This is a great excuse if you had a paper you needed to type and print. It may also work if you have homework you had to do online. You could say you did the whole assignment, but then your internet cut out and you couldn’t save anything. It might be a bad idea to claim your printer stopped working. Your teacher may request you e-mail him/her the assignment instead, which you won’t be able to do if you never did it. Teachers may also suggest you should have printed an assignment at a local library or FedEx instead of coming in with nothing.
If your parents are divorced, for example, you can claim you were at your mom’s last night but left your textbook with your dad this weekend. Many teachers are sympathetic to children from divorced homes. Your teacher may take pity on you if you use an excuse like this. [2] X Research source Do you have any younger siblings? You could claim you had to babysit your little sister and she got sick, resulting in your being distracted from your homework. [3] X Research source
You can try running around in the playground or hallways before class. This can help you look flushed and warm. If you look sick, your teacher will be more likely to believe you. However, keep in mind some teachers may require a note from your parents in the event of illness. If your teacher typically demands proof of sickness, you may want to avoid using this excuse.
Avoid saying you left your homework at home. Your teacher may request you call your mom or dad to have it delivered to the school. This will reveal you are lying. Try not to use this excuse more than once or twice a term; otherwise, your teacher may see you as disorganized and be less sympathetic towards you if you need to make other excuses in the future.
Be careful using this excuse if you’re not busy. If you’re usually late for classes and do not engage in many extracurricular activities, your teacher may catch onto the fact you’re lying.
Never lie you were absent on the day the homework was set. One glance of the register is all it takes for your teacher to see right through this excuse.
If your teacher is particularly strict, be prepared to answer a lot of questions. A stricter teacher is likely to grill you, poking holes in your excuse. For example, say you claim you couldn’t turn in your online math homework because your internet cut out. A strict teacher might respond with something like, “Then why didn’t you go do your homework at a coffee shop?” Have a response ready. Try something like, “My mom was working and there was no one to drive me. “[7] X Research source Do you know anything about your teacher’s personal interests? This can help you gauge what excuse may work for this person. For example, you know your chemistry teacher is the oldest of 7 children. He may be more sympathetic to a story about how watching your younger siblings kept you from getting your work done. [8] X Research source
Stick to only the important details. For example, say you’re planning on claiming your piano recital got out late, and this is why you didn’t finish your math homework. Do not go overboard with the details. Simply say, “A few students played their solos too long, so we didn’t get done until 9:30 and it was a 45-minute drive home. " Do not say, “Chester Mifflin spent 25 minutes on his routine when we were only given 10, and then Lisa Gregory was a little late getting up on stage. . . " The longer your lie, the more unbelievable it sounds. Most people would not remember this much detail. If your teacher presses you for specifics, you can improvise as needed but avoid excessive detail. For example, your teacher might ask, “How long did the recital run over?” Do not say, “It was supposed to run until 8:30 but it was 9:23 when we got out. " Instead, say something somewhat vague, like, “I’d say about 45 minutes. "
Take a few deep breaths before going into the room to help yourself stay calm. Make eye contact with your teacher most of the time. Be conscious of what you’re doing with your body. Try to avoid fidgeting excessively.
Refer to the syllabus for that class. There may be a section about honesty that goes over the consequences of lying to a teacher. You should also look at your school’s handbook if you have a copy. See if there are any sections about what happens if you breach academic honesty policies. Consequences can vary from teacher-to-teacher. In some cases, you may only get a strict talking to. However, some teachers may be required to report these kinds of behaviors to the principal and your parents. This could land you in more serious trouble both at home and at school.
It may depend on the assignment. Late work may not be accepted, but if the assignment is only worth 10 points, is this really a big deal? However, if the assignment is worth 15% of your grade, it may be worth it to ask for an extension. Talk to other students who’ve had this teacher in the past. How has this teacher reacted to late or missing work? Some teachers may accept late work for lower points. Some teachers may allow you to turn in work late if it’s your first time. If this is the case, it may be a good idea to simply admit you didn’t do the assignment.
You can make a pro and con list for each scenario. Write down the possible benefits and possible drawbacks of each option. For example, you can write on the top of a piece of paper “Lying To My Teacher” and then have two columns, one for “pro” and one for “con. " Under “pro,” you may write something like, “Assignment is worth a lot of points - an extension could help my overall grade. " Under “con,” you could write, “If Ms. Davies finds out I’m lying, she will report it to the principal and I’ll get detention for a week. " Weigh the pros and cons. If the pros outweigh the cons heavily for one option, this may be the right choice for you.
Do your homework every day after school. Do not do anything else, like playing video games or playing outside, before finishing your work. Write down all the assignments you have to do. Make sure to write down an assignment after a teacher mentions it. This way, you won’t forget.
If you habitually struggle to get your homework done and have an overall inability to concentrate, this can be a symptom of Attention Deficit Disorder. Talk to your parents about getting tested for ADD.
