Once upon a time there was a nice lady, really she was, who was teaching several courses at a community college, that her bills might be at least partially paid and her existence upon this earth might be justified.

 

On Wednesday of the fourth week of the new fall semester, except that by the fourth week the semester is hardly ‘new’ any more, it came time to submit the names of all the ‘no-shows’ to the Office of the Registrar,  and to the Bursar, from whence cometh all the financial aid stuffs so vital to the budgets of those who, of their own free will, enrolled themselves at this fine institution of higher learning that they might work hard and earn a degree, to better themselves, and to use this heady amount of cash to pay for textbooks and tuition, and not use it instead for rent, pizza, cigarettes, Pampers, and the occasional Long Island Iced Tea at the Irish Lion.

 

Astonishing as it may be, there are those who call  themselves ‘students’ who still have not made their presence known in the classroom, nay, not even once, even though their financial aid checks be long cashed and utilized.

 

Today being the last day to bust the no-shows, it was, and yet was not, quite surprising that several previously falling into that category decided to show up. 

 

Some even had the nerve to ask for a list of makeup work.

 

This resulted in a reply from the professor that very possibly negated the first paragraph of this post which stated that she was a ‘nice lady.’

 

The professor regrets having to rat on the truants, but that’s how it goes in the Wonderful World of Grown-Ups.  And when one is going to school on somebody else’s dollar, one had better be prepared to jump through a few hoops for those dollars.  If one doesn’t like it, one should use his or her own dollars.

 

And by the way:  All you no-shows will now have to return ALL of that financial aid money.  Good luck.  I think the pawn shops are open till midnight. 

 

My loyalties are with the students who show up, behave themselves, and do their work.  For them, I would lie down in the road.

 

For the no-shows?  I think not.