(January 26, 2007) — We all know that missing work is one of the perks of being absent. We also know that making up this work is vital for our academic survival. What happens when we employ a flawed absence work makeup plan which hinders our ability to stomach this increasingly large workload? Disaster. So far this year, I’ve managed to collect more than 30 absences due to health reasons. This really can put a person in a large hole of homework. As it is, it’s hard to stay on top of our normal workload. Seven classes provide us with a never-ending supply of suffering. When a person has been gone for more than three consecutive days, the work piles up even higher and can sometimes fall into cracks. This makes catching up in classes like math and chemistry incredibly difficult. Those lucky enough to miss three days of school have the option of asking the office to retrieve any and all makeup work they might have missed. The GUSD absence policy is very plain on what it expects from students. It states that if a student completes the assignment after an allotted time they are to receive full credit. The problem with this rule is that the methods of acquiring your makeup work are sometimes ineffective. One way that I’ve tried to get my makeup work is to ask my teachers. The only major problem is that if you miss a class and you don’t get your work, your teachers have more than enough on their plate without having to chase after you. According to Assistant Principal Joan Shoff, one of Clark’s policies on extended absences due to hospitalization is that a licensed educator will go to a student’s home and tutor them in a program called home/hospital teaching. So, the point is that if you miss a day of school, make sure to take extra care in getting your work, because if you don’t, nobody else will.