Imagine that it is your first day of class. The professor passes out the syllabus. He or she then goes over it thoroughly to make sure that no one is confused about how the class will be run for the semester. The professor asks if there are any questions. Normally, the questions asked are ones that have nothing to do with the concern that I want to express now: ATTENDANCE. Many professors incorporate an “attendance policy” into their syllabi that is to be met or the grade of the student will continue to be dropped each day after the “allowed absences” are used. OK, let’s see … where should I start?

Considering a variety of circumstances (illness, bad weather, etc.) that can prevent the most studious of students on campus from making it to a particular class meeting, a professor should think again when allowing a student’s absence to negatively reflect on his or her grade. If a student believes that he or she can afford to miss a class, regardless of the circumstances, why should a professor have the right to “dock them a letter grade”?

Here on a college campus, we normally pay an arm and a leg (and sometimes a foot) to attend school. Therefore, students should be the adults that they are expected to be and make the decision whether they want to attend something they paid for. Yes, all professors believe that the information they cover is vital and should not be missed. However, if a student misses it, and it does not show in his or her grades, then evidently that person is doing something right.

Some professors are just extremely boring, and it is torture for some students to endure nonstop lecturing for 50 to 75 minutes. Some professors only give three or four tests for the semester, which are all averaged into a student’s final grade.

The few class periods designated for taking those tests leave numerous class meetings with professors standing before their students going over the required book that we could actually read on our own time. If I am only there to stare at the wall and listen to nothing that you are saying for an hour because you have not put forth any effort to make the information interesting or even comprehensible, then why should I go?

All in all, professors should be able to take in what they dish out. If they have their hearts set on setting us back simply because we miss more classes than the general three or four they allow us to, then each day they do not meet the standard they set for us, their pay should be docked! That is merely applying the good ole’ Golden Rule to our lives. Professors would not like that very much either. So professors, your goal should be to make a student want to go to class and listen to what you have to say for the day. If you are incapable of making students want to learn and go to class regardless of crazy stipulations that you implement into your grading policy, then maybe teaching is not your forte. Oh, and so you’d know … having a degree does not necessarily qualify you to be a good educator. As stated in my prolegomenon, the publication of this article is primarily to express my concern along with a multitude of other students on this campus. Therefore, professors … don’t just read this … take time to think about it! God bless!

Steven J. Mitchell is a junior Communications major from Memphis.