Page 7 - LIfesOuttakes6

In The Hot Seat l I was afraid I was going to be late for work on that cold, winter day, because the traffic had come to a standstill. Up ahead, there were red, blue, and yellow flashing lights. Just beyond them was a fire engine, and beyond it thick, black smoke billowed into the sky. A policeman eventually came down the row of cars and asked us to turn down a side street. I drove to a different parking lot than I had planned to park in, and hiked my way across campus, making it to class with only minutes to spare. The next day, Ali walked into my class and came up to my desk to talk to me. “Professor Howard, I was wondering if I could be excused from missing class yesterday, because it wasn’t my fault.” When I asked her what the reason was, she answered by saying, “Well, it’s a long story.” Whenever I hear that phrase, I figure it will probably be interesting. As a teacher, I have heard more excuses about missing class than I can ever count, 1