HERE! Attendance is not Being Present

My niece is a straight A student, plays two different sports and is on the Science Team.  She also volunteers and has great citizenship marks.  But she will not receive a certain award from her school and district this year because of one thing: attendance.

She loves school and never complains about getting ready in the morning.  She doesn't moan over Mondays or overly celebrate holidays.  She loves her teachers and her classmates, but she has missed too many days (and it's only the second quarter.)

Some of these absences could not be helped.  She had a medical issue which required some doctor visits and a small procedure.  She also got sick (schools are enormous petri dishes) and had to be out (you are supposed to keep your child home until they have been fever free for 24 hours.) And, yes it's true, her aunt has been known to take her and her brother out of school for play.  I take them out on the last beautiful day of Summer and sometimes the first sign of Spring. Why? Because it's too nice to be stuck inside.  Memories are important things to be made. 

A lot of companies are moving to unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO).  Instead of giving a definite amount of sick time, family illness days and vacation, companies are giving the freedom, and responsibility, to the employees.  If you get your work done, it doesn't matter how many days you take off.

People who I know that work for these companies rarely take sick time and vacation time.  They love their jobs and want to be working.  They feel what they do makes a difference.  They feel needed and appreciated and probably don't even take the time they should.  The choice, however, to take or not to take a day is completely theirs.  What power.  What responsibility.  What an idea.

Imagine if school was like that.  In Indiana, although there are required number of school days and hours, "seat time" is not a factor in passing grades.  Attendance is important.  But being present is more important.  And how many students are actually present?  How many are engaged (which is NOT the same thing as participating)?  What if, instead of spending time tracking attendance and data, when spend time getting to know students and their families?

The first few years of my career, My sisters and I all got married and then they started having babies.  Rarely were these events scheduled around my working days.  I have been there for every wedding and the days leading up, and I was there for every birth.  These memories are important.

Maybe one day being present will mean more than being in attendance.  Until then we will continue to take our kids out for the sake of health and memories.