Most students go to community college for a reason. Speaking in generalities, the biggest reason would have to be money, or rather, the lack thereof. Therefore, students need jobs. Abhorrent, low paying, degrading jobs that allow for tuition, being brutally raped by the textbook industry (like they’re Kobe Byrant) and hard liquor to numb the pain of buying a triple digit biology book when biology isn’t your major.

It seems that a good majority of teachers at Mesa don’t want students to have jobs. In fact, several have said at the beginning of the semester that having a job would cause you to fail their course. These are the teachers that allow for three absences, no excuses/no emergencies, and don’t you even think about getting up to use the restroom. These same teachers like to treat students like they’re either attending Harvard or need to use circle paper and safety scissors for activities.

The whole attendance policy idea seems a bit maladjusted. The idea is that funding gets presented based on the number of students participating in the course. Does this entail doodling and falling asleep? Because that’s how I spend a good majority of my time “getting a higher education,” learning about systems in Algebra and the eighteenth century American economic system. One can see how these things will help any student in their future careers.

A study conducted by CNN in 2006 found that nearly two-thirds of Americans aged 18 to 24 could not find Iraq on a map after more than three years of conflict. Coming from a public school, it seems that the public education system has failed American students so greatly that when they get to their higher education, they need to shovel all sorts of unnecessary minutiae down their throats.

Why is it necessary for any given student to sit and listen to a teacher read straight from the book for an hour and a half when they could do the same themselves from the comfort of their favorite chair? And even if being in class is necessary, and the teacher is actually worth their salt, presenting new information and making it necessary, shouldn’t it be the student’s choice to be there? Didn’t they pay for their classes? I’m pretty sure I didn’t pay for my tuition with currency that featured Mr. Monopoly.

The Faculty Guide to Attendance Accounting and Grade Reporting states that attendance record keeping is a major consideration in the evaluation of contract faculty and part-time faculty. So there’s the ulterior motive for teachers. Not only is it mandated for them, but it’s also a large part of where their careers in the SDCCD are going.

Although, is forcing students into attending classes on a regular basis an accurate gauge for the competence of the faculty?

Don’t forget the fact that coming in a bit tardy or leaving a bit late may constitute an absence. Never mind traffic or a class running late or a doctor’s appointment. To be truthful, never mind the fact that you went out after working twelve hours to pay for your overpriced student life and that you’re hung over and that you’ve earned that right.

It’s also doubly fantastic that attendance may affect your grade, depending on your teacher, even though you earned a passing grade and obviously have a grasp on the material.

If you are worried about the fact that said teacher is going to drop you, just attend their class regularly and fall asleep to the lullaby that is their monotonous tone with the knowledge that they want to be there less than you do. The only difference is, you paid to be there and can be dropped at any time. They get paid to be there and can act however they please.