Ode to the First Day of School

I'm sure I've posted the poem before, but this is the second half of the absence policy I give to my college students -- it sums up my teaching style pretty well.





Did I Miss Anything? by Tom Wayman





         Question frequently asked by

         students after missing a class



Nothing. When we realized you weren't here

we sat with our hands folded on our desks

in silence, for the full two hours.



Everything. I gave an exam worth

40 per cent of the grade for this term

and assigned some read...