I’m with you about preferring to believe than to doubt students. I’ll believe every single death story a student gives me, even as my colleagues tell me that the overall number of death stories I get in a semester is too much.

Thanks for making me rethink the title. Right, versus something we earn.

I think I was going towards explaining how I cannot be understanding of someone’s circumstances if they don’t tell me what they are. I don’t understand how some students tell me they’ve been having a difficult semester (outside school) but won’t tell me what it is or how to help them. That’s where I sort of need to know. Can you empathize and be considerate beyond comforting them if you don’t know what the problem was?