Can you tell me if this is a valid excuse for telling a professor why you missed classes during the semester?

Question

My grandma was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago. I am going to college near her and spend weekends with her. She is my second mother. I have seen her before she had this and now have slowly watched her decline in health. She became in remission last year and started to feel like her old self again. Now this semester her cancer has come back and she is not seeing an end to chemo in sight. I am with her every weekend and see how bad she is doing. I care for her and cook for her and it's very hard for me to do emotionally. I end up crying when I come back to campus and have lost a lot of motivation for going to classes. Is this a valid excuse for "personal issues" for missing classes and asking my professor to allow me to make up a few assignments? I am now failing this class.

Answer 1

Not sure if you are a college or high school student . . so if you are in college and the health of your grandmother is having an impact on your education than you need to consider withdrawing from school. If you are in high school . . you might take a leave also, but may need to make it up in the summer.

Although understandable, this is not really a good excuse. It is not personal, but has more to do with education and learning. You cannot learn if you are not in class. You cannot be graded if you do not do the work. Those are facts. However, given the circumstances it may be possible for you to withdraw from the class and school until the situation resolves for you. That is up to you really. Talking to your advisor may also be helpful.

If you cannot handle your school work because of your personal life than you probably should not be in school in the first place. Go to your professor and explain what is going on and ask if you can either have an incomplete in the class or withdraw. Also go to the admissions and ask the same. Your grandmother would not want you to be using her illness as an excuse not to have an education. So, you may have to place your education on hold for a while as you help your grandmother.

Answer 2

It's more than valid. If you want to stay in school talk to a counselor or advisor and tell them what's going on. Talk to your teacher and if all else fails, this may not give you the best reputation among faculty but if you feel you have not been given a fair shot, go over your professors head to the director or dean. Document everything. Good Luck and I'm praying for you and your grandmother.

Answer 3

You can always go back to school. You won't always be able to be with your grandmother. It seems that you have your priorities in the correct order. Family first, before anything else. If your reasons are not good enough for your professors, whose got the problem? Their understanding or their lack thereof will give you a good idea if you made the right decision in choosing this college in the first place.

Answer 4

♥ Only your professor can decide if he will allow you to make up a few assignments. How was your attendance and work habits before this occured? If they were good & you didnt miss class then you can point that out and maybe he will allow you to catch up a little. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Can you take a leave of absence from school? It seems there is too much going on in your life to concentrate on your classes. Much better to pick it up later when things calm down.

Answer 6

yes this is valid you can tell him that you are in tough time because i have the same problem right now my aunt is in stage 3 of cancer so tell him you had an really bad emergency.

Answer 7

You could always talk to the professor. But you really need to quit feeling sorry for yourself. I bet at least one of your classmates are currently dealing with cancer themselves. They are not letting the cancer stop them.