Did I Miss Anything?

It is the end of the first semester and part of a teacher's responsibility, in our district, is to decide who is exempt from the semester exam. Students lose their exemption if they have been absent, tardy for an excessive amount of time, failing for the semester, or have been placed in an alternative school setting for behavioral issues. Now, there are some circumstances where a student might have what is known as an "excused" absence. This means that even though s/he did not attend school that day they are still eligible for exemption from the semester exam. Some examples are school sponsored field trips, college visit days, and doctor's appointments as long as you spend some time in class before or after the appointment.

Everything seems simple enough until students start complaining: "No one wants us here if we're sick, but we are punished if we don't come to school" or "I was bettering my future by looking at my post high school options. Why do I have to take a test?" or "It's not my fault the school scheduled the competition during the school day." Taking an exam is not a punishment. If you miss class, you miss lessons. Sometimes the best discussion is rather impromptu and cannot be duplicated in make-up work. When a student is out of the learning arena a gap is created that must be filled. Semester exams are meant to test those students that had gaps to ensure that they were properly fixed.

Honestly, I don't believe any absence should be excused. If parents, teachers, and students have problems with competitions and other co and extra curricular activities taking place during school hours, perhaps there needs to be some adjusting elsewhere. One of my favorite poems is "Did I Miss Anything?" by Tom Wayman. I think he sums up many of my feelings on the matter.