed to you earlier with an explanation. I'd understand if the class had never entered the student's mind, but the ideas that (s)he's been keeping up with the class, but not with you, and hasn't sent any actual finished work, doesn't compute for me.
And if (s)he is lying, (s)he deserves to be nailed to the wall. I hope whoever can offer help is also the person who enforces the honor code, and that it covers lying.
And I suppose it's possible that there's a real emergency, *and* (s)he's being manipulative. Stranger things have happened.
It's true, you never know if they are lying or not. So I always respond with sympathy, something lacking from your email as posted. And then I explain why they cannot pass and should withdraw. But first I take the time to say I'm sorry about X crisis or emergency, because, in case it is true, I AM sorry for that student. Calling somebody's father's massive heart attack a "distraction" is pretty cold.
ReplyDeleteIf someone has missed 20% of the course and hasn't handed in anything to be graded, there's not a lot you can do.
ReplyDeleteI've had this come up a few times, and I just urge them to drop and come back when they can give the course their full attention, because right now, their family needs them.
If they're not lying, and it's true, their family really should just circle the wagons until they all pull through, and if they are lying, well, whatever. The delay to their program is their problem, not yours.
I'm with the others. Showing sympathy helps them know that you, too, are human, which likely helps them to not be so stubborn and upset with your response that they cannot remain in the class (regardless of whether this is true). The fact that they have also NOT made arrangements with you in all the time their father has been in the hospital is another reason to not allow them to remain...
ReplyDeleteIf they refuse to drop, you can always deduct whatever points you would for anyone who had missed that much class, making it impossible for them to pass. If you don't allow make-up work, don't accept it.
My excessive absences are tied to health concerns, and despite them
ReplyDeleteI have been keeping up with the homework and teaching myself the
concepts (the best I can). I would like to remain in the course, and
hope to finalize my issues over spring break, but even then I can't
promise perfect attendance moving forward (although that is my
intention).
I apologize for not updating you sooner but I wasn't of proper mind
to. I would appreciate the ability to stay in the course, I have a
decent hold on the concepts and need the credit hours to graduate from
the law school, however, I understand my absences are crippling in
such an interactive class. Please advise on my options.
I'm very sorry and rest assured, that regardless of your decision, my
absence are not evidence of me taking you or your subject matter
lightly.
Thank you,
And I suppose it's possible that there's a real emergency, *and* (s)he's being manipulative. Stranger things have happened.
ReplyDeleteThis. A million times this.
Tell her there's not much more you can do, but urge her to talk to the Dean's Office and see whether, given her extenuating circumstances ("distraction"? really?), she might be able to drop with no record of enrollment. Offer your sympathies (if you have them) and your assistance in the process, inasmuch as possible.
I think there's a not-very-fine line between being realistic and just plain not giving a shit.
He is being manipulative, but probably out of desperation. Be manipulative back while still staying strong. Try something like this:
ReplyDeleteDear Jo Flake,
I understand that you would like to continue the course and that you want to make your father proud, but this is a time that you need to be with your family, not here struggling to complete a class that you are so far behind on that it is impossible to pass. Sometimes our family is more important than a summer class we want to get out of the way.
As you know from the syllabus, this course is one that is very interactive with x points tied to participation. As you've missed almost all of the class periods so far, you will miss out on these points, making it impossible for you to pass the course. You've also missed out on my feedback on your assignments, your classmates' input in class, and classroom (assignments/discussions, whichever is more applicable to your class), all of which would severely hinder your performance in continuing this course.
Given this, I strongly urge you to drop the course, take the rest of the summer to be with your family when they need you, and start fresh in the Fall. I hope your father makes a fast recovery and I wish you good luck in all of your future endeavors.
Hirohito Basketweaver, Ph.D.
Is Cindy's post above a parody? When I first saw it, I figured that somehow "Jo Flake" had googled her own email message and found it plastered here. But I've been mocked for being wrong about these things before....
ReplyDeleteTwo words: hardship withdrawal.
ReplyDeleteOne word: Gulag.
ReplyDeleteYou know, if they are dead set on not dropping and trying anyway I usually let them. And then they fail. Then I sort of go "Dude, I told you it was a bad idea." End of story. They don't have to drop and you don't have to pass them. *Shrug*
ReplyDeleteI'm puzzled by requiring attendance in classes. I understand that providing some incentive for the student to turn up will help them in the long term, but I've never regarded attendance of lectures to be essential in and of itself. My syllabi lay out no penalties for non-attendance.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I pull no punches on the exams, which are worth the vast majority of their grade. Assignments serve largely pedagogical purposes, not assessment purposes. If I were to teach a writing course, I would judge them on their writing instead of the exams, but the principle is the same. I don't want to judge them on how much time they've put in, I want to judge them purely on the results.
So, my answer to this student is simple: "Sure, you're welcome to continue, but beware that you've missed a lot of class and you're likely to fail. This stuff isn't easy to pick up on your own."
Hirohito Basketweaver, no one likes being manipulated. Then again, IF Jo Flake is being truthful, no one appreciates a family member's hospital stay being called a 'distraction' either.
ReplyDeleteJo Flake's original email seemed polite and respectful, I'd suggest Jo's later attempt at manipulation was in response to your coldness, possibly an attempt to check that his/her prof was indeed human. Jo definitely didn't go about it in the best way but then again, neither did you.
As to what to do, I personally thought that May, Cassandra and Cranky's responses all seemed appropriately sympathetic yet maintained your position.
My post was a real e-mail I received from a student earlier this year. I had to share it as well. When I sent my reply, I also CCed the Dean of Students of my program and the Dean at the Law School. Boy, that received immediate results and the students was taken off my roster. I thought I would share my misery with you.
ReplyDeleteDrNathaniel,
ReplyDeleteSome profs actually teach new material in their classes; thus, making attendance mandatory cuts down on the whiners who think everything is in the book they barely skimmed before the exams.
Are you admitting you teach straight from the book? I am betting your don't. But I am also guessing you don't teach at a school where 50% of the class skips every session, or else you would be so puzzled.
More importantly, I once TA-ed for a prof who didn't require attendance. She also assigned no book; instead the entire course was based upon her lectures and the review sessions with the TAs. It never failed that every semester 1 or more students complained that it was impossible to pass without attending class; they had been warned on day 1 and in the syllabus how the course was run. The final straw came when 1 little flake BLAMED THE PROF for actively making her fail by not warning her attendance was required. Helicopter parents descended in attack mode. Drama ensued. Prof retired in disgust.
Sadly, in the new millennium, some of us have to treat college students like willful kindergarteners just to protect ourselves and the classroom as a learning environment.
I am absolutely hardline on telling students who have personal crises of whatever kind to drop (as in the example responses above), and here's why:
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago, I had a good student who was getting an A in my class have a health crisis and end up in hospital for a few weeks. When she got out, near the end of semester, she came and BEGGED me to let her have an incomplete. I said she was better off dropping and coming back when she was fully well in the fall.
Well, she was all "but I did all that good work" and against my better judgement I let her have an incomplete, and we worked out a schedule over the next couple months for her to do the work.
She never did it. So she got an F.
Summer passed, and in the Fall I got a grumpy email from the Registrar. The student and her mother were complaining that I had "pressured" her into taking an incomplete, when she was "obviously in no fit mental state to make that decision". And on and on about how I was irresponsible and should have LET her drop. LET her! I suggested it several times!
Since then, I have no response other than "I am sorry about your circumstances, drop the class and look after yourself/family, and come back fresh next semester."
Actually, Gulag is three words all smunchied up together.
ReplyDeleteOh! One thing I forgot to say....
ReplyDelete...dropping your class might affect the student's financial aid status. This is of no concern to the teacher, but should be of concern to the student. If they're smart enough to ask FA before they drop, and FA tells them they'll lose a generous chunk of their award money if they fall below X amount of hours, often FA will encourage students to come back and talk to the teacher.
And yes, sometimes I've had FA officers suggest students write emails like the one above. And yes, these people SUCK.
@WhatLadder: That sucks. After something like that (only with a colleague) I now follow up every phone call or in-person conversation that might be controversial later with an email I can save that says something like: "Just to follow up on our conversation today, I'd like to reiterate that . . . "
ReplyDelete@My Little Proffie: Not to mention their health insurance, in the days before Obama's insurance reform. If the Death Eaters -- oops, I mean Tea Partiers -- manage to invalidate the provision that parents can carry young adults till age 26, I'll go back to letting the Little Dears stay in my class until they flunk, as long as they're "active" - handing in assignments.
@Hirohito: Have a heart; tell Jo you're sorry about the dad (even if you have no heart and have to lie); and offer to accept the missed assignments with a penalty on each one. Set a strict deadline for them. Jo may miss the deadline and fail. Jo may make the deadline and hand in crap and fail. Or Jo may hand in outstanding assignments, take the penalties, and still end up with a B and memories of how your class helped Jo through the Summer from Hell.