Sandra is personable and charming. She had a cutting problem in September, but she seemed to work it out, and managed to excel in my class by semester's end. I thought we'd solved this problem.
But this semester she's been missing classes with increasing frequency, and recently disappeared for almost two full weeks. The one time we called her house, there was no answer. When she returned, she told me that her aunt's employee had gone back to her country, and that she'd had to fill in for her at the shop. I decided her aunt belonged in jail. So I went to the guidance counselor, who happens to speak Sandra's language (too bad for her).
It turns out Sandra just made the whole thing up. Maybe she figures since she got away with it in September, she can do it again in March. I have to grudgingly respect that she managed to snooker me, however briefly. But with 22 years experience, I'm still amazed she blamed her family with no regard for potential consequences. My grudging respect will not translate into a grade above 40, and her final average will include all the work she missed those 13 days.
I understand a lot of kids think the first marking period doesn't count. They're wrong, of course. But I really hate when they disappoint me like this.
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