Excuses for not doing homework for school
Homework is a nightmare to most students and some of them opt not to do it, despite knowing that they can be punished for skipping it. Teachers might have heard all sorts of excuses from their students.
To avoid getting penalized, you need to come up with a convincing excuse. There are many excuses, ranging from having a busy working schedule to blaming power and technology. After settling on a plausible excuse to use for not finishing or doing homework, the next step should be presenting the excuse most believably. Lying habitually can hurt the student and ruin the student-teacher relationship. Below are the top 10 excuses that can be used for not doing homework.
10 best excuses for not doing homework
- My homework was stolen
Some regions are known for having rampant crimes. When schooling in such regions, it’s quite common to have your briefcase snatched, especially if you are carrying one that looks fancy and expensive. This can be a plausible lie to use and most likely your teacher might believe. For instance, a student can say, “As I was walking to school this morning, a thief snatched my briefcase. I tried running after him but it seems he knows the neighborhood quite well and disappeared in minutes. I tried to trace him without success. Among the things that were lost is my notebook containing my complete chemistry assignment, my math textbook, nursing essay, physics homework, and data science capstone project.” If the teacher is good enough, he/she will understand this excuse and probably extend the deadline for the assignment.
- The homework was deadly hard
For this excuse to work, it must be framed in a way convincing to the teacher. You should show that you attempted to do the assignment. Some concepts are hard to understand, especially in maths and sciences. If the teacher assigns homework in an area that the teacher knows you have difficulties in, they might forgive you and assist them to solve the concepts. However, if the teacher has explained the concept several times, this excuse will not work.
“I found the homework deadly hard. I couldn’t figure out how I was supposed to solve the calculus questions. I tried following the examples in the textbook but I couldn’t understand the concepts.”
- Power cut off
“I was typing my research paper on the computer when power was cut off in the block. I later realized that a tree had fallen on the electricity lines. They were not back until this morning and I couldn’t manage to complete it before coming to school.”
Long are the days where electricity problems could have been used as a believable excuse for not doing homework. However, if presented in a convincing way, the excuse can still work, especially if the assignment was being done on the computer.
- I had a headache
Infections, diseases, or any health problems are unexpected and teachers understand if the students present the excuse pleasingly. Search a rare health issue to make it more convincing. You can also figure out a common illness among students.
Headaches are quite common among students especially when the concepts in a subject are complicated and stressful. Even the teacher knows the brain is a tricky thing and the head hurts after studying for long hours. What if the project is due tomorrow and you have a headache? You have no option but to take a break, brace yourself, take a pill, or take a rest. Telling the teacher that you had a severe headache will be a convincing reason for not doing or completing the homework.
- My computer/my printer has crashed down
“I had partly done with my computer science homework since my computer crashed and I could find a relatable solution to this problem. All attempts to fix it failed and I couldn’t get it to a technician in time but it will get fixed soon.” The most plausible excuse to tell a teacher is that the device malfunctioned although it has been overrated and overused. Blaming the printer, however, is not a good idea since the teacher can tell you to send the completed homework via email instead of handing over a hard copy.
Other excuse variations that can be used when blaming a malfunctioned device include;
“My computer was affected by a virus and the homework got corrupted. When I tried re-opening the document, I got an error message saying that the file type was not compatible with the software. I feared that the file may affect the computer and I deleted it.” Teachers are becoming more familiar with these issues so better backup before the computer asks for an upgrade to open a document. Right now, the teacher might detect that it’s a technical issue and they might forgive you and offer an extension. Soon, this excuse might not work as technology becomes more sophisticated.
- I lost a close relative
“I lost my grandmother two days ago and it has been a difficult moment. She was close to me and I couldn’t concentrate on the homework.” Make sure your emotions match the situation you are using as an excuse.
Teachers are quite sympathetic when you lose someone close. You can cite close relatives such as your grandfather or aunt just passed away. Teachers rarely debate over this and the most justified thing they will do is to pay their condolences and sympathize with you. However, you have to be completely mean when making this excuse. Ensure the teacher doesn’t call your parents or else it will be a terrible day for you.
- I’ve been doing community service over the weekend.
“I was doing community service work in our neighborhood, giving food to the disabled, and always got to the house late.”
Engaging in community service is an activity that every teacher cannot fail to recommend. However, you should stop using extra-curricular activities as an excuse.
- I forgot the homework at home
It’s quite frustrating when you forget schoolwork at home. Too little enthusiasm and too much homework can make the students uncomfortable until the teachers fail to show up for a certain subject. Incomplete homework is a nightmare for every student.
“I forgot my homework at home” is an excuse that students use a lot. However, just pray that the teacher doesn’t send you home to fetch the homework.
- Blame it on your siblings
Having a younger brother or sister below 10 years can save you and can provide a probable excuse for not doing homework. For instance, you can say “My parents were out of town and I was left to babysit my four-year-old brother” or “my brother tore down the papers where I had written my homework on.” Although the teacher will be annoyed for being careless, they might excuse them from getting punished.
- Use of creative domestic cataclysms
Silly home issues can provide classy excuses for not finishing homework. If well crafted, the teacher will be convinced. You can cite “There was a small fire in the house and my papers were burned down, including the books where I had written the homework on” or “Crime rates have increased in our neighborhood. Neighbors flooded in our house when they heard noises in the house. I had left my papers I had written the maths homework on in the house and they were misplaced when the neighbors came.” Using domestic cataclysm as an excuse works well. However, pray that the teacher doesn’t call your parents.
Others include:
- My wifi was down the whole weekend that is why I didn’t do my math homework. – This is great when you haven’t completed your math tasks.
- I got stuck and would not complete my math homework on time.
Best excuses for late homework for college students
Deadlines overlap sometimes, and you are required to complete different tasks at a limited time. Students in many schools face this problem and most of them fail to complete all homework within the allocated time. Most of them wonder what they will tell their teachers when they fail to submit their homework within the given deadline.
Tips on how to make an excuse for not doing homework
Below are the best excuses for late homework.
- Illness: Every teacher understands that you can’t complete all homework when you are not physically fit. They will credit you when you make an effort. “I had a severe headache and I was forced to spend the entire day resting” is a commonly used mistake. However, for the excuse to be authentic, it should be accompanied by a doctor’s note. Using “an illness” as an excuse is a strong excuse to ask for an extension for the deadline to submit the homework.
- Job interview: If the excuse relates to the subject of study, the teacher can excuse the student for not completing the homework.
- Unforeseen circumstances: Unfortunate activities such as an accident or natural disasters can be excused without much questioning. However, they should be presented convincingly.
- Homework overload: Sometimes, students might be overwhelmed by too much schoolwork. In such cases, it’s impossible to complete all assignments within the allocated time. Pick your best professor and tell him you were unable to complete the assignment within the allocated time due to too much homework in other subjects. Make sure you have partly done the homework before using this excuse to ask for an extension.
Teachers don’t like it when a student doesn’t turn homework within the given timeframe. Some teachers might even complain that you are dragging the class down, especially if you fail to complete several assignments. There are many excuses for not doing or completing homework.
An excuse should be customized based on the teacher. Some teachers are sympathetic and will immediately excuse you if you had an illness or there is a death in the family. Others are programmers and they will understand if your computer crashed or if your typed assignment was corrupted. However, if the excuse is repeated several times, it will not work but will make you get punished.