“A” Is for “Absent” Essay

In a recently published article called â€Å"’A’ Is for â€Å"Absent’† by Chris Piper a proofreader for The University of Texas at Arlington who wrote about how enrolling in a course which he dreaded to do but decided to take the course anyway to complete now rather later. Piper initially received high grades on almost all projects. Being absent ultimately caused him to drop ten points and he ended with a final grade of a â€Å"C† due to his absences. Piper â€Å"admittedly feels like he earned the grade that was given to him at the time†. He also admits the syllabus clearly states what would occur if he missed more than the allotted â€Å"freebies.† He feels as though if he’s receiving great grades on test, quizzes etc†¦ he shouldn’t be penalized for his absences. Piper feels like as long as he’s paying for his education he should be able to do what he likes as long as he maintains high scores. Being absent ultimately causes you to miss the most essential parts of class. You miss class participation, peers, directions and test or quizzes that may be given on any given day of that class. Being absent is a way of saying that this class isn’t that important to me. As a peer in your class if I work hard just like you but you receive the same grade as I do but are never there, that doesn’t send a great message to me nor to the rest of our peers. Being a student requires you to attend class on a regular basis. When you feel like you’ve earned that grade that you’ve received you either feel as a student you worked hard or you haven’t. Paying for an education is a choice that you make coming to class is another. However, rules are rules and need to be followed. A paid education to me means you need to work double hard to maintain what great grades you achieve. Nothing in life is free, you get what you deserve. As long as I’m paying for their services it’s my choice to do what ever I like to do. Chris feels that â€Å"professors who implement attendance policies often argue, if this were a job, and you failed to show up, you would be fired.† However, there’s a difference between going to work and going to class. A job pays for your services and going to school I pay for there services. As long as I’m getting high marks when I do attend I shouldn’t be penalized and this is my choice. In conclusion, being absent, earning the grade and self paying for my education all seems fair but not to Chris Piper who feels like absences shouldn’t affect his grades especially if you’re paying for your education. He should be able to do what he likes as long as he maintains high scores. â€Å"A† Is for Absent Essay â€Å"A† is for Absent Some college professors follow the â€Å"not required, but explicit† attendance policy. Some professors make it very clear that students attend all classes, but it is not enforced through grade reduction. Broward College in Hollywood Florida suggests that each professor create an attendance policy with the syllabus, but does not insist on any penalties. The virtues of this includes treating students as consumers of education rather than kindergarten children by letting the student know that the professor holds classroom attendance in the students best interest, and will provide quality instruction to the students who attend. Excessive absenteeism can affect the outcome of the career path that the student has chosen. Why be mediocre when you have the ability to excel in any given class. Colleges need to find a way to treat students like adults while also ensuring enough of them show up for class to succeed. Your transcript is like a prison record, it will follow you where ever you go. â€Å"A† is for Absent The University of Maryland’s attendance policy states, â€Å"students are excused from attending classes in cases of emergency or religious holidays. The University of Maryland does not insist upon attendance nor do they asses penalties, moreover, Maryland does not require that any professor create his or her own attendance policy for the students enrolled in each professor’s class. Northern Illinois University’s policy on attendance is,†if a student misses more than four classes in a course that meets three times per week, the professor must lower that students grade by at least letter†. This type of policy gives advantages by not only ensuring classroom attendance, but by making it very clear to the students what will happen if they miss class excessively. A different version of this policy is found at South Seattle Community College, which recommends that the professor not decrease the students grade if they miss less than 20% of the semester. There is a clear and obvious link between class attendance and performance. Student who come to class regularly and are well prepared tend to do much better than the students who do not. The purpose of attendance policies is to ensure that students attend classes regularly, and to ensure that the student is successful upon graduating. â€Å"A† is for Absent http://www.ehow.com/list_646440_attendance-policies-marylandu-college-students.html http://www.south-seattle-cc-attendance-policy-college-students.html http://www.broward-community-attendance-policy_students.html http://images.search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0PDoKyrujhSjHAAkKejzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBtdXBkbHJyB