Imagine waking up with snot dribbling down your face, an intense urge to cough, and a voice nothing more than a harsh whisper—you are sick. At first, you’re enthused by the opportunity to spend the day huddled under a pile of blankets watching every corny, low-budget movie you can find on Netflix, but you soon realize that you are far too lazy to deal with all of the make-up work that skipping school would entail. Instead, you drag yourself out of bed and force yourself to get ready for school.

Between coughing fits on the bus, you notice that you are surrounded by a radius of empty seats. When you get to school, you attempt to greet your friends but find you can only muster a scratchy croak. They eye you suspiciously and edge away. Then, while taking a test in math, your incessant sniffling attracts glares from around the classroom.

Why do people seem to be so repulsed by you? Not only are you the source of a disgusting soundtrack, but you are endangering the health of everyone around you. You would think it is common knowledge that putting your infected hands all over the school and puffing your germy breath in peoples’ faces can get others sick. So please, have a little respect for your fellow Patriots and stay home when you are under the weather