By Chandy Schuler
For students, returning to school after an absence can be a roller coaster of emotions. Whether it be trying to complete make up work or looking forward to seeing friends, returning from an absence acquires various opinions.
Select students at Plymouth High School find returning from an absence more stressful than others. Freshman Rem Miller said, “I think it depends on how much time you miss. I had major surgery last year and missed 6 weeks of school. Catchup time was horrible. My teachers all wanted the work back within two weeks. I was still doing my regular work along with it! It was very stressful and I was still in a lot of pain so I was working slowly. The stress made recovery even harder.” Senior Taylor Shively said
Students can fill out a prearranged absence form (found in the attendance office) prior to their absence to avoid a large amount of makeup work when they return. Photo by: Chandy Schuler
she thinks it is stressful returning from an absence because there are “too many online assignments and the teachers don’t give you printed out syllabi to keep yourself organized.” Contrary to Shively’s statement, Freshman Summer Smith said, “No it is not stressful because most of my work is on Canvas and I can do it the day I’m absent. Any small assignments I missed can be completed quickly and it causes me no stress.”
Naturally, students are expected to complete work they missed as they return to school. Junior Sam Stone said one thing he worries most about when returning to school is “having to make up a test or quiz.” Freshman Emma Daniels said, “I worry about not being able to know all of the information that I need. Homogeneously, Freshman John Lara gave his opinion by saying, “I worry about any tests or homework that I missed that I won’t be able to understand 100%.”
Due to students being absent, select absentees feel that they are not given a proper amount of time to complete absent work. Miller said, “I think we should have just under double the time or so [to complete absent work] because on top of the make up work, we already have regular work to do.” Contrary to Miller, Smith said, “Yes I do. My teachers don’t give me anytime to make up work unless it’s a test and we don’t need time in class because we bring our computers home and can do it then.”
Select students feel that certain aspects of returning after an absence are harder than others. Senior Kristen McNeal said the hardest aspect in her opinion was “having to stay after school to get help, or making up a test that you might have missed. Once you go into class you are expected to know what everything you missed was over.”
Although returning to school after an absence can bring stress upon students, certain returning absentees feel there are aspects of returning to school to look forward to. Freshmen Tyanna Nickles and Kiley Butler both say one of the things they look forward to when returning from an absence is “seeing their friends.” Miller said, “I like getting back into the groove of things.”
In the attendance office, students are able to discuss or arrange their absences with Attendance Secretary Mrs. Barb Craft. Photo by: Chandy Schuler
Though students feel there are both pros and cons to returning from an absence, it is inevitable that students have a variety of aspects they would change, given the chance. Shively said if she could change one thing about returning back to school after an absence it would be, “Making assignments due within the time of arrival back to school, as long as you are turning in the absent homework as long as it gets in on top of your regular homework then it shouldn’t matter.” Sophomore Ethan Rozycki said, “I feel as if teachers are rushed during a trimester and don’t have as much time as they would like to focus on a topic. So when I come back from an absence I am rushed because I need to catch up really fast so that I am ready to take the final. This is just one reason why I am looking forward to going back to semesters next year so that if I am absent, coming back to school won’t be as rough.”
From these students, the conclusion can be made that those returning from an absence have a variation of topics to be concerned about. Though different students have different aspects they look forward to or dread while returning to school after an absence, it is predestined that students will continue to carry varying perspectives on the returning process.