Primrose Road

I tell my students at the beginning of the term that they get three *free* absences for classes that meet twice a week; after the fourth, a student's grade will be lowered by a full letter. The reason for the *free* absences? I don't want to hear dumb excuses.

Of course, some students always come up to me before or after class to tell me why they missed the last class meeting anyway. Eighty-five percent of the time (I don't think I'm overestimating this), the student will tell me that he or she was in a car accident.

Is "I was in a car accident" the new "my grandmother passed away"?
If not, then approximately thirty of my students have been in car accidents since 2005. Which would suggest, of course, that there is a clear correlation between being in my class and getting into car accidents. ;)

For final exams, the only excuse I'm accepting is "I was attacked by a bear."