Students are scared to miss class, knowing that their grades will plummet, and their stress levels will rise. Most students have always been afraid to miss school, even when they were ill, because it is a struggle to catch up on missed assignments. School policy states that “students typically have the same number of days to make up assignments and days that they have missed,” but that does not include unverified absences.

  It seems there are tests or quizzes almost every day. Students fear that their teachers will not be understanding of needing time to catch up. Junior Luis Esteva explains that “I am responsible for doing missed work,” but students struggle with juggling sports, work, current school work, and catching up on missed assignments.

  Social studies teacher Mr. Tierney says that “technology has helped a lot. I put lectures and assignments on Google Classroom to be available for students.” With the addition of Google Classroom, students can usually check to see what they have missed in a given day. However, not all teachers use Google Classroom, and it is still necessary to talk to teachers during lunch, break, or A+.

  “Communication is key” explained math teacher Mrs. Duma. Most teachers will usually give adequate time because they want students to succeed. She also added that if students do not reach out to teachers, “it gives the impression that you don’t care.” However, science teacher Mr. Knight explains that “missing one lecture or lesson will affect the next lesson,” as they all go hand in hand.

  Students and teachers need to establish better communication, especially when a student is falling behind. Teachers should also be as understanding as possible when students have missed class time and are struggling to catch up.