You know the old saying? “Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” It refers to classroom attendance as well.

When a student decides to schedule their classes it is the student’s responsibility to show up on time and be attentive to those particular classroom rules.

Instructors should have their own rules and disciplinary actions pertaining to tardiness and continuous absentees, If a student decides to differ and not attend the class sessions due to whatever the reason may be, then it must be the responsibility of the student to adhere to the consequences of the instructor, in my opinion that should be as far as it should go.

At Fresno City College, a variety of students, old and young, attend the school and have other obligations out of class and many other responsibilities. With that being said, one must confront questions such as; does this student have children? Do they have a job that requires them to work night shifts?

If the student is doing the best they can to maintain a decent grade and is attending the majority of the sessions while balancing other responsibilities, shouldn’t they at least be given the benefit of the doubt?

According to an article on un-lincoln.academia.edu, “Absenteeism in the college classroom”, reasons for absence in college are “due to individual delinquency, poor parenting, deviant peer influence, problematic school environments, school maladjustments, teacher and administrator attitude, disciplinary techniques, emotional states, work patterns, family conflict, financial resources, availability of jobs.”

Should a college fault a student for what may be beyond the student’s control? Why not give students the grade they deserve instead of ruining their permanent record?

Other factors that may play in why students do not attend class may be the classroom environment and the instructor’s personality. The article further stated that “the classes attended more often than others were those that did not follow the traditional lecture format.” Although, poor class format could cause absenteeism, rarely do students skip classes that they found enjoyable.

Students should worry more about the grade they are producing rather than them being held accountable for absences affecting their permanent record.

The article also states, “Students who attend only a quarter of required lectures earned an average of a C- grade, while students who attend all of the required lectures earned an average of a B+ grade.”

More rules should also be enforced. Instructors should enforce it more on the students when they are first enrolling in the class so they have more of an idea of what they are signing up for. That may help students to uphold the responsibility of attending classes on an everyday basis; treating the classes more like a job instead of a class mandatory to attend.

“Absenteeism in a college classroom” states, “Teachers can directly impact students’ absenteeism through the use of attendance requirement.”

This shows that instructors can use other strategies to encourage students to attend class. Ruining a student’s permanent record for bad attendance is not necessary.