Most teachers at Pierce College drop students if they miss the first day or week of class, and they have good reason to do so.
A student who cannot show on the first day of class, or even the first week, likely doesn’t care about the course. Some students register for classes just to fill a spot that they need, and if they don’t have a care in the world to stay in, why should the teacher keep them on the roll sheet? You’re getting off on the wrong foot with a professor, showing up to class to find out they’ve already dropped you.
More importantly, there are students who are trying to get into certain classes, and if there’s a person who doesn’t show up has their spot removed, someone else can add to the course. This allows those students who have enough drive to show up to these classes to get the roster spot, rather than having it sit with someone who doesn’t show the first day of class.
However, as the semester moves on, students may eventually stop coming to class for their own reasons. Regardless of whenever they stop showing, I’ve had professors email the students to check if they’re still attending. If they, in turn, get no reply, then the students absolutely deserve to be dropped from the course.
Communication can bring a lot of stress off the shoulders of the professors who don’t know where their students are. Professors should be mainly teaching those who are willing and capable of showing up, not constantly trying to chase down those who aren’t. If they get caught up trying to get a student who either didn’t show the first day or week, they can’t devote their full attention to teaching their subject material.
Students who don’t show any care will learn the errors of their way. One way of looking at classes is that you paid to learn by way of a professor and if you’re not willing to show up even if you paid, then you’re terrible at managing money. Students should realize that they aren’t just blowing off their teachers and peers by doing this; they’re also wasting money.
There’s no point for professors to constantly try and cater to those students who don’t show enough responsibility or care to show up. The students who attend class will be rewarded with an education, and the students who don’t show up will have to live with the consequences.
