Core Scripture: “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” (Colossians 4:6)

Message: We’ve all been there.  A student disappears from your class for days.  Sometimes over a week.  Makeup work piles up, and when they return, the kid is bombarded with not only your class but all core subjects.  Slightly overwhelming, right?  For you AND the kid!

There was a two-week honeymoon period with little to no absences to start the year, and then the “you-know-what” hit the fan.  Kids began dropping like flies!  They were for all sorts of reasons outside of the kid’s control.  Vacations.  COVID.  Weddings.  Parents taking their kids to work events.  I began to lose track of who was gone on which day!

I handled some absences right, but I must admit there was at least one where the day the kid came back, I greeted him by asking him when he wanted to make up his quiz.  His head dropped, and a sheepish smile spread over his face.  I forgot some important steps! 

Let’s talk about those steps.  What do you do when a kiddo is gone for an extended time?  I thought you’d never ask!  Here are some strategies that have worked for me. 

1. Communicate during the absence.  If I do not know why a kid is gone, sometimes I will shoot the parent a quick email asking how their child is doing.  It shows you care.  You can likewise leave any makeup work in the office if the kid is able to do work from home. 
2. Preach to your kids beforehand that they should come see you when they miss school.  At the same time, I always try to be the first to connect with a kid when they return.  It shows you missed them and knew they were gone. 
3. Greet them enthusiastically when they return!  Kinda like your dog jumping on you and licking your face.  Just don’t lick their face.  A high five would suffice.  Say something like, “We missed you!” or “Class wasn’t the same without you!”  Anything to let them know you were thinking of them.
4. Ask about their absence.  Especially if you know they were on vacation or for something fun.  If you know they were sick with COVID, change your tone to more concern.  The point is to put the kid’s well-being in FRONT of the makeup work involved. 
5. Consider excusing the kid from “busy work.”  Last week I gave a kid a choice over two assignments to complete, allowing him to pick.  It empowered him a bit and took a little stress out of his life.  I also had his name written on his Capitalization Quiz when he was ready to take it.  Just so I wouldn’t forget!
6. Help the kid prioritize and chunk makeup work.  Shoving them everything at once will do no good.  I like doing a checklist on a sticky note.  Something tangible they can see.  And then I help them get started on task number one. 
7. Check in on their progress.  Ask them how things are going.  Not just in your class but others as well.  Once again, this shows you care about the kid. 
8. Finally, praise them when they get caught up.  Reward them with a fun incentive.  Even if it is just a fist bump.  Those positive words of affirmation will fuel that kid through the day.  You never know how much a kid needs a pat on the back.

So, yeah, it would be cool if I could get 10, but eight will do.  Otherwise, I’d be stretching and fluffing things.  The biggest mistake is to skip suggestions one through four and dive right into five: the makeup work.  That’s what I did with a kid who was out with COVID last week.  Poor guy!  I did apologize to him for my blunder.

Our kids are always what is most important.  Show them that!  Yes, their learning is vital, but never forget to put the kid’s well-being first.  You do that consistently, and watch that kid.  They will run through a brick wall for you. 

Challenge: Which of these suggestions might work for you?  Utilize them when you have students that return from lengthy absences. 

Other scripture: Reflect and meditate on each of these verses below.  How do they connect with our topic today?

• “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
• “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)
• “Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14)

Prayer points: Lift up the following areas to the Lord …

• Praise God for the opportunities He gives us to be Christ to students who return from missing school.
• Pray for our chronically absent kids that they can feel loved when they return.
• Pray for students to learn valuable lessons in time management in the midst of getting caught up. 

Just for fun: I just taught onomatopoeia this week.  You know you’re teaching 6^th grade when nearly every single class can connect with my example: The chair tipped over with a crash! 

Prayer: Lord, help me to put the student’s well-being first when they return from lengthy absences.  Amen.