New Attendance Codes
A fictional email sent during the pandemic
Peterson, James 7:35 AM
Dear Teachers and Staff:
I hope this message finds you well.
I wanted to inform you of several new attendance codes. Remember, we are no longer submitting attendance at the beginning of class periods (that got out of hand). We will now record attendance when class is over.
Below is our updated list:
P – present.
A – absent.
EA – excused absence.
ET – excused tardy.
UT – unexcused tardy.
Q – quarantine (student is currently in quarantine and cannot attend in-person classes).
PQ – possible quarantine (you are fairly certain the student in question is in quarantine, but you don’t know this for a fact).
PR – the student was present for his/her fully remote class.
AR – the student was absent from his/her fully remote class.
TR – the student was tardy for his/her fully remote class.
DCR – disabled camera (the student was in fact logged in to the remote learning session, but the camera was disabled, making it a bit difficult to figure out whether “Suzy” was physically in front of her computer or catching up on The Bachelor or whatever the hell it is kids watch these days…sorry, I’m drunk).
WCI – wifi connectivity issues interfered with the student’s participation in his/her fully remote class.
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Just don’t bother me after 4:00.
Sincerely,
-James
Thanks for reading this ridiculous fictionalized email today. I originally wrote it back in 2020 when teachers and students were forced into strange hybrid schedules. I’m thankful to be back in the classroom full-time.
“New Attendance Codes” was originally published in the Daily Drunk Magazine.
To everyone who stopped by the fire this past weekend to read and write some fifties: thank you! We’ve been having some incredible turnouts. It’s such a joy hosting these community events, and I’m grateful for each and every one of you who participates. If you missed it, feel free to check out the stories here.
Finally, to those of you who live in the States, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
See you in a week with a new story and our next Fifties by the Fire prompt.
This seems right on. I’m pretty sure schools were doing a version of this. If this is true, some school was using this to penalize students during such a difficult time.
No way this is fictional.
My son (in 2nd grade at the time) was always PBC. Present, but crying. He HATED Zoom meetings. They are NOT for everyone. I've cried through a few myself. 😂
Happy Thanksgiving, Justin!