Absenteeism and Parental Accountability: Please Get Your Child to School!

Mid-sentence, I stopped my lesson regarding descriptive writing to see a young face in my doorway. It was the same young face in my doorway for the past four days, but this time the face was an extra fifteen minutes later. Now fifteen minutes might not sound like a lot (some will admit to being fifteen minutes late to work on a daily basis…and who does not pause live TV for fifteen minutes to perform some menial duties?), but in a classroom setting, missing that amount of time makes a huge difference. Add it up on a near daily basis (perpetual lateness to school is becoming certain students M.O.) and we have days if not weeks of education missed. I glanced at her pass from the main office. The written reason for her lateness? She Overslept.

As an educator for thirteen years, I have witnessed many trends. Working on the work, Quantum Learning, CRISS strategies…the list is endless and acronyms boundless. Today, accountability is the new hype, the new word en vogue. Hold teachers accountable. Make them “pay” if their students do not have acceptable standardized test scores and show academic gains. Certain governors such as Rick Scott in Florida and Scott Walker in Wisconsin are looking to snatch professional teaching certificates from educator’s tired hands. Uma Thurman had less of a fight in the infamous Kill Bill series. At very least, she had a samurai sword and a choice. Teachers do not. I marked the student tardy, knowing full well that it would happen again. And again. My hands are tied; I cannot overstep my boundaries by demanding a parent to make sure they get their son or daughter to school on time.

My childhood is filled with memories of not wanting to get out of bed. I procrastinated getting dressed for school, procrastinated eating my Lucky Charms cereal, and even brushing my teeth. But I got it done, my parents making sure I was out the door in time; their urgency fell just short of them having a cattle prod in their hands. In time, I learned to hold myself accountable and always show up early for work and meetings.

So where do parents fall under the accountability issue? Should increased pressure from local, state, and federal governments be geared only toward the much maligned teacher or should parents not be held to a higher standard as well? Another student named Jamie recently returned to school after being out for over a week. Did her pallor reflect any signs of sickness before or after her tardiness? No. She looked healthy, slightly sun burnt and well rested. The reason for her long absence? A cruise to the Bahamas. Nevermind that her Language Arts class was going over context clue discovery and her math class was lecturing on dividing fractions. Pardon the importance of the subset of skills as it relates to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment test, otherwise known as the FCAT.

I recall a time in which the New York weather registered a bone-chilling 5 degrees for the high. It was late January and the maws of winter were brutalizing a shocked Long Island. Frost caked the sidewalks, making every step a treacherous ice escapade. It was one of the scant few days that my parents allowed me to stay home. I was informed of this treat while I was getting my heaviest jacket on, bundling fully with scarf, gloves, and boots. I was also informed that I would be totally responsible in making up all missed work. And I was. Because that was what I was taught. Not by my teachers, but by my parents. Accountability. Responsibility. Not just for educators anymore.

More from this Contributor:

Teaching Morals in a Middle School Creative Writing Class

5 Things Parents can Provide to Assist Educators’ Pocketbooks

The Positive Implications of Having a Camera in Every Classroom


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