Nothing makes me feel like I’m back in high school more than a college teacher that takes attendance for a grade. You get to class and the little piece of notebook paper makes its rounds, collecting the names of who came (and who could get their friends to sign them in). There’s so much to be gained from a great professor that can really reach you with a lecture.
There’s really nothing better than finding that professor you just vibe with (think Robin Williams in the "Dead Poet’s Society"), but, every now and then, a teacher’s lecture style just doesn’t reach you. No matter how hard you try to pay attention in class nothing makes sense, and no matter how many chances you give it, sometimes going to class really is a waste of time. In most cases, this doesn’t mean the teacher is bad at teaching, it just simply means their style isn’t your style.
In my experience, if this is the case, I can 100 percent say that missing class has literally done nothing to lessen my understanding of the source material. In fact, in the case of feeling a complete disconnect from a teaching style, going to class can actually make learning the subject harder. I have one class this semester (article inspiration to say the least) in which every single day I’ve gone to class has left me scratching my head in confusion. However, I’ve been able to easily teach myself the concept at home in my own way. And I’ve gotten an A on every test so far this semester…
So how is it fair for someone’s grade to suffer when the lecture is counter-productive to learning in the first place? I mean, quite frankly, I’m the one paying tuition so I feel like I should be able to make the adult decision to avoid something that’s not helping me learn. I really think teachers have their hearts in the right places, and they probably implement these attendance policies to nudge students into being responsible for their grades. However, an attendance policy isn’t going to stop someone from not studying and failing a test. And it’s also not going to turn a bad student into a good student. Further, good students already know how to be responsible with their grades so what the heck is the point of graded attendance again?
Now this is in no way saying everyone should be sleeping through every single class, every single semester because “they learn better” that way (meaning they were too hungover to get up) because consistently going to class, in most cases, will most definitely improve your grade. However, occasionally that is truly not the case, and I’m positive that almost every college student in the history of higher education has been in this situation before.
And, like every other college student before, time is precious. Part of being an adult is learning strategic time management. If going to class equates to nothing more than a few hours a week wasting time that you could be using for assignments or studying, then isn’t it just plain out logical to use that time more wisely? So I say, “Down with mandatory attendance!” We’re all adults here, let’s act like it.
