Get Schooled

By lynn d

September 29, 2006 02:53 PM | Link to this

Hate it.

My daughter has been home sick almost all week. If she were motivated by perfect attendance, she would have been falling apart. But my kids understand that perfect attendance is nothing we aspire to.

However, last year, after years of resitence from the school council, our guidance counselor implemented a Never Been Absent club. Our attendance rate improved alot, although it wasn’t bad to begin with. (The resistance from the council was because of the sick kids at school deal.)

Finally, at the end of the year Honors Day, the kids who get perfect attendance awards are not the best students and sometimes are behavior problems.

By jsl

September 29, 2006 04:15 PM | Link to this

I read this blog a lot, but have never posted. However, this one gets to me.

I hate it.

I have a child with chronic asthma. What is a mild illness, like sniffles and coughing but no fever, in one child would result in 5 days of intensive medication and missed school for mine. I have another child who is almost never sick and who received several perfect attendance awards, not because of special effort but just because in some years, he never got sick enough to stay home.

Both of them took school seriously, both of them work(ed) hard. In fact, you could argue that my child who missed up to 25% of every school year due to illness worked hardest of all because of the constant need to be making up work.

I don’t argue that every child with the sniffles and a cough should stay home, but I do mind the message that goes with perfect attendance awards that “if you really cared about school and tried hard, you could have perfect attendance to.” It’s not true and lack of perfect attendance is not always an indicator of lack of committment to school. We’ve confused something easy to see with something hard to detect. Awards and prizes for perfect attendance reward the superficial and make no effort to reward effort.

By Patti Ghezzi

September 29, 2006 04:32 PM | Link to this

Thanks, jsl, for delurking and posting your first-hand experiences with this issue!

By Janine

September 29, 2006 05:31 PM | Link to this

OK..I lurk AND post… I totally agree with jsl.If Paul Howard wants to really contribute, he could donate those bikes to the students who show the most improvement in a year. There are lots of measurements that could be used to determine the winners, or example, including comparing last years CRCT scores with the current year. THis way, the bicycles are the incentive he’s looking for, but for REAL achievement.

By momtoAlex&Max

September 29, 2006 06:32 PM | Link to this

Folks, we all know what’s really behind this: that darn NCLB. Schools are under a lot of pressure to show perfect attendance because it reflects in test scores. Never mind about actually teaching our children, as long as we make the grade. Bah!

By EW

October 2, 2006 09:02 AM | Link to this

NCLB. You are so correct, in my school I write up a social worker referral form for every child that has missed three days of school. My school does have an attendance issue, and we have missed AYP because of attendance only not for the actual scores. Not to mention is was only ten students out of 900 that had the issue.

I appreciate his efforts really, because he doesn’t have to do anything, so when we are sitting here critiquing this man for his volunteer efforts, lets look in the mirror. Start your own program and elect to give a bike to one student who has improved the most in a given school year, but to sit here and overly analyze this man is just wrong and once again proves what is wrong with our world today.

As for perfect attendance, I care nothing about it - as a teacher or parent. It says nothing to me at all. Most of the time it is the parent who is obsessed about it.

By sue

October 2, 2006 09:22 AM | Link to this

At my son’s 5th grade “recognition” night, there were 3 children that were awarded for perfect attendance since kindergarten. My initial reaction was, “Those are the kids that keep bringing strep and other illnesses to school.” It is not an award that impresses me.

I actually heard a parent at a class party say, “My older daughter woke up with a fever of 104 today, but I had so much going on: I had to be here for the party, and I have to pack for our spring vacation…I couldn’t deal with her so I gave her Tylenol and sent her to school.”

A sick child should be the parents’ responsibility, whether it’s convenient or not.

My own son has had many quarters (and an entire year) with perfect attendance, but we also got a letter one summer informing us that we were being assigned to a counselor who would track his attendance the following year because he missed 15 days. All of them because he was too sick to be at school: fever, flu, bronchitis, strep, vomiting.

By MA

October 2, 2006 09:23 AM | Link to this

EW is right. Perfect Attendance is a parent goal. Teachers don’t want sick kids in the classroom and sick kids don’t want to be there. Parents with jobs and no leave time, parents with kids who are unruly and troublemakers at home, and parents who never excelled in anything when THEY were in school — these are the parents who put their kids on the bus or in the car no matter what. At least 10 times a year we have children who are obviously sick brought into the school office by their parents with the explanation “He/she isn’t feeling well and we have a doctor’s appointment at 12, so I will come and check him/her out then, so he/she will have the day counted.” I personally would gladly donate a bicycle if the child who gives me the flu every year would stay home. If only I knew which one of the 25 in my class that it was!

By Ernest

October 2, 2006 10:20 AM | Link to this

WARNING, I’m wearing rose colored glasses while responding to this topic I spoke to my wife this weekend about this topic and the responses thus far (tells you a little about my weekend). While she understood the concerns, she also wondered about those students that are not ‘motivated’ to come to school, especially at the ES age. Her point being this program serves as an incentive for those who might find any excuse to not go to school. I will submit that when these children are slightly ill, they wouldn’t go to school anyway. But if the true intent with this program is to motivate the children with a reward at the end, is it really all that bad? After all, attendance is one of the measurements used for determining AYP per NCLB.

I agree with EW’s response

By jim d

October 2, 2006 11:22 AM | Link to this

Ernest,

Since this would be akin to paying students to attend school. Why not just pay them daily?

I object to the premise of paying a student to learn based on the fact that we taxpayers already are doing so by providing an educational opportunity far more expensive than what their parents are paying for.

It all goes back to personal responsibility. If these students must be bribed to just show up at school, what makes you think (other than those glasses) they will ever learn anything or use the education if they do actually learn?

By Janine

October 2, 2006 11:45 AM | Link to this

Agreed, jim d. The external/tangible/ motivation for students is a fairly recent phenomena, isn’t it? I remember well the first time I saw a kindergarten teacher giving out Skittles to kids who did this or that. AS I have said here before, it is a real problem when students enter Middle school expecting some kind of reward for doing what they are suppose to do. Almost always, after the first assignment is made, the question from the students is “WHat are you going to give us if we do it?” Most of the teachers would respond with something like,”a smile, a pat on the back , and a good grade”.

By Taxpayer

October 2, 2006 11:47 AM | Link to this

I’ve always thought those perfect attendance awards were more about the parents than the kids. Too many kids get sent to school when they’re sick because mom or dad doesn’t want to miss a day of work or change other plans. Save the awards for actual achievement, not just showing up on a regular basis.

By EW

October 2, 2006 11:54 AM | Link to this

Jim D,

You cannot be that naïve. The school system does everything possible now to eliminate personal responsibility for students and parents. That’s why we have so many news stories in reference to consequences that we give to students that are considered “harsh”.

Our whole system is designed to make the children feel good, and to go along with parental wishes. For example, Jim our whole NCLB and Patti’s blog last week on failure, appeal and promotion for the tests shows you that we have eliminated personal responsibility. By the way, if we are speaking of elementary children, then the TRUE responsibility is on the parents for attendance, not the students. SO if they don’t have the parents to get them up and ready and put them on the bus, if the children are taking on responsibility of adults then it is totally appropriate to give them an incentive for doing a job that the adult should be doing so they can do their job, which is go to school and learn

By Ernest

October 2, 2006 12:44 PM | Link to this

JimD and Janine, you both bring great points as to ‘the way it SHOULD be’. I’m looking at it from the perspective of ‘the way it is’. We can all agree, most of the children of the participants this blog will not send a sick child to school for the sake of getting a ‘Perfect Attendance’ award. One’s personal situation might cause them to send a sick child to school, especially if accomodations are not available.

My wife’s rationale was that there is a ‘growing’ community of children that don’t have role models or even understand the importance of a good education. Sure, external rewards like the bikes are a ‘quick fix’ and may make you ‘feel good’ at the awards ceremony. At the end of the day, it may not make an impact whatsoever. IMO, the bigger picture is what do we do as a society to help uplift those that lack guidance? This is Howard’s outreach program and I can’t knock it because I’m not sure if I’m reaching out enough….

By jim d

October 2, 2006 12:53 PM | Link to this

Ok EW,

So give me some statistcs on the children you contend are doing the jobs of adults. Where can I find that data?

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen. I just don’t believe it occurs in numbers large enough to warrant offering cash or other incentives for attendance.

No, this is plain and simple bribery to get some of the minorities that might not attend on test days to show up. Educators fully understand the numbers and realize they can easily cover for a failing student by forcing them into summer school and then working their magic numbers game to pass them through.

They also know that they can’t do so if a student fails to show on test day.

By jim d

October 2, 2006 01:01 PM | Link to this

Ernest,

I’m not niave and I don’t suspect you are either. No amount of reward will assure a child learns anything other than he must show up. If that child shows with no intent of learning 1) there is no way in hades that you can force them to and 2)they may become a distration for those there to learn.

So with all due respect sir, Why bother?

By EW

October 2, 2006 01:22 PM | Link to this

Jim D,

When I say jobs of adults — I mean having to take care of themselves with little to no supervision. As a inner city middle school teacher with an enrollment of 900, I can tell you that at least 80% of our parents work overnight shifts and multiple shifts where it is the responsibility of the student to get up and catch the bus, now for middle school maybe, BUT for elementary school that responsibility is a little far fetched don’t you think?

As far as the whole minority thing, here we go again. I taught in a suburban school system - or predominately white - last year, the principal raffled away 100.00 gift cards to students who were present for all days of the test, forget about any other times. So your misrepresentation that this is a minority driven award program is taken by me as an insult.

This is a problem as a whole, black, white and Hispanic - I’m sure you will find the data to support that.

One last thing, you bother because if you don’t you will pay for it in the long run, with your tax payer dollars — can we say lifetime in and out in the justice system? Plus, you bother because it makes you feel good that you tried. And that’s all you can do is TRY

By jim d

October 2, 2006 01:39 PM | Link to this

EW,

80%? Where is this data available?

And yes my friend it is a minority thing even in predominantly white schools when just one student in a sub group can knock a school out of AYP.

Let me just ask you this question. How often did you see incentives offered like this prior to NCLB? I dare say it was rairly.

By EW

October 2, 2006 01:56 PM | Link to this

Jim D,

Unless you are willing to come to my school and pull each student or parent and ask them their schedules then their is no hard core data. I’m speaking of experience with the parents that I have taught NOW, yes it is a NCLB thing, I have already said that and the federal govt. made it a minority thing HOWEVER lets not sit here and make the assumption that white children do not come to school or drop out, the government has just placed an somewhat unfair emphasis on each sub group. God forbid my Asian Pacific young lady catches the flu for testing we are all doomed!! HA.. what a joke.

One more thing, America has a working poor, and these working poor people have children - they are all around you. Dare to say, nursing assistants, paramedics, fast food employees, 911 operators, cashiers and so on… So the fact of having a situation where the child is forced to fend for themselves is not that far fetched and we should start to wake up and smell the coffee and realize it is not the child’s fault.

By HB

October 2, 2006 04:14 PM | Link to this

I think EW (and wife) makes some good points. For some kids in some situtations, this program may be a big help. Is it bribing kids to come to school? I don’t know — seems like it could just be giving them a goal to aim for. What is really the difference between a bribe and an award? I was rewarded with pizzas for reading, Braves tickets for making honor roll, and a trip to Six Flags for dutifully serving as an elementary school crossing guard. When the rewards weren’t offered, I still read, got good grades, and if I saw someone in need, helped them across the street :). To many of us, just showing up for school seems like the easy part, but as EW pointed out, that alone can be a challenge for many children.

And jim d is right, attendance alone cannot guarantee that a student will learn. On the other hand, though, you can be sure that the child who isn’t at school won’t learn.

By jim d

October 2, 2006 04:48 PM | Link to this

HB,

You might be surprised at what a child can learn outside of the school house. And I’m not talking about just bad things here.

EW,

I’ll admit I surely don’t have an answer for some kids. The point is though that it is in fact a small number (comparitively) that must fend for themselves. Could easily be the extremely high percentage you state in particular schools, but then that is not the norm and You must admit these are predominatly minority groups that are being affected.

And to be quite honest,I don’t feel forcing a child to attend school is in the best interest of that student or the rest of the school attendees. If that’s cold and hearless then so be it.

By Mom

October 4, 2006 02:47 PM | Link to this

Wait, you’ll don’t seem to understand. The program does not target any kids that have parental support. It targets kids who have no one to push or encourage to go to school. It is up to the Parents to guide and direct our children. As an educator it is hard enough getting the kids to school and I think this is the basis for this type of program.

By catlady

October 5, 2006 03:41 PM | Link to this

I am tired of folks sending their sick kids to school for babysitting or the tshirt they get and I catch what they have and have to miss work (at $300+/day), etc. because I catch it from their kids. Sick kids should be at home, not infecting the rest of us. God help us if the bird flu does mutate! Kids who are not sick should be at school, period.