Helping+the+Sick

As a college student, we have probably all been very sick before. This past week I suffered from the flu and was in bed for a few days. The days I did go to class I did not learn very much because i was so concentrated on staying away, blowing my nose, and just wanting to feel better. I have found a new understanding that kids ARE going to get sick. Sometimes they will miss an extensive amount of class material. I understand each one of us are probably going into a seperate field, and each way of teaching is different. I want to know how you will go about letting your students make up any work missed and also fill them in on the material they missed. I will start us off with how I would approach the situation...

- I am going into the biology field, so their will be a lot of lecture and group activities. Their will also be a lot of individual work to understand the concepts. If a student were to miss more than three days in my class, he/she would most likely be very behind. When that student returns, I will talk to them in private about what he/she missed and give them a plan on making up the work. I would, if possible, give them the lecture seperately (however this would rarely, if ever be able to happen). So, I would make them an outline of concepts that were discussed and the key facts they need to know. I would also have another student lend their notes for a day, if they were willing. Then, I will give the student a copy of every assignment that he or she missed and place a deadline on each. I would probably give a day on each because I do not want to overload the student, but I dont want them to waste any time. This will all happen while proceeding with the planned curriculum, so the student will have to start learning the new material as well. -M.Parkin

Many schools have a policy on make up work. There is a 3 day time frame at the school were I work. I teach physical education and the student might need to get a handout out on a new unit or watch a health video when they return. It is also the responsibility of the student to talk to each teacher and get their work. M.Thompson

I teach 1st grade, so I'm sure my case is different. I typically keep a stack of work the student's missed on his/her desk. At the end of the day, I determine which items are the most important, or if there were any "for fun" activities that might not need to be done when he/she returns. Any of the important items are placed in a "We Missed You" folder, which the student has to work on over the course of the next 2 days (from the time he/she returned). I allow the student to work on these items during any free time he/she has, or occasionally, I allow the student to take the folder home. I try not to do the latter, though, unless it's a last resort, just so I can make sure 1) it is the student actually doing the work and not a relative, and 2) if he/she needs any help with a difficult concept, I am available. (M. Nichols)

(sottinger) As a fourth grade teacher, how I handle make-up work depends on the situation. For extended absences, I will attempt to get work to the student through a parent or sibling. I also try to communicate through email. If a parent has an email address, I will send and receive work that way. The key is communication As soon as a student misses two days in a row, I call. If a student only misses a day or two, I allow them to make up work first thing in the morning, or at the end of the day. Rather than doing bell work in the morning, or reading during afternoon bus holding, I allow them to make up their work. I am understanding and patient about it. Everyone gets sick, has emergencies, etc. The last thing I want to do is add to the stress of the situation. So, my best answer is that I adjust my policy on a case by case basis. Also, I stay organized and make sure I have a folder with everything they’ve missed. It is really easy to lose track with the pace of today’s classroom.

I hope to teach chemistry and/or physics at the high school level. I’m only guessing what would work based on my student teaching experience. If my student missed new content, I would give them copies of any power point slides and supplementary handouts that I used in the class. They may well need a bit of before- or after-school tutoring. Fortunately, this one-on-one tutoring (being more tailored to the student) should catch them up pretty quickly. If they only missed practice on content they can do any worksheets that I have on the material. I will also have all of power points/handouts/worksheets online if they have access to the internet. If they missed any tests or quizzes they will need to make them up as well (obviously). I would probably give them time equal to the time they were out to do this. In all of this, I would need to be flexible and consider the situation for each student. These would just be guidelines. (A. Pettersen)

(ssmith) I teach second grade, so "jobs" are very important in my classroom. I actually have a job for a selected student when another student is missing for being sick. The selected student is responsible for tearing out //each// work page that we complete in class and keeping them in a yellow folder for the student missing class. Upon the student's arrival back to class, his/her pages have already been torn out and are ready to go. Now thankfully, our curriculum has an area on each work page that briefly explains the new concept that was taught and at this young age, parents are still able to help the child learn it successfully. So, I simply get these work pages together and have another paper that I send home with them saying that this was the work missed and if there was any reading from an actual text (like History or Science), I include the assignment on the page. Simple as that. Just by allowing my student to have this //very important// job, it makes my day a little easier. **It's a big job with a simple task.** Our school policy says that all work must be completed withing three school days and this system has worked well all year long. My time isn't wasted and papers aren't lost!

(athomas) The great thing about using the Smart board in the classroom is being able to record the lesson each day for each class. You can upload these files onto a wiki or blog as a podcast and the student can have the opportunity to see the lesson. Another option is Skype. If you know far enough in advance that a student is going to be out, then you can plan ahead as long as they have internet access and a webcam. Now that we have learned how to create a wiki you could have students upload their notes so any students who are absent would have instant access.