why do you care if a student misses class?

[picurn10]

Just trying to understand why some of my classmates are so upset about a student who's been missing class. To me it just seems like it's none of their business and has no effect on them, but maybe I'm missing something.... This student has missed probably 7 class days in our almost year long program. She's on the high end of absences for the class, but not about to go over the allowed amount. She has three small kids under 5, her youngest was under 4mo when she started. She also had to have an emergency gall bladder removal a couple months ago and took a week long medical absence. She wanted to come back to class sooner than a week, but the nursing director told her she had to take the full week, or she would forefeit it (I don't know why). Anyway, she came in one morning and went to speak with one of our instructors and several students just went off about how she shouldnt' be in the program and she should have been kicked out, etc... I just was so shocked because I have a lot of respect for her because she had good grades and has a TON on her plate right now. Also, they were having financial trouble and had to move in with her sister during all this.

She's a friend, so obviously I am on her side, but I just don't understand why other students are so hostile about it? Why do they care if she's not in class. They can skip if they wanted to (and I don't think she's just skipping anyway). She hasn't missed any group papers or projects, she's the only one sitting for her NCLEX, so I just don't get it. What am I missing?

[Movin'onUP]

. The reason I missed so much was because the majority of my professors couldn't teach to save their lives and I got more out of studying at home than I ever did from most of the lectures. Most of my professors just read off of power point slides or straight from the textbook. They had no skill at breaking down information and explaining it in terms a novice could understand. I could never understand why most of my classmates complained endlessly about the suckiness of the teaching but would dutifully show up to every class.

same here,, i learn sooo much more information on my own than i do in class.. even though my professors are nurses, that doesnt make them teachers , so why waste my time.. and i think thats what gets to alot of the ppl that complain - the fact that ppl can miss class and still get sh*t done and get good grades.. and for those that miss class and still fail, let them worry about that - obviously if the pattern continues they wont be in nursing school for too much longer so why worry ur pretty lil heads about it..

[Coriander, BSN, RN]

I am not yet in nursing school, yet I have been in classes where one person or another would miss half the semester because they were "still drunk, man" and want to copy notes or assignments. For those classmates who had family emergencies or other issues, I would be more than happy to help out.

What concerns me about students missing out on nursing classes or clinicals "just because" is that I may have them in a group setting later on and will have to cover them if they don't know something. I do understand there being wonderful students who can miss a class here or there and still keep up with the material, however if there are students like I described above, yikes.

As far as the original poster's friend who had gallbladder removal surgery, I'm impressed that she returned in a week, and wanted to return sooner. My own recovery after that particular surgery took me a month to be able to move correctly. Of course I wasn't a student at the time, but it was excruciating... I admire that student for wanting to get back into the swing of things immediately.

Just my

[deftonez188]

It is really no one's business but their own. I will say this though, there is a person in my class who skips class alot to sleep in - and my problem comes up when my phone rings off the hook a day before an exam to study....aka, teach me everything I need to know for tomorrow, to which I say, no thanks :)

[Rylee2008, ASN, RN]

If another student is missing class, that's her problem. I have enough other stuff on my plate then to worry about other students' missing class. I have never missed a day of school in 2 years, but there have been days I should have stayed home due to illness. As long as she is learning the material needed I don't think it should be an issue.

[TinkerNurse]

80% of the time I teach myself better than instructors in my class can, unless it involves hands on clinical skills where I need to SEE them do it or a particularly advanced subject, id rather learn on my own.