Excuse vs Reason
What is the best excuse you have heard lately?
The idea of an excuse is very much in the eye of the beholder. Basically, if you don’t agree with what the reason is, you dismiss it as an excuse. It’s something that has always annoyed me ever since I was a child. I would give a reason for something and it would be dismissed as an excuse. It didn’t matter whether it was relevant and well thought through, it was whether the person I was talking to was ready to listen. It’s something that is very common for those of us on the autistic spectrum.
Ever since then I have avoided dismissing anything as an excuse. It may be an avoidance tactic, it may be a reaction to something happening elsewhere, it may be a misunderstanding of what the issue at hand. What is important is that you look at the situation and look to resolve it.
So, before you dismiss anything you hear as an excuse, think about the whole situation and see why the person delivering it will see it as a reason.
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David Pearce - Popular Culture and Personal Passions 
I really like this perspective. You definitely gave me something to think about for a while.
Thank you for sharing.
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As I said in another reply, a seemingly poor excuse can hide a deeper issue.
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Interesting that you still have this perspective after so many years of teaching. Makes me wonder whether or not I can be excused for not accepting an excuse from some of my students. Certain students seem to have a “reason” for not doing any work and, while I tend to want to believe the “reasons” they give, I do wonder whether I am just making excuses for them. 😂
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I know, there’s a definite trend to excuse themselves but I tried to get below the surface of the excuse to the reason beneath.
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For example, does a poor excuse hide homesickness, culture shock, lack of interest in a degree they have been forced into or simply lack of sleep.
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Well yes, but sometimes you have to make the most of things and conquer a little adversity. The reaaon I am kind is because they are young and need to learn that. Nevertheless, they do need to learn that.
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You are definitely right. Perhaps my own learning experiences have made me a little too soft at times 🤔
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Or perhaps I could be a little more understanding. I think your perspective has definitely been useful. I am certainly a lot more softly softly than I used to be and I must say it’s paid dividends much of the time.
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As ever the best approach is a bit of both. You actually influenced me by helping me to see students more clearly which led to me being more able to see through the most difficult students.
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Agreed.
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Here here
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