Hi there!
First of all, you've got some good points here. Be cool, stay in school. I like it. :)
Since I don't know what level writing you're in or how much of a stickler your teacher is, I'll just share with you a few things I know editors look for, okay?
You may want to use more of an "active voice" rather than a "passive voice" in some of these sentences. What that means, is that instead of saying "If a student was to continually not show up," you use something like "When a student continually fails to show up..." Basically, it's using those action verbs without the helping verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) whenever possible. And if you use a singular noun like "students," it is better to use a singular pronoun like "he" or "she" instead of a plural pronoun like "they". So, "...the instructor tends to believe he or she is irresponsible." And you may want to follow up on that sentence a little, as well. Why is it important that my teacher sees me as responsible?
And I'm not sure if this is allowed to be an opinion essay or if it's a research thing, but if you've done research on it, make sure you cite your sources. If you have any questions on that, just ask.
"On the other side of things" needs a comma after it. And you may want to consider not using the word "things". Things is one of those words we all use, but professors and editors often find it a little too... imprecise. Kind of generic, which a lot of professors translate into lazy. Actually, you could say, "On the other side," or "On the flip side," or "Conversely," or something like that.
Also, never use the word "you" in an essay. It's an academic thing. Imagine you're speaking to all of academia instead of just writing an essay for your English teacher. Make it general and informative, not personal.
Other than that, you're ship shape. Even so, hand your paper off along with a red pen to as many people as will read it. Even if you only use half the suggestions people give, those are still improvements on your essay, right? Writing's kind of one of those never-ending journeys. There's always something that can be adjusted or altered or improved.
Anyway, best of luck on your essay. Hope you get an A! I would advise you to stay in school, but... heh. Looks like I don't have to. ;)
Blessings!
Hammy
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