Most of my college students are bright, fun to teach, and work hard. But each semester I get interesting letters, emails, and phone calls from a few students. I save these, and, occasionally, I compile them into a column. The last couple of years I have shared some of these, and, with school just starting, I thought I’d share a few more. I don’t think any of these comments need any explanation, other than to say that I changed or removed any names for anonymity. Also, I pared down a few of them a bit:

You know those online quizzes you talked about last week? I thought it was just an attendance thing and we just had to show up to class. I didn’t realize you meant we were supposed to take them. Can I still take them?

I’m slightly frustrated that I’m stuck taking basic math and English… i know how to ad stuff and how to read and write people good, just put me through to med school already.

I feel like I need to drop from your math class to a lower level class tomorrow. I was wondering if I still need to do tomorrow’s homework for your class anyway.

I have been trying to register for classes for a couple of weeks and had no luck getting the computer to let me into my college account. I finally realized that I didn’t finish my registration for college so I wasn’t actually even officially a student at the university yet. I got that fixed and now it says I can register, but all of the classes are full. Would you happen to have room in yours?

I want you to know that I did the test review. Is it possible I show a 0 on it because I didn’t turn it in?

I just went onto the computer to take the online quiz and it won’t open for me. It said it was due yesterday. I didn’t have a chance to take it by then so I’m not sure why it won’t let me take it now.

I have a 0% entered for the homework for chapter 3 and I don’t know why. When you passed the homework back to us I put mine in that stack that everyone else was taking their corrected homework out of.

Hi Professor Howard, I just went to the testing center and they told me your test closed yesterday. I want you to know that it isn’t my fault that I didn’t know this. Those in my group told me you have announced the days it was open in class every day, but I had more important things to do than to attend class. So you see, it wasn’t my fault that I didn’t know because I wasn’t in class when you told us. I was wondering when I can take it.

I wasn’t in class on Friday and there was an attendance quiz. How do I make up an attendance quiz for a day I wasn’t in class?

Professor Howard, I was wondering if I could come in and get some help on number 7 on the practice test. I couldn’t figure it out, so I guessed, and the length came up too short. I kept taking off a bit more and a bit more, but it still kept coming up short, so I think I need some help.

I have been struggling with the annuity project for my personal savings for retirement. Would it be possible to go over it in class? The numbers I am getting could pay off the national debt.