One of my students emailed me earlier to apologize because she is "trying to focus" but her assignment is going to be late, & she wants to know if she can watch the recording of class instead of attending on zoom tonight.

Her reason? Her mom died from Covid-19 yesterday. 1/5

My heart is breaking for her for so many reasons.

What kind of academic nightmare is she living in that she felt she had to apologize, finish her assignment, and attend class the day after her mother died half way across the country? 2/5

I told her to submit her assignment as it is right now, even if it is mid-sentence, and that& #39;s the last assignment I want from her this semester. That as far as I& #39;m concerned her obligations to this class have been fulfilled and she need not worry about her grade. 3/5

I don& #39;t expect her to show up to class for the next two weeks. To work on any more assignments. How could I expect her to focus on anything? To me, that was the only way to handle it. 4/5

When she responded she was so appreciative, and told me that her other professors didn& #39;t take the same approach.

The pressure we put on these kids is just too much. We, as professors, need to remember that life happens and sometimes school should not be the priority. 5/5