When absences add up

How students and teachers navigate the challenges that come with missed class time

Cold weather often brings illness, and illness brings an onslaught of absent students. Part of being a student is dealing with incoming work regardless of sickness, burnout, or schedule overload—and the process is not always easy. As students face inconsistent make-up work schedules and teachers try to balance flexibility with academic rigor, the strength of the current system is tested.

Teachers have specific expectations set by district policy on absences and make-up work. According to Mr. Peffer, an AP Government and AP U.S. History teacher, “[District policy] says something about having the same amount of time to make up work, and I think most teachers are following it. No one’s really going to go against the board policy. We have enough leeway; as long as you’re not more stringent than the district policy, you’re allowed to pretty much do what you want.”

Part of the responsibility of student absences falls on the teachers. Mr. Peffer said, “Most of the time, students are here, but there are some who are consistently absent, and they are not proactive. Usually, it takes a reminder or two to make sure that they’re getting what they need to get done.”

Some teachers often consider student absences when preparing and assigning work. “Everything is posted in Google Classroom, so they have a chance to do it,” Mr. Peffer said. “I also give extended periods of time for assignments; I don’t assign anything that’s due the next day, so there’s usually at least one week of work time on the assignments.”

Despite these accommodations, extended absences still create challenges in the flow of the class. Mr. Peffer explained, “If it’s important material, it becomes difficult to cover. If there’s something instrumental in the unit we’re going through, and there’s 8 or 9 kids absent, then do we go through it [at all]? Is there a way for those students to get it without giving them extra work?”

Students are facing inconsistent systems for catching up on work after absences. “For tests, teachers will switch it up on you when you’re absent. My English test was just 10 multiple-choice questions, and my make-up was writing two paragraphs,” Shrish Jain (11) said (Art Credit: Jovina Zion Pradeep (12))

Some classes cannot wait for students to catch up due to their rigor and fast pace, and students have to adapt. “Teachers should send you an email, like a video of what was happening in class. One of my teachers, Ms. Liu, [an AP Chemistry teacher], does that. Her procedure for missing work—emailing students the day’s lecture and assignment—is very beneficial for her class, which is very fast-paced,” Shrish Jain (11) said. “Her method really helps absent students catch up on the material. Other teachers just expect you to ask your classmates who are just as lost as you are in that class.”

From a student perspective, absences often require judgement calls. “In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been absent maybe once a week,” said Jain. “It’s mostly from illness, but then sometimes I feel like if the work that I’m doing in school can be done at home, and I have a test later, I have to think about how I want to better prioritize my time.”

Missing days of school and scrambling to catch up is not the only option, though. For longer periods of time, AHS offers independent study. Safiya Kathawala (11), a student using the independent study program, explained, “All the stuff I’m doing in classes comes in a little packet.”

Students who are rarely absent also see the effects of inconsistent support. Deekshita Veldandi (11) said, “It’s pretty frustrating when a group member is always absent and they are never doing their work. But I shouldn’t judge them, because I don’t know what’s happening in their life. Some teachers just expect you to do all your stuff while you’re absent, which is kind of unfair.”

Across all perspectives, it’s clear that students and teachers are doing what they can to keep up, but the system leaves most of the burden on them individually. Jain explained, “I feel like it would be really helpful if teachers help you manage your time and try to get back on track. Usually you have to figure it out on your own. I feel like there are a lot of things high schoolers have to figure out on their own already, besides in school.”