It is said that “Punctuality is not about being on time, it’s basically respecting your own commitments.” Your punctuality mirrors your professional conduct and discipline. However, if you are late, the consequences are reproachable and can cause deficiency in your entire performance. Since your sluggishness is instrumental in causing problems, you owe an apology letter to fix the situation for being late to School. Apology demonstrates your alacrity to resolve and amend the problems caused, along with your intelligibility of your mistake. Writing an apology letter is no rocket science yet sometimes it becomes difficult on how to begin it.
How to Apology through letter to your Teacher for Being Late to school
There are times when you are late to your school due to inadvertent circumstances. However, being late is an unacceptable behaviour in schools. The teacher may understand that this was not due to your irresponsibility by a simple formal apology letter. So, apology letter must be articulated well to be well received by your teacher when you late to school.
Contemplate on What you Did Wrong
The first step to write an apology letter is to reflect on your mistake. Contemplation always helps in providing you with right words and expression without that hint of dramatic effect.
Frame Your Statement
While you are nervous about the letter, you are likely to make mistakes and write the wrong things. To avoid this mistake, draft the letter so that you produce the best statements. You may begin with “Please accept my heartfelt apology for being late on (mention the day).”
Do Not Beat Around the Bush
The recipient already knows your mistake and the best practice is to be straightforward, that is, do not give your stories or show your equivocal skills. Speaking precisely and plainly will give you an edge.
Explain Your Reasons
After apologizing, the next step is to explain the reason which made you late to your school. You must stick to your straightforwardness and plainness. It must not too lengthy or too short. You may say that your cycle broke down or your alarm did not buzz.
Take the Onus of Your Mistakes
One can never succeed in life if he keeps on blaming others for his own mistakes. So, do not blame others for your mistakes and modestly take the responsibility. Do not say that little sister tore your homework pages for origami, or your dog devoured your homework.
Guarantee That it will not happen again
You owe an apology along with a promise that it will not happen again only if it is avoidable. Promise only if you will be able to abide by it. If it was not your mistake and contingent, then do not make any promise, just apologise.
Ask for Forgiveness
This is why the letter is written, and that is to be done in a simple way. Just begin with a simple and sincere statement like, “I am seeking your forgiveness.”
Describe your Immediate Plan
The most important part of the letter is to describe your plan to fix any problem caused by your impunctuality. Being late means that you must have missed an exam, or a class and you must assure your teacher that you will brief yourself with the class work you missed. However, if it is an exam, you can request for another date when you can give the impending exam.
Choose The Right Time to Talk to Your Teacher
Do not disrupt the class with your apology in the middle. The best practice is to wait till the end of the class to talk to your teacher. You may request them to give a minute or two and handover your letter with an apology.
Appropriate Body Language
Do not be nervous when you hand the letter and apologize. Have the courage to stay composed and say that you are sorry. Do not hover around the teacher and the issue for too long, Keep it short and effective.
Possible and Acceptable Excuses for Being Late to School
Bike Break Down: I was cycling towards the school when I realised that the cable of my bike had snapped, and I could move no further on that cycle. I was in fix whether to leave the bike deserted or not.
Minor Accident: During the weekend, I was cycling near the valley, so lost in the beauty of the nature that my cycle tripped over a hidden pothole and I lost my balance. I as a result, have injured my knee and lower back.
Hospitalization: After the accident, I had no option but to seek medical attention immediately. The doctor advised me to get complete bed rest for 3 days and administered me with painkillers. The effect of the medicine kept me in the bed for a longer period.
Rough Weather: Due to certain extreme weather conditions including thundershower and heavy rain, I was unable to attend the school on prescribed school timings. I hereby extend my sincere apologies to my respected subject teacher. The delay caused due to the afore-mentioned reason may please be excused.
Inadequate Transport Facility: Today morning while moving out of the house I came across limited or no transport availability in my locality. Such unavailability was due to sudden land slide in my region. I tried to look out for possible avenues through which I could reach school but was unable to do so since there was a complete dead lock.
Festivity at Home: Yesterday, I had my grandparents, celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary with all the family members who gathered at large. I oversaw the whole event along with one of my younger siblings. Due to my occupancy at home for the afore-mentioned reason, I was unable to attend the school on time. I express regret and request you to grant an excuse.
Charity: While coming to school, I encountered a homeless and helpless puppy, whelping for some food and warmth. Had someone not helped it, it would have succumbed to death. As I was taught by my parents and teachers, I decided to help the poor creature and, in the process, got late for school.
Family Member Unwell: My mother/father was unwell since last night and I had to stay awake taking care of her/him. Consequently, I had inadequate sleep and I could not wake up on time. Also, my mother/father is still unwell, so I had to prepare the breakfast for them as well.
Death In Family: My grandfather/grandmother passed away this morning due to prolonged illness. I had to visit his/her place early in the morning and I hoped to reach school on time. However, the circumstances demanded my presence there and I could not reach the school on time. I request you to grant me an excuse.
Theft: Last night there has been a theft at my house when we all were asleep. To our surprise, the thief ran away with all the electronics, cash, and important documents he could lay his hands on. We were in utter shock and informed the Police and since then our house is frequented by them. In this chaos, I got late to school.
Pest Control: My house is infested with termites, and it has become impossible for us to stay there. So, professional pest exterminators have performed pest control in our property, and we had to leave the house because the chemicals were too harmful to be inhaled. So, we are staying at a hotel for a few days, and it is problematic for me to be on time for school under such circumstances.
Quarantine: In this pandemic, my family was assessed COVID-19 positive but me and my sister. Since my parents are unavailable for the household chores, I am in tight situation till they are in quarantine. So, please excuse me for coming late to school for a few days as I am burdened with a lot of responsibilities.
Short Errand: My family went on a short trip to the nearby countryside to visit my ailing grandmother/grandfather. We were sure to return early this morning so that I could attend the school right on time. However, due to extreme weather conditions we could not reach on time, and I got late for school. I apologise for my tardiness and promise that it will not be repeated in the future. Please excuse me.
There are situations when we tend to speak white lies but at times excuses can only help us through demanding situations. However, excuses must be reasonable and relevant so that it sounds convincing and not stale.
Sample Apology Letter for Being Late to School
Sample 1
Date(mm/dd/yy)
Teacher’s full name
Name of the subject
Name of the School
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing this letter to apologise for coming late to school on (mention the date and day). I know every school has its own sets of rules and regulations, which are meant to be adhered upon. I would like to affirm that I have no intention of breaking the rules, however, circumstances were such that I ended up breaking the rules.
I left my house on time to reach school at 9.30 am, but on my way to school I encountered a minor accident, owing to which I got late to school. I usually take a walk to school and today was no different. However, when I was on the XYZ street, a speeding bike lost its control and ran onto the footpath; the driver hit the brake just on time. Consequently, I was hit by the bike and fell on the ground. Fortunately, I suffered only a few minor cuts and bruises. I was rushed to the emergency and was assisted with first aid.
I promise that I will make up for the missed classes and I assure that I will complete all my pending assessments. I hope you will consider my genuine problem and excuse me for the same.
Yours sincerely,
Name
Grade and Roll Number.
Sample 2
Date
Recipient Name
Title
School Name
Street Address
City, ST, Zip Code
Dear Recipient Name,
I am writing this letter to apologise for coming late to school every day. I know this is unacceptable and cannot be overlooked, however, I want to bring in your kind notice, that I have been having a tough time at my place since a week.
We have recently moved in with my grandparents due to some financial crisis faced by my father. My grandparents’ house is quite far from the school and the only means of transport for me was school bus. But the school bus does not come at my present residence, and I have resorted to public transport these days.
The public transport not only provides poor service but also is overcrowded. We are still trying to figure out the best possible way of commuting. Please accept my heartfelt apologies and excuse me for not abiding by the school rules.
Thanking You,
Yours truly,
Name
Grade and Roll No.
Sample 3
Date
Recipient Name
Title
School Name
Street Address
City, ST, Zip Code
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am XYZ of Standard XYZ, writing this letter to apologise for coming late on XYZ (date) because I woke up late in the morning. I understand that this is totally an unacceptable behaviour, but I did not want to make it worse by lying to you.
I had put an alarm for today because I slept late last night as I was occupied with my homework. I was quite sure that I would wake up in one alarm call, however, things did not work out as I thought it to be. Surprisingly, my alarm did not buzz in the set time, and I did not wake up until my mother woke me up. Therefore, I got late for my morning activities before to school and eventually got late for school.
I understand this sounds like an unacceptable excuse, but it is the truth which I did not want to hide. I hope you would understand that I did not do it intentionally and it was a genuine mistake. I once again seek your apology.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
Full Name.
