Over the past week, I had a bit of a problem. My daily medications got mixed up at the pharmacy, and I was stuck sick in my apartment for a week. I’m fine now, but I was unable to do much at all. And, I’m ashamed to admit it, but part of what I didn’t do last week was keep in touch with my teachers.

See, I’m the type-A, anal, organized person who literally sleeps with her iPad so she doesn’t miss something.

You might imagine I’m the kind of level headed, responsible person who emails all of her teachers as soon as something like this happens, but I dropped the ball this time around.

I have some of the worst luck when it comes to health, so I know the routine. When you know you’re going to miss class, especially for an extended period of time — whether a few days or a few months — you email your teacher.

It’s common sense, right? And yet, here I am, imagining my future that will come from my lack of  communication.

The two teachers I didn’t email teach classes I need to pass to graduate. No pressure, right?

If I were in their shoes, I doubt I’d show much mercy. That student would have to deal with the ramifications.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe the student (let’s call her KJ) would only have missed a few participation points. Maybe KJ will pass my class with flying colors, no problems. She’ll go on to graduate and live a long, happy life.

Or maybe it won’t go so well. Maybe KJ missed a key assignment. Maybe she missed crucial instructions that weren’t written down by any of her other classmates who were kind enough to share their notes with her.

What are her options? She could come to me, the teacher in this hypothetical situation, and ask for the details, but I won’t reteach an entire week, especially since she didn’t keep in touch with me.

KJ will go on to fail my class. She then won’t graduate. She’ll work at McDonald’s until she’s fired for never talking to the customers. She will then pass away in her apartment, only to be found weeks later by a neighbor. Her bones will have been picked clean by her cats.

Okay, so maybe I’m overreacting just a little bit.

But as for feeling guilty, that is more than valid. I’ve gotten to know most of my professors this year. One is my advisor. One is someone I met in a ballet class before knowing she was a teacher. The other two I don’t know well, but I’m sure they are nice people who care about their students.

First off, by not emailing two of my teachers, I was incredibly rude. They had no idea if I was just skipping class or was dead and eaten by my cats.

Second, I’ve put myself in a bind. I know what happened last week was a legitimate reason to be out of school. They don’t. They have no reason to believe I’m telling the truth- — after all, it could just be a lie I cooked up to try to get out of some hot water.

It’s common sense to keep in contact with teachers, but sometimes we forget common sense. Sometimes we do really stupid things. And sometimes we will have to live with the penalties.

By the time this issue hits stands, I’ll have already talked with my two professors. This isn’t a very public cry for mercy. However, maybe, just maybe, it can help you avoid making the same, stupid mistake.

Kjerstine Trooien is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].