Faculty members do accrue a collection of student excuses for late or poor work. Many of the excuses are dire in terms of health or housing or relationship issues. Students often know the policy parameters sufficiently to where they offer insights that are excusable. And I’ve been around long enough to know that life doesn’t necessarily fit set parameters. There are valid reasons for late work.

I will request evidentiary proof at times. At times, I will even follow up on the provided documentation to verify that—in a kind of triangulation.

Beyond the Pale

There are those that can never be approved—such as a person who had not participated all term and has said that he or she was busy with other courses, and would be glad to do anything to salvage the situation…on the day before the last day of class. Others skirt the edge of impropriety by suggesting that they’ll do anything to pass…and then make a range of suggestions. (One of my colleagues from my part-time instructor days actually had a student buy her gifts from the school bookstore and other totally inappropriate behaviors).

My Favorite Excuse … Ever

My favorite excuse ever came this quarter. My student emailed and asked for a week’s extension on work. She had accidentally done the work for the week prior and needed an extension on the most recent closed week.

This was wonderful because no one had used this excuse (on me) before. And the idea of accidentally repeating a week and not noticing the same learning was just rich. The funniest part is that this could happen.