The Variety of Excuses Used by Students
The writer describes the variety of excuses used by students in making an attempt to justify the late submissions of their assignments. According to Segal, "The death of a grandfather/grandmother is the grandmother of all excuses". The students will use the story about the death of a household member to manipulate the sympathy of the teacher into accepting late submissions.
Excuses Range From Technology, Friends, and Family
The excuses range from technology, friends, and family. The author factors out that other students use supposed accidents to explain their absence from class. However, the scholar will still show the tutor how "...The course is greater important to me than ever," as a sign of commitment. The writer tries to show that the students do not have a limitation towards their sources of excuses in trying to justify their late submission of assignments or absence from class.
Instructors Should Not Accept Late Submissions
The instructors should not accept late submission of work in class. The excuses used by the students are lame and not substantial. For example, other students claim that their roommates are "horrible and like to party" (Segal 354). Therefore, the roommates deny them the chance to study and complete the assignment. In such cases, the students have the chance to look for an alternative location to do the assignment. Technological excuses such as the printer failing to print or the computer failing to save are not substantial.
All Excuses Are a Mockery of Rules and Regulations
All the reasons used by the students are a mockery of the rules and regulations placed by the institution on adherence to the deadlines. Segal describes a student who claimed to be going for a date in Rome and "...The time of her flight made it impossible to attend class" (355). The excuses show the students prioritize other things compared to education. Therefore, the tutor should not accept any apologies.
Work Cited
Segal, Carolyn Foster. "The Dog Ate My Disk, and Other Tales of Woe." Chronicle of Higher Education, no. 46.49, 2000, pp. 354-355.
