The prof I am writing this stem cell paper for is less than sympathetic to parenting students. Last week I called him to tell him my baby was sick and I would not be there. He said students could miss not more than 2 classes no matter the reason. (I had already missed 1 several weeks earlier due to my gallbladder problems and my sick kid.) He said if I missed that night and ended up needing to miss another class (even if my son was in the hospital) I should drop the class WTF!!!???
He said "I am sympthatic to your sick child but that does not give you an excuse to miss class."
Is this discrimination or is he just a jerk?
Tell him "That's ok - I'll just bring him to class with me"
If he tells you that you can't, then it IS discrimination, as you have at that point made every possible attempt to attend the class.
Its not discrimination if he has the same rule for all students, not just parenting students.
All my classes have a 2 (in some cases 3) class miss and drop rule, without exceptions.
Even if you have a reasonable excuse missing enough class means you're better off taking the class at another time when you can devote enough time to the class.
And for insurance purposes, some schools can tell you you cant bring your child to class with you.
Now, if he lets some people off the hook but not you, that is discrimination.
i've found that it's a good idea to email the professor to find out their guidelines and amount of leniency they have (i was able to take my kiddo who was an infant at the time with me to two classes during one semester) or compassion for parents (especially if they are parents themselves, many times they are understanding). if they are not very good about that stuff, it may be best to find another professor if possible. a pain in the ass but i believe what bettycrockerpunkrocker said was correct.
This is a really good point. Most schools have at least 2 instructors for any class you would need. Just like certain class times fit your schedule better than others, certain instructors will better fit your lifestyle.
Many schools also have some type of online forum for reviewing and rating instructors. Maybe reading a few lines of other students experiences BEFORE registering for class can help you decide.
I don't know what to say, but he sounds like a jerk. Most of the professors i have allow you to miss (even if they have an attendance policy) if you have an emergency. I would just tell him you don't want to drop the class and see if there is another way you can make up the work.
http://www.rateyourprofessor.com i think thats an unoffical professor rating site.. i might have f'ed up the url.