You are allowed three excused absences before your grade gets penalized. Realize, however, that an absence that is not excused (if you have not talked to me beforehand) does not excuse you from knowing material covered for that day. If you miss class, you are still accountable for the information that was discussed that day. If you do not notify me beforehand, you are not likely to receive extra help on that material.

I realize at the beginning of this semester it will be freaky-cold outside, and I'd like to just curl up in a front of a dorm-room fireplace as much as anyone else. However, I will be in class every day, so you will be in class every day. The flexible nature of the material for this class requires you to be here so you know what's going on in class; because we may skip around, there will be no real "syllabus" to follow, so your only real resource is the class. I am the teacher, but you will be the ones deciding what information we talk about more, depending on what things you do or don't understand or like. So, if you have a big ski trip planned, and you're going to miss class for a week—great. That sounds like a blast, so have a good time. But take this class another time then. We will be covering way too much information to be able to miss any class days, much less a week of class.

Your Homework Isn't Done
Do not skip class if you do not have an assignment done. First of all, you are not allowed to make up in-class assignments, so there's no reason to skip because you aren't prepared for a quiz. Second, if you turn in a major assignment late, it will be late even if you skip class the day it is due; so you might as well not tack on an absence to your grade. Third, it is far more determental to your education to be missing class for a day than to hand in an assignment late; we will be covering a lot of information that you cannot afford to miss. Finally, I am human and understanding and know what it's like to be overwhelmed with an assignment. If you can't turn the assignment in on time, talk to me before it's due, and we can come to an agreement.

Missed Material
If you miss a day of class (and again, I recommend not doing this), you are responsible for getting any information you may have missed from class, from the website, or from me. You cannot make up in-class quizzes, but you should find out what material you need to learn to keep up with the class.

Being Late to Class
Every time you are late to class, that will be marked as 1/3 of an absence. If you have a specific situation that doesn't allow you to make it to class on time, talk to me. We'll see if we can work something out. Otherwise, be here on time.