Truth and Consequences

E-mail has been a god-send. It is so much easier to keep in touch with students via e-mail. While I love e-mail, I have to wonder if it has made it easier for our students to "pull the wool over our eyes." Students don't ever acutally have to speak to us when an assignment is late, or if they are missing class. Obviously, I will talk to them about it in class, but I think that it has become too easy for students to give excuses. The consequences won't catch up to them until I actually see them again. Maybe I should be more trusting of my students, but when I receive the "I'm sick" message, or the "I couldn't get my assignment done because_________" (fill in the blank with any number of excuses), I tend not to believe it. If I can't see them, I can't try to discern whether or not they are being truthful. The consequences will be the same regardless of whether they tell the truth or not, but it just seems so much easier for them to get away with it. Maybe I just need to accept it as it is....