Do I really need to go to class?

My stellar friend, thank you for showing up, and for taking a few minutes out of your adventure-filled day, to hear what I have to say about your honest question. Many of you are wondering whether you really need to go to class, and I think today I can offer you two things. #1 I'm going to tell you why students sometimes skip class, and #2, I'm going to do the best I can to provide you with a reasonable response to why you should consider showing up to class... and I'm going to try doing this without sounding overly preachy, or like a total boomer that's disconnected and doesn't get it... wish me luck, am I right?

But before I start, can we just hold hands and agree that finding money in your pocket is the best feeling ever? Sorry, I just found a random buck in my pocket, and I'm feeling pretty dang good right now... anyways, here are the three main categories for why you would miss a class:

You Might Miss Class For Personal Reasons:

These include social pressure (for example if you have friends that are skipping class, you may feel pressured to go and skip with them)

Maybe you're not particularly interested in the class.

Or maybe you believe that you can (you think you'll be able to do make up work, or use someone's notes, or that you're already doing well in that class)

Or maybe you don't like the teacher or maybe someone is mistreating you at school or in that class, and you don't want to expose yourself to that situation.

Or perhaps you've got some personal issues going on in your life, like family problems, or work, or you may be struggling with other personal challenges.

And lastly, medical reasons. You may be dealing with a personal illness, and this doesn't just mean physical, it can be a learning disability or a mental health concern.

You Might Also Miss Class For Academic Reasons:

Looks like this... you might be avoiding the classroom because you are struggling academically. By the way, this can sometimes spiral, and I've certainly seen this in my HS and college experience, when you aren't doing well, or you have failed a test, or missed assignments, or don't understand what is being taught, you can start to feel a little hopeless and helpless, and as a result, you begin to not show up, and of course not showing up, leads to a worse performance, which in turn may lead to more skipping... see the spiral I was talking about? Does this pattern sound familiar to you? It does to me... I lived it several times.

Another reason is that you might miss school because you feel disconnected from the school community or from your fellow classmates for a variety of reasons and as a result you're not super motivated to attend school or classes.

The third category is Logistical Issues:

Maybe you're missing school because you don't have transportation to get to school, or maybe there are other personal or family issues that are preventing you from getting to school. Maybe it conflicts with your work schedule.

Either way, there are a lot of reasons why you would miss class and miss school. I went through that list, not just to be boring by the way, but because I want to recognize that sometimes things aren't as simple as we think they are. Henry Eyring once said 'Whenever you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble ... and you will be right more than half the time.' So be patient with others, while patiently working to resolve any obstacles that stand in your way. The other reason why I wanted to share this short list, is because I wanted to help you to see why you may be missing class. I believe that when we feel understood, and when we better understand the 'why' behind what we are doing, we increase in power, and in our ability to take action to work through our challenges. Alright, can we briefly talk about what things you can do personally to improve your attendance, and why you would even want to do that? Lovely... ok, here we go:

Make a personal commitment to attend school! I think this is an awesome place to start. Begin with a goal. With an objective! Know this, "your brain always works better when it has a direction," so use that lovely piece of gray matter up there, and give it some direction, I promise it will help you. Whether you're starting a new year, a new quarter, a new week, decide to attend your classes, it sounds magically simple, but in the end my friend, you and I are ultimately accountable to ourselves, so set yourself up to succeed. Give yourself every advantage, and don't dig for yourself! You can even make specific goals about your grades, or grade point average, or make a commitment to turn in all of your assignments... You can absolutely do this my friend!

Realize that your success and enjoyment in school is directly connected to your attendance. Look, you and I can have a brawl about this, but the evidence doesn't lie. If you make directed effort to be in school, you will dramatically increase your chances to feel more connected to the school, to teachers, to classmates, to me that just sounds like common sense... and you will also increase your chances of succeeding and getting better grades. Remember that there is a direct connection there.

Start strong and keep up! My rambunctious friend, one of the great skills that you will learn in your life, is to manage the momentums of your life. Have you ever been to a sporting event, and watched as a team begins to do really well, and the momentum shifts, and from that point on, things just seem to go better for that team. On the opposite side, have you ever seen a player or team lose momentum? When they're head is low, they're shaking their head, they become too harsh on themselves and others, and their quality of play goes down? Well, this doesn't just happen in sports, it happens in your personal life, it happens in school and individual classes. So when your year starts, or a quarter, or new material is starting, get your hype up, sit toward the front of the class, take notes, engage with your teacher, ask for help when you need it, and keep that momentum on the positive... what do you think?

Invest in the relationships with your teachers. "But iuri, that's so awkward..." really? Come on now, are you still in that phase? I'm not talking about you finding out what they had for Sunday dinner (even though you could ask them that), I'm just talking about you saying hello to your teacher when you walk into the classroom, and maybe even (if it's not too embarrassing and awkward) to fist bump him on the way out. If disconnection is a reason to miss, then investing in connection to your teachers, students, and other members of the administration is part of the solution.

Participate in class. "Iuri, you're asking too much!" I know, I know, actually participating in the process, asking questions, raising your hand, asking for help, volunteering to help... all of these things may severely impact your social standing and what other students will think of you... they might even think you're a suck up! I'm telling you it's risky business! But, do you really need to prove to everyone else that you really don't care? Because my friend, I know the truth, and the truth is that you do care. You would rather see an A, or B, or C, than an F or a D... that's the truth. You would rather leave that classroom with a higher grade, feeling better, more confident, more successful, than not. So all i'm saying is, participate... try... set aside your ego, your fear, your insecurity, and go for it!

Ask for help. Look, sometimes we miss class for reasons that we can control and change, and sometimes, things are out of our control. If you have obstacles to getting yourself to school, whether it's illness, or family circumstances, or if there is bullying or any form of discrimination that is happening toward you, find the courage and the humility inside of you to speak to someone about it. Start with a teacher, or a counselor, and maybe even with a principal or vice principal. These people have a vested interest in your success... use them, honestly it would absolutely make their day. This also includes individual classes (remember... keep your momentum on the positive) when you can see yourself starting to fall behind, or not understanding a topic, or if your grades are on a freefall, lean on that relationship with your teachers, and let's start that academic comeback!

Engage in the culture of your school. I know this may sound like a strange and disconnected suggestion, but it isn't. Evidence shows that students who are engaged in school through sports, leadership, clubs, orchestra, choir... even drama (that was a joke, I love drama), but yes, drama along with other ways to stay connected and engaged, increases your chances that you will go to school and attend your classes. Remember that schools are social places, and your ability to make some connections there is wonderful motivation to get you to go to school.

Here's the deal... you have to find a way to show up in your life, and for your life. Of course there will be reasons for you to miss school. Some of these will be outside of your control. All that I'm suggesting is that you narrow your focus, harness your incredible energy and power, and go be an active player in your school. If showing up is half the battle, the other half is to use your never ending energy, and invest where you are.

To be honest, my personal motivation is less about attendance, and more about you finding and creating success, friendship, and happy memories in school. You gotta walk through that door... School and Class Attendance just happens to be the door you walk through, to give yourself the chance for something better. My friend, don't worry about your past. Don't fret about your past reputation or what your friends do or don't do, or what they'll think. It's time for you to work the problem, find some solutions, and give yourself every possible advantage to find success and happiness right there where you are. Now be cool, and get yourself to school... see what I did right there? Let's go!

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