The difference, blossom, is that in the examples you cite, at least some military commander somewhere believes the troops’ presence is justified for national security, and that context can evolve quickly, requiring last minute decisions. In safe academia, last minute decisions like this are the result of poor planning or power plays by the professor. Yes, the family will survive an extra unnecessary day of separation. But that is no reason to accept the inevitability of last minute cancellations. Is it really that hard to plan the schedule in September?
@roycroftmom --the kids in Blossom’s post are NOT going home for TG. The D in this thread IS. I mean really, some perspective is needed here. It is so on the top of the first world problems list that it’s just embarrassing to keep debating it.
Professors have to follow the rules of the college. If they’re required to make up cancelled classes they try not to cancel because it’s tough to find a time when the majority of students are free for a make up. But if a majority of students make it clear that they’re bailing on a pre-holiday class, it doesn’t do them much good to hold it. Most of the students wait until the week before Thanksgiving to say something though. Is it that difficult to communicate their travel plans in September? Then when the professor does cancel the students who aren’t free for the make up complain. The professors may end up not only holding an extra class but additional office hours and/or study sessions to reach all the students. They aren’t paid more for these services.
In the grand scheme of things…you still have a chance to see your kid!
We live abroad. NO trip home for Thanksgiving.
At Christmas her travel will take about 20 hours and when she gets here jet lag will eat up DAYS. She can’t stay for the full time because she wants to get over jet lag before college restarts so she will leave here a few days earlier than necessary.
Hug your kid. Have a great family holiday. Think of those who cannot.
I wish I believed in a military where every decision was made based on national security. But much of the time, leaves get cancelled for all sorts of dumb reasons. A young man I know missed his siblings wedding because the leave he had been promised (and planned for, with approvals up and down the chain of command) couldn’t happen because a signature was missing on a document… NOT the document to approve his leave- that was in order. But the document to allow him to travel on a military transport to get to a commercial airport. The CO couldn’t sign in time, nobody was willing to put their %^& on the line, and the young man took it in stride-- procedures are procedures. Believe me- his absence from base for two days would not have risked national security. I was at that wedding- the guests were sad and surprised. But the family (many veterans and active duty military) laughed it off- it happens all the time. You arrange for leave around the time your first child is going to be born… and then someone schedules a training exercise, all leaves are cancelled. Oh well, babies are cute at 3 months, right?
My point is that there are all sorts of 19 year olds in the world who won’t be seeing their families over T-giving, and for those of us who are grumpy that the break is too short, or the kids are going to the in-laws, or they don’t want to take off Wednesday from work or have to be back at work on Friday so there’s no time to make it home… we can stop for a second and think of the families who miss their kids also. And if my kid were active duty military, I’d find it hilarious that civilian families get so worked up over one less day of holiday. At least I think I’d find it hilarious.
Don’t know your child’s point of origin or arrival, but have you checked the tab on the airline site for travel alerts which may allow for changes to a flight where the airline waives the fee due to weather/ conditions?
I never came home for Thanksgiving in college. It was just too expensive for my working-class family, with Christmas just a few weeks away. So yeah, I can see being mildly annoyed by a last-minute change but it’s so minor.
The whole subject of this post seems to reflect the issue of extended adolescence/delayed adulthood that we see in college students today. Can’t come home one day earlier? Why is this even an issue? As so many have pointed out, lots of students don’t go home at all for holidays for various reasons. Don’t have your kid go far away if you want to see them constantly.
And for those of you scoffing at attendance policies, I have taught at both a community college and at a state directional, both of which have attendance policies. The failure rate would be unbelievable without a policy. And don’t forget that all those failures/drop outs lead to rising defaults on student loan repayments and have a material effect on funding for higher education. In a perfect world students wouldn’t need to be “threatened” to go to class. We don’t live in that world.
Oh, come on. This is becoming a big exercise in “what aboutism”. Next time one of you gripes about you kid’s grades from a tough prof or not getting a class they need or tuition inreeases or something (and EVERYBODY out here gripes about something), I’ll remind you that there are kids starving in Africa.
Guessing that the OP is a parent of a frosh. That first Thanksgiving home is important to a lot of families, even if they adjust in later years to no visit from kid or a shortened time. Cut the OP some slack. Profs could do better in this area. It is a small courtesy, but not unreasonable. Also highly unlikely to change - profs will continue to be clueless about this. But the OP isn’t out of line to be a bit annoyed. We probably should add this to comments next year when parents post and ask what we wish we’d known before our kids went off to college. Maybe a little less annoying if you can predict it.
If I were a professor who had, in the past, cancelled pre-holiday classes, I sure wouldn’t tell a student in September that it would definitely be happening. A syllabus is not set in stone. What if other classes that year had to be cancelled? What if the class was behind? I am with others that classes should be held. I also believe attendance is important. Do most jobs give you the leeway to show up or not? Is it up to you to decide if the work you have that day is important enough to warrant you showing up? Miss so many days at work will more than likely get you fired. Missing too many classes will more than likely result in failing among other things.) They are still learning and guidelines only help, not hinder.
Professor’s can’t win. Hold class and people will be annoyed. Cancel class and people will be annoyed. Conclusion? Classes are annoying. 
To the OP: From YOUR point of view it seems that the professor is being unjust, maybe intentionally. Your D’s home-coming is big in your mind. You expect professors to consider your needs.
But your expectations, needs, and priorities are not the same as the professor’s. He/she is a separate person with separate priorities and needs that have nothing to do with your daughter’s holiday travel.
It’s disappointing. But that’s just about it.
I read few earlier posts and I was just going to post, “There are a lot of starving kids in China,” but you beat me to it. Next time when some parents complain/ask about some illness in the cafe or complain about taking care of their parents, I will remind them there are people dying of brain tumor or how some people are orphans and do not have parents to take care of.
OP would like to have more time with her kid, so would I. I often pay for my adult kid to go on vacation with me, so I could spend time with her.
Sorry, this has nothing to do with kids starving in Africa. I suggested that the parents who are “super frustrated” at missing an extra day with their kids gain some perspective. That’s all. Perspective. It often helps to temper the frustration. And of course the irony- we’re talking about Thanksgiving after all- some days it helps to be thankful- the D went off to college, is coming home to spend a holiday which is allegedly about gratitude, with her family. And the mean, nasty, thoughtless professor cancelled class too late in the game for the parents to switch the kids airline ticket. Parents haven’t lost a dime in this transaction. Kid hasn’t been inconvenienced in any way. Perspective, folks.
For many students, the Thanksgiving holiday doesn’t start officially until noon on Wednesday. It really does make travel challenging for such a short break.
I’ve thought about this thread…this parent wishes the cancellations weren’t made at the last minute. But really, the college student isn’t going to be home any less time than originally planned. The parent wishes it could have been more time.
Exactly–they will have the same time together they expected to have. It’s not being cut back. If this were me, i’d be privately annoyed and cranky about it, but realize it would be MY issue, not a policy that needs to be changed or reported. So if the OP wants sympathy, I’m there. I was always happy to get home to see folks, and to have my kids home. But if the OP wants me to agree that there is any injustice here, then no. I don’t agree with that.
I agree with Blossom that perspective is helpful.
Actually, it appears that the student is at least a sophomore - because the OP said this:
Personally, I don’t have a dog in this fight. I am sympathetic to the OP (I never have enough time with my kid, and she’s almost 30!) but I don’t see any grave injustice here.
Yes, I would call it an annoyance, but that’s life! It does remind of me of how a former employer made us wait until Christmas Eve morning to tell us we had that afternoon off. Really??
my thing here is not so much the change at Thanksgiving, but that you are paying for that class, and unless the professor has a legit reason, other than, most of the kids want the time, so I will give it, then I can see point. I am sure that My D’s Tuesday classes will be cancelled, but I did not risk it. I have been more upset about the TA that keeps cancelling class for what seems like not great reasons this semester
Sometimes you feel like you don’t get your money’s worth out of a class due to cancellations. My daughter had a class with a lovely professor who in the same term cancelled many classes due to: weather (she commuted from far away and this was that horrible Boston winter a few years ago), getting a concussion (the teacher fell on the ice and hit her head), the teacher had a friend injured in the marathon bombing, and Boston being in lock down after the bombing (which cancelled the final). It was a speech class and I think they ended up doing only 60% of the speeches that were originally assigned. Many of these classes were cancelled at the last minute and so my daughter would suffer the night before giving a speech anxiety only to not have to give her speech that day. I wondered why the department didn’t put in a substitute (especially when she had the concussion). Not sure if it was related to her absences or not, but the professor didn’t come back the following term.
@blossom please note that I did not call the professor “mean, thoughtless and nasty.” Also I would never complain directly to the professor, or any professor.
The late cancellation causes travel issues for a significant group of students. That is my issue. What about those who had lined up rides home with other students, and now their ride is leaving Monday instead of Wednesday? What about parents who were going to pick their kid up on Wednesday, when they had the time off, and now kid is available to come home Monday? It causes issues. I believe this is something that they should be aware of. I am not sure that they are. That’s all!
I continue to be grateful for: college, Thanksgiving breaks, time with family, the military, I am also sympathetic towards all starving children and people in any country.
Of course this is a first world problem. I didn’t think that needed to be said, in a forum that is 99.9% first world problems. We are talking about college, after all, which is a first world problem.