How Long Is Class?

It is interesting how students do not understand, or choose not to understand, when a teacher says attendance is mandatory, it means for the entire class. Now, as far as I am concerned, I am teaching adults and it a student needs to use the bathroom, get a drink of water, or even just step outside for a moment to stretch his or her legs, that is fine, but it should just e for a moment and then you come back to class.

Students, however, seem to come later and later to class, which can be distracting, and leave earlier and earlier. I do not believe in letting classes out early. I have two three hour classes this semester and that means the students can expect to be there for three hours, although I do give them a 15 minute break in the middle.

I had one student who left class an hour early because she had to be at work on time that day and work was 15 miles away. The student claimed the roads were in poor shape so extra time was needed. I travel 45 miles to get to class and traveled through the area where this student needed to go. The roads were fine.

Students are often asking if I will let them out early and I tell them “No!” If class is meeting for three hours, it is only meeting once a week and it means I need to cover in that one class what I cover in two or three days a week in my other classes. The amount of material I cover each week hasn’t change, nor has the amount of time I have to teach it in; all that has changed is how those three hours are broken down.

Don’t register for a three hour class if you can sit through it, at least that is the case if you are taking the class with me.