DEAR HARRIETTE: I attend a night school in order to advance my education while I work. I have recently fallen off my schedule and have been allowing myself to skip classes. I continue to do the work on time, but I have been letting myself slip when it comes to actually attending the classes. I am not sure if I am the only one who skips or what the attendance policy is at my school, but I am afraid that I will come off as lazy if I ask my professor how many classes I need to attend to pass. I am trying to motivate myself to attend more classes, but I need to find out if I am in jeopardy of not passing. How do I ask if I'm still on track without seeming like a slacker? -- Low Attendance, Raleigh, North Carolina
DEAR LOW ATTENDANCE: Let's start with you asking yourself a question: Why are you slacking off in your attendance? Are you tired? Do you need to be at work during class time? You are the one who decided to further your education. Cutting class is not a wise decision. It doesn't represent the behavior of a serious student who is making every moment count. Rather than attending the minimum number of classes, strive for 100 percent attendance for the rest of the semester. You should definitely ask your professor where you stand and what you can do to get the most out of this class. But your question should not be about how you can pass with the least amount of work.