Five Minute Friday - Excuse

 This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Homeschool Coffee Break helps fuel this blog.

One word. Five minutes to write about it. This is the idea behind Five Minute Friday and this is today's free-writing post.

no excuse

don't make excuses

********************

Excuses or explanations? Looking back at the past couple of years experiences in teaching co-op classes, I see two kinds of responses from students who were late with assignments. Some gave excuses. Some explained the reasons. What I find interesting is that whether it sounded like an excuse or an explanation was more about the attitude and timing than the actual thing that stopped them from completing the assignment.

Students got sick or had minor injuries or medical procedures (no one had anything really serious, thankfully!) which were usually valid reasons to ask for an extension or explain a late assignment. Families went on vacation or had other events that were valid reasons for a student to miss class and need to adjust for the assignment. What made it an excuse for one kid and an explanation for another?

If I got an email the morning of class saying "I'm sorry but I was not feeling well the last couple days so I can't come to class today and my paper will be late" - that felt like an excuse. If I got an email the day before class saying "I'm recovering from a migraine so I may not make it to class. I didn't proofread my paper yet, so should I just submit it anyway or may I have an extra day?" - I understood that to be an explanation. What's the difference? Attitude. The first one left me with the impression that they hadn't worked on the paper at all and they were kind of conveniently sick. The second one sounded more like they had really tried and they asked what they should do. 

It became pretty obvious that the students who repeatedly 'forgot' to bring homework or who regularly had printer problems were making excuses. Oh sure, I understand that stuff happens without warning sometimes! Every homeschooler has probably  experienced the frustration of the printer suddenly running out of ink. But listen, if your printer ran out of ink the day before class last week, you'd better not still be making the same excuse for the next couple of weeks. And even if your printer broke, that doesn't stop you from submitting your paper online like you're supposed to. Don't make excuses!

I tried to be understanding and to give grace as often as possible. But I also had to make some judgment calls about whether I was being fair and consistent, and whether I was letting a kid get away with something they shouldn't. 

What about myself? Am I letting myself get away with giving excuses for my procrastination or reluctance to do things? I think all too often I do. I can even buy my own excuses, but sometimes they sound pretty lame when I realize I need to explain to my husband why I still haven't made the appointment I was supposed to, or remember that I meant to put something in the mail and I still haven't done it. Sometimes there's a completely valid explanation for what happened - or didn't happen. But I have to admit that a lot of times . . . All I can offer is a poor excuse.

God sees through every one of my excuses and he won't accept them. But thankfully he gives grace and second chances. There's no excuse for disobeying God. There's no excuse for failing to do what he clearly said to do. None. I need to stop trying. God doesn't give me a list of things to do and then leaves me to my own devices. He is able to supply everything I need to follow him. When I quit giving excuses and just ask him for help, he gives it.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. ~II Peter 1:3

He has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We shouldn't be making excuses. We should be living a godly life and giving him the glory.

*******

This post is linked at Five Minute Friday for the word prompt "Excuse".

 Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to Homeschool Coffee Break by Email! 

 ©2006-2021 Homeschool Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.