"Sorry to miss class, but there's a really important meeting at my dorm."

Dear Student:

Don’t get me wrong: I want to know if you got a concussion playing lacrosse. I want to know if your father was just in a car accident. I want to know if you’re bleeding out. I respect you and I insist on being treated with  respect: As adults, we need to be candid, straightforward, and polite.

If there’s something serious affecting your ability to complete your work for my course, we need to talk about it and we’ll deal with it.

But here’s what I don’t want to know: that you are “thinking about leaving class early” because you have an exam for another class tomorrow. That’s not okay.

Did you think I might say that was a good idea? Are you, and I ask this politely (see above) insane? Why would I compromise my class for an…

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