As you read these messages think about them in terms of "credibility."
Then, write your comments about what you learned.
GUIDELINES FOR ALL BLOG COMMENTS:
GUIDELINES FOR ALL BLOG COMMENTS:
- Full, complete sentences. You are not sending a text or chatting on FB.
- Accuracy in spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation.
- Civility.
- Comments are conversations with your classmates. Make sure THEY understand what you are trying to say.
- Do not address your comments to me. You are communicating with the rest of the class.
Credibility refers to the quality of being trusted and believed in, as per Webster's Online Dictionary, and the examples listed did nothing to even remotely inspire those characteristics. Reading through them, I felt a growing sense of distaste with each and every email, in that students went so far as to invent diseases, sicknesses, and misfortune for themselves AND others as well, just to attempt to save face and miss class that day. I cannot imagine ever going to the depths that these students traveled to, and it makes me worry a bit about human nature, too.
ReplyDeleteUnexpected tragedies or barriers in life can come in the way or prioritize over going to class or completing classwork. An e-mail explaining the situation should be able to suffice as proof; however, many students have lied about horrible tragedies in order to get out of skipping class or not doing their work. Because of this it is very hard for an e-mail simply stating the situation to be credible without any proof or documentation of what had happened. Usually, professors are very reasonable and understanding when it comes to tragedies in their students’ lives coming in the way of their work; however, without any proof it is hard to determine whether or not a student is lying.
ReplyDeleteAs I read each of the emails I learned that many will go through great lengths to save face, as Brandon says, and be given an exception which is not fair to others who are actually credible and honest. Also, I learned that if you want to be seen as credible you must be ready to show your proof as well.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago I lost my mother. A week later I was standing in the hallway outside marketing class, looking out the window, trying to decide whether I should quit work and school so I can grief properly, or bottle up my fillings and continue the rat race. I was not ready to go back to my normal routine, because it felt like my whole world was upside down, but I thought she would not want me to destroy everything I`ve worked so hard for. So I chose the latter and went into class.
ReplyDeleteI work at a Cancer Center, and occasionally there is a situation where we have a very sick patient and have to admit them to the hospital. The irony of life is that this usually happens fifteen minutes before I have to leave work to go to my evening class to give a presentation I was preparing for the entire semester. Instead, I get stuck at work for another one-two hours.
What I am trying to say with all this is that bad things do happen in people`s lives, emergencies happen. If nothing like that ever happened to you (I am talking to everyone), then your life is perfect, I hope it stays that way. I never told professors about any of my problems or asked for anything. I simply decided that my family, my patients and my own well-being come fist, even if that means getting a lower grade. Of course there are many students who lie to get themselves out of trouble, but we are not detectives, nor the jury to decide who is telling the truth and who is not. It is part of the professor`s job to make that decision. I am not here to mock other students` misfortunes. In my humble opinion, this discussion is inappropriate and irrelevant to the subject of this class.
I agree with the above comments that people dragged in their family members, long dead or still alive, to save themselves from a lower grade when in reality they were just lazy to complete things in a timely manner. This creates a huge issue for people who are saying the truth because it is harder to believe them as similar excuses have already been used. If you want your excuse to be credible, then you should have no reason to not bring up proof to back it up
ReplyDeleteAfter reading these emails, you can see that a lot of people either have legitimate emergencies that are happening within their families, or are lying. It can be hard for a professor to believe every single student because the amount of emails that they receive that are all so similar. Yes, bad things in life happen, but I guarantee some of those people either lied or exaggerated the truth about what was going on in their lives which, like Milan said, is a massive problem for those who are actually telling the truth. Therefore, the credibility of these excuses is questioned since there are multiple emails from various students saying the same thing. Also, I believe proof is necessary, because as Toni stated, without proof you do not know who is telling the truth and who is lying.
ReplyDeleteA recurring theme among these e-mails and correspondences seems to be a deflection of responsibility for missing class, assignments, or even exams. As a few of my classmates also noted, a lot of these scenarios involved family emergencies and other things of urgent nature that come off slightly insincere when grouped together in succession. The issue of credibility is very clear in this group of messages because there seems to be minimal acknowledgement of responsibility and leaves the professor in a position to either deny or accept these claims - often without proof.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Lauren, there can be unfortunate events that occur. It is hard to tell from just an email which situations were serious. When the professor receives the emails it seems hard to distinguish between what is true or not without proof. Credibility is defined as being the quality of being convincing or believable. Many of the examples given were not credible due to lack of evidence or simply because it occurred to frequently. Based on the examples given, it only seems right to provide proof of any unfortunate events.
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate that circumstances sometimes require students to miss classes they would otherwise elect to attend. While a good portion of the examples presented may be illegitimate, life is unpredictable. Professors as well as students should be flexible and a student should make every attempt to demonstrate their credibility and dedication. The context of these emails within the classroom must be taken into consideration. It is very clear when a student is committed to a class, especially one that is discussion based. An email should not be the primary form of communication between a student and a professor. Credibility is much easier to assess face to face.
ReplyDeleteMost of the reasonings for excusing themselves for absences or missing work was death in the family, usually not having any proof to back it up. There are times where unfortunate events will happen and there are legitimate excuses for whatever it may be, but the professor or other figure will not know the truth unless proof is shown. As a manager, I have experienced the same. I have gotten the, "my aunt died and I cannot come into work". With enough investigation, I found out that person went out to a party upstate, which he missed work for a few days. This kind of excuses reflects a person as well in their work careers as well. As Jack said, "Credibility is much easier to assess face to face," which I agree.
ReplyDeleteI learned that people often make a lot of excuses such as emergencies and death in order to get away with missing classes and late assignments. I do feel bad for those people if those stories are true, however, it is hard to believe them if there is no proof provided.
ReplyDeleteI learned that problems do arise and unforeseen circumstances definitely do occur , however, if unuspecting events do happen that hinders one from coming to class, you must bring sufficient documentation. Documentation is proof of credibility in some circumstances. Something that stood out is that students who would know they wouldn't be able to attend class weeks in advance, would wait until the last moment to tell the professor. Waiting until the last moment to alert a professor definitely reduces credibility. There were two situations that I found inappropriate. The first situation is the student asking if they can make up work because they had a vacation planned during a class session. The second situation is a student asking a professor to give them notes because they would not be able to attend; when instead the student should've asked a classmate. All in all, credibility plays an important role in your academic successes in college.
ReplyDeleteThough sometimes things happen that are out of our control, it is clear that many of these people were making up excuses for missed work. Personally, I feel it is wrong to fake a death or an emergency for any reason. I also find it odd that people offered to provide proof when they were unable to. Also, if a student is unable to attend a class, it should be for a credible reason. I don't see going on a vacation as a valid excuse for missing class, I am sure the student was aware the vacation and class time would conflict and therefore should not have scheduled one of the two. It is difficult to build credibility once being caught in a lie. Overall, credibility pays off and can ensure a person's success.
ReplyDeleteIt is understandable that sometimes students may not be able to attend class due to unforeseen circumstances. However regardless of the circumstance, students should be able to provide crediable documentation proving that was the reason of their excused absence. With that being said a student should also know what assignment they missed and be responsible to hand it in the earliest they can after these circumstances. I believe it is inexcusable to lie about not being able to attend class especially with a death or fatal sickness.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Merriam-Webster, credibility is defined as "the quality or power of inspiring belief." Yes, some students may have emergencies or but some excuses were unbelievable and sounded ridiculous. Illnesses are excusable with proper documentation from a doctor, and deaths in the family are also excusable with proof. Certain travels are out of the students control and they sometimes travel with their parents and have no choice when they leave and or return. By being honest with the professor and creating a trusting relationship, students can usually be excused from class, or assignments, if they comply with the teacher's requests.
ReplyDeleteCredibility is certainly of importance, especially when it comes to attendance and schoolwork. Having said that, from each of these emails it seems like they are going to great lengths and are overly apologetic in explaining why they're missing class or homework, but perhaps it's because there is a really strict attendance policy that they think they need an extreme excuse. This is a problem on both ends. Students, and teachers, should be allowed to have to miss school or work a couple of times over a 4 month period. Things happen; people get sick, or really do have family emergencies, or do get very overwhelmed with work, and these are some valid excuses, but sometimes aren't enough for some really strict professors.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't want to assume that most of the students lied about a death, but who actually provides proof of a family death anyways?
For example: "Dear professor, yes it's true my daughters grandmother died over the weekend. Sincerely, students' mother." That would be insane. I lost my grandfather last year during finals week, and as tough as it was, I personally did not let it get to interfere with my work and I was able to maintain my workload and give in all papers and projects on time, as well as study for and take finals. However, other students may be in different circumstances and truly might not have been able to take finals that week. Who am I to judge?
On that note, a professor can't be too lenient either. Although a professor may be thinking how these students' are going to truly handle missing work in their professional lifetimes if they cant even make valid excuses for missing a class, the answer is that they'll learn with time and experience how to handle their jobs and bosses when it comes to absenteeism.
The ultimate question of "Credibility" depends mostly on the professor. Having said this, it's up to the professor to have an human open-mindedness, as things really happen in life. It's up to him to give each student the benefit of doubt. This concern should make all of us reflect on what really happened to us last semester. As, unbelievable and irresponsible that it might sound, I did miss the first class on the very first day of my very first semester because I made the wrong connection on class day and day of the month, and I am a very, very, responsible person. But it happened and I didn't try to excuse myself because I knew it was on me and nobody would have believed me. So, I judged myself negatively, and I was ready to face the consequences. Things really happen but this fact shouldn't represent me as a student. I am a working mother of 2 children and I am really committing and putting extra efforts in my education.
ReplyDeleteGood morning classmates,
ReplyDeleteUpon reading these emails, there are certain ones that seem credible to me and others that do not. I'd like to continue by saying that I had not realized how many "excuses" professors receive throughout semesters. Some of the reasons that former students gave, I have personally experienced myself, so I am sympathetic to certain situations. However, certain messages which lack proper salutations and grammar don't appear to seem credible. Personally if I was writing about a serious matter I want to be sure my message is being communicated clearly, properly and professional. These are my ideas and opinions on the credibility of these emails.
-Karina Vasquez
Greetings Class,
ReplyDeleteMy first reaction was being terrified, I started thinking at the back of my head that all these could be true. I understood though the setuation and understand how important is to be on time and have no room for excuses.
In all seriousness, credibility is an important factor of communication and furthermore in an online course. I will do my best to defend my credibility throughout the course.
-Tasos Filippou
I personally believe things happen out of our control. You can sit here and say some of the stories are not true but are you that person? We are all grown adults and if you miss ONE class due to a sickness is it really necessary to bring in a doctors note, what if it is a stomach virus or a simple cold? Some people don't have insurance therefore you might not have the money to see a doctor. As far as deaths go, it's pretty clear you could bring proof from the funeral, but what kind of human being can you be to use the death of someone in your own family? If it is something that is happening over and over than of course it's going to affect your credibility as a person but if it happens once or twice for two different reasons then I don't think they should be penalize. If it happens for every major paper due or exam, than of course you are going to question the persons credibility.
ReplyDeleteWe are all human beings, and anything can happen to us at any given time. Though sometimes some people may use the serious deepest scenarios just to get out of doing something. In some cases a death or family emergency may be true, but if you prolong the situation and have no accurate evidence of what your going through, there's no credibility to prove your right.
ReplyDeleteThings do not always happen as we expect them to. I couldn't go to class in the first week because I had to deal with something in my home country, therefore, I personally understand this truly and deeply. Although some people might use these to make up excuses but I believe we all have bad times, we should be more caring when we see situations like this.
ReplyDeleteI agree that anything can happen to us at anytime. However, I understand sometime people use these serious matters as excuses, but in some cases these might be true. I think we should not doubt about their situation, because everything can happen to us.
ReplyDelete