After having my roommate
throw small objects at me in an attempt to stop my 10-minute rendezvous
with the alarm clock snooze button, I begrudgingly stumble out of
bed and routinely ponder the importance of class attendance policies.
While this scenario is a regular occurrence in my morning wake-up
ritual, and I expect most college students can relate, I almost
always take the supposed “responsible route” and go to
class with a mug full of caffeine and the bleary-eyed prospects
of a new day.
For some unknown reason, many professors and departments do not
carry much faith in our self-motivation to go to class and feel
the need to impose cursed attendance policies upon us blossoming
adults.
As incoming freshmen, we are exposed to the remarkable state of
freedom that comes with not having parents dictate when you go to
school, and as a result of this phenomenon, it is likely that college
freshmen will skip out on a few classes to go enjoy the hooky-playing
they were never privy to in high school.
For this reason, the need for a loose attendance policy is obvious
and, quite probably, essential. A light schedule to help new students
get acclimated to college life may be the key to adapting them to
a self-disciplined, successful scholastic career.
As time wears on and freshmen grow into seasoned college students,
the need for a set attendance policy becomes nearly obsolete. College
is traditionally known as the intermission between high school and
“the real world” and thus should prepare students for
the situations they will inevitably face in the workplace.
At no point in a professional career will your employer coddle you
by enforcing an attendance policy. They keep it simple: You show
up, you keep your job; you don’t, you’re fired.
Perhaps you are not concerned with future employers, because you
can never get a job interview. Boone is not exactly a hotbed of
employment activity, and many upperclassmen find frequent day trips
to larger cities during 8-5 business hours essential for the success
of their career quests. If future employment is one of the main
goals of an educational institution, does it not stand to reason
that classes should not hinder the intent of their initial creation?
In a period of student overflow and the raising
of college entry standards, college has the potential to play an
imperative role in the separation of students dedicated to furthering
their education from those simply in college to pacify their parents.
Students who will make an impact on the school, and the world, will
embrace their education and have the ability to decipher the necessity
of their own class appearances.
Grades exist as a measured means of assessing a student’s mastery
of a subject and, whether they are reflective of a student’s
progress or not, should not be affected by class attendance.
The abolition of a class attendance policy would eventually serve
as a self-disciplinary tool for educators, who would strive to keep
their classes full by implementing useful information to benefit
attendees.
College should not resemble its predecessor, high school, which
was mandatory for every adolescent age 5-16. College should reflect
a genuine willingness to receive an education and further scholastic
growth, which students, their parents or the government pay exorbitant
amounts of money to fund.
Failing economies create a need for serious people to step up to
the challenge of life and face it head-on with motivated goals and
ambitions for the future. Society cannot be expected to hold the
hands of students afraid to become adults and take the plunge into
self-responsibility.
Furthermore, if class attendance is not crucial for a student to
succeed in the class, then serious questions should be raised concerning
the value and necessity of the class in question excluding seminar
classes, which should be measured by means of class participation,
not attendance. Anyone can show up to a discussion class, but it
takes a truly involved learner to contribute a significant perspective
to the class dialogue.
Many professors sympathize with the plights of an upperclassmen
attempting to break into the adult world, and either do not implement
attendance policies or bend the rules for significant circumstances,
but there are still those who are blind to the theory that class
sometimes interferes with education.
To those who feel there is no excuse for missing their assuredly
stimulating lectures, it is time to let students find their own
path to success. It may include passing on a few dazzling class
assignments, but they will learn for themselves, either in school,
or in the “real world.”
How students envision their futures is their choice,
as well it should be for any mature, educated adult in today’s
fast-paced work world. My advice: Cut the cord and let students
sink or swim on their own. |
