A Stitch In Time...

Dear Student who dropped my Intro to the Good Book,

I must confess that I was quite surprised when you came to see me today. After all, you've never spoken in class, you've never spoken to me in person (either before or after class or during my office hours), and even after you returned from a week of illness, you preferred to email me about missed assignments rather than talk with me directly.

I was even more surprised to learn that you had come to see me because you needed my permission to drop the course.

I do wish that you had come to see me much sooner. If you had told me that you were feeling overwhelmed by the material, I would have been happy to go over it with you. If you had asked me to clarify assignment instructions, you would have earned better grades. Or even if you had come to discuss your progress with me right after the mid-term, I could have helped.

But you waited until three days before the last day to drop a class to tell me that you were struggling. And it's too late now for me to help you to succeed in this class.

Yes, I've given you permission to drop the class. But it wouldn't have been necessary if you had simply come to me sooner.

Prof. S.W.