A Different Take on “Did I Miss Anything Important?”

When students ask us, as they occasionally do, “I wasn't in class yesterday. Did I miss anything important?” most of us feel at least a bit of disrespect and some aggravation. If we take the question at face value, it implies that the student thinks at least some of what we do in class might not actually be important. Judging from a search of online forums, instructors' responses range from genuine interest in helping students understand what they missed and how to make up for it, to contempt exemplified by sarcastic comments such as, “No, since you weren't present we just filled time until the class was over.” The former response was illustrated in a 2014 article in The Teaching Professor, by Rocky Dailey, who also noted that some absences may be considered more legitimate than others (e.g., due to a student's participating in an institution-sanctioned activity rather than just deciding not to show up). In those cases, I may feel more inclined to give the student some of my time and effort to help make up for the absence.

To continue reading, you must be a Teaching Professor Subscriber. Please log in or sign up for full access.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

I have two loves: teaching and learning. Although I love them for different reasons, I’ve been passionate about...
Geniuses are inherently fascinating. The notion that a lucky few have innate abilities to push the boundaries of...
Teachers focus on developing students’ conscious learning and understanding of concepts, but there is a whole other dimension...
While much of online learning occurs through discussion board conversations, it can be challenging for students to offer...
“Why does my edition of Hamlet read ‘O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,’” my student...
After all, nearly every large language model (LLM) is good at summarizing readings, synthesizing large amounts of data...
In 1906, Francis Galton was visiting a livestock fair when he stumbled upon an interesting contest. Local villagers...

Create a free account, or log in.

Gain access to limited free articles, news alerts, and select newsletters

Login here

Get unlimited access to The Teaching Professor

Stay informed. Subscribe Now.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.00 $14.00/month

for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

$19.00 thereafter. Cancel anytime.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of The Teaching Professor

You only have  free article views remaining.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.00 $14.00/month

for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

$19.00 a month thereafter. Cancel anytime.

Are you signed up for free weekly Teaching Professor updates?

You'll get notified of the newest articles.