Perfect attendance award, yay or nay?

[AmazingGrace]

My son graduated tonight, finally. We have a Z name and there were seven hundred something kids. Yeah, do the math!
They gave an attendance award to two kids who hadn't missed a day of school in thirteen years. Again, do the math. How many days is that? All I could think of was how many kids they must have infected in their scholastic career? What are y'alls thoughts on this?

 

[Hannathy]

I think they are incredibly stupid awards and prove nothing other than what you said!!

 

[turkeymama]

I guess anything is possible, but it does seem statistically unlikely these students had never been ill. Rest assured, this is not an award my kids will ever get. When they are sick, they stay home.

 

[LuLuO]

I've always thought perfect attendance was a stupid award for that exact reason. Yuck.

 

[angwill]

They only make a big deal about attendance because they get paid based on how many kids are in attendance every day. Our school instead of giving paper awards they get their name in a drawing at the end of the year based on attendance for all kinds of prizes including an old used car every year.

That said my son is Senior next year and he has not missed a day of high school for being sick because he has honestly not been sick in all that time. Well the one and only time was this year he came home sick the Friday before spring break but was fine by the time school went back. He has also never once won a prize for his attendance either.

I know some kids in our district from 6th grade up are afraid to miss school for any reason because the amount of homework they get on a daily basis can be insane and missing a day can make it hard to catch up.

 

[portocall]

Perfect attendance is the worst award invented. I will take the trophy for doing nothing but showing up and picking flowers in the outfield over it. While on occasion a child actually remains healthy enough to not need a day off of school, too many times I see sick kids in class because they don't want to mess up their attendance. Instead it is okay to make everyone else sick and miserable. Not a success to be celebrated in my opinion.

 

[MM27]

I think they are stupid as well. My school does give perfect attendance awards though and when he hands them out, my principal always says, "These are the students that showed up every day. They were here more days than the teacher and more days that I've been here this year." Um, yeah because they come to school with hacking coughs, drippy noses and more. Then we get sick and we do the right thing and stay home. Perfect attendance is not something I strive for.

 

[Planogirl]

Not every kid gets sick. DS rarely did.

I guess that these awards don't really bother me. I don't really care one way or the other.

Weird thing is that my workplace also gives awards for perfect attendance. It seems so silly.

 

[daisyduck123]

Elementary teacher (over 20 years) chiming in....

I can't stand those awards. Our staff was finally able to talk our principal into discontinuing those a few years ago.

 

[Schmeck]

I've worked at our local high school for over 8 years - and I only know of one student to get the perfect attendance award. I don't know if he ever got sick or not, but he was just an OK student, not in honors stuff, etc. It was the only award he got, I think?

I work in special education, and there are so many times we have to call the parents to come pick up their sick kid right after the kid arrives at school. I'm talking runny nose, profuse green snot, fever, glassy eyes, stomach pains, etc. These are the same parents that get mad when staff is out sick. Yuck.

 

[J3nn78]

My brother got that award 15 years ago and he was honestly never sick. Even I only missed 4-5 days in my entire school career. I am a teacher now and I have had a few students over the years not miss a day. They were not coming to school infecting everyone. They were really healthy kids. If a kid looks sick, I send them to the nurse.

 

[Nancyg56]

I have never been a fan of that Perfect Attendance award. It is my opinion that it encourages people to go to school or work sick.

 

[Mkrop]

I could care less one way or the other about the award. DS14 won it once in 2nd grade. Now we take a WDW in Dec so my kids are out. DS9 has gotten sick during this school year but only missed one day, a Friday and was better by Monday. DS14 technically has not missed a day this year...was he sick YEP on EVERY holiday, you name it that is when the kid was sick. Over Thanksgiving, really bad cold. Christmas vacation, stomach bug. Presidents Day bad headache etc. I would rather him use a few sick days than have every holiday have him not feeling well but it is what it is.

So not every kid who makes it to school, is showing up with the plague trying to infect your kiddos!

 

[Nancyg56]

So not every kid who makes it to school, is showing up with the plague trying to infect your kiddos!

Of course there are kids who don't get sick. The kid down the street never misses school. I have never even seen him sniffle. I do think those kids are few and far between.

 

[Bob NC]

In middle school my kid got that award.

At the time we were shocked. We honestly had no idea he hadn't missed a day.

I don't see how everyone automatically jumps to the conclusion that we must have sent him to school sick, but, I guess this IS the DIS.

He never went to school sick.

Also, though, we don't believe in, and my kids don't even know, what mental health days are. They don't just stay home because they 'feel like it."

 

[Art 1]

One of mine went 4 years in HS without missing. An award was not given. I have no problem with giving an award out for that. More important than award for best hair and that type of thing in the year book.

Some people don't miss much work or school. Luckily my other children missed only 1 or 2 days each year. Some years none. I myself have not missed work sick for many many years. I can't remember how long.

 

[Christine]

I got it once in elementary school. I was never sick that year. Didn't know they gave out that award so it wasn't something I was "working" toward.

My DD got it once in 8th grade. Again, she never got sick. We never knew the award was coming. It was the only award she received. Average student.

Now, in the workplace, I do enjoy my employees who have good attendance. We don't get awards. It does mean something to me if you are able to consistently show up to work and not miss many days. But if you're sick you're sick.

 

[mdsoccermom]

I think it's stupid. Awards should be reserved for real achievements. But, this is a generation that has to be awarded for merely breathing or else their self-esteem will plummet.

At my daughter's 7th grade awards ceremony, not only did they give the perfect attendance award, they gave one for exemplary attendance. That was for this kids who only missed one or two days this year.

Even dumber was the character counts award they gave to almost everyone. Those were given to all the kids who weren't sent to the principal or given detention. So now we're rewarding kids for doing what they're supposed to be doing - behaving.

 

[Nancyg56]

soccermom- I am 56 yo and still remember that award being handed out in each classroom. I never got it and would be so bummed that I missed one day It is not a new award at all, it is one that has outlived it's usefulness IMO.

 

[clm10308]

Some years my DD got perfect attendance, some not. She doesn't get sick very often. I think this year she only missed one day.
My DS as never had perfect attendance.

I don't see a problem with giving it Especially considering all the families that choose to have the kids miss school for family vacations, but My kids don't care enough about it to want to go to school when they are sick.