Perfect attendance award, yay or nay?

[disykat]

The award isn't for "never getting sick" its for never missing school. The two don't always go hand and hand.

Understood. Once again, it's not about insisting all people get sick. It's that people who do get sick should be home, not at school. Perfect attendence means you either never got sick or went to school sick. Rewarding either doesn't really make sense to me.

What you want to reward is people attending school always - UNLESS they are sick. Perfect attendance awards don't really do that. It would be pretty impossible to prove who only had medically necessary absences.

 

[kate_wdw]

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

I think that is worth rewarding. Most kids take mental health or (cough, cough) "sick" days in a given year, so for a kid to never do that is impressive, IMO.

 

[dogluva]

I still don't see how not being sick is award-worthy. Lots of kids (mine included) are at school every day they aren't sick. The only difference is that some kids don't get sick apparently.

Being fortunate enough to never get sick seems like it's own reward!

Well I think it it because I am sure their were many times that they just wanted to stay in bed even though they were not sick. I know my kids try to do this on occassion. However, they get their bodies out of bed and go. So yes, they were lucky to have a good immune system but they didn't take days off just because. This shows dedication and what they probably will be like when they have jobs. What knock it?

 

[Pigeon]

Doesn't bother me a bit. I think perfect attendance is something a child should be proud of. When he/she starts working, he/she will find out how valuable having a dependable employee who shows up for work everyday is.

I'm a manager, and yes, I appreciate employees who have a good worth ethic. But I don't appreciate employees coming in to work who should be home because they are sick.

 

[torinsmom]

As a teacher, I have had quite a few kids never miss a day all year. Unfortunately, they are almost always kids I WISH would miss a day I always say there must be some correlation between behavior and immunity. The worse behaved a child is, the healthier they seem to be!

**Please note, I said ALMOST ALWAYS. I have had great kids who never missed a day as well.

BTW, my kid missed so many days this year that I was wondering if he would get an award for most days missed at Senior Awards Day. I was surprised someone else got the notation for "Most Likely to Be Late for His Own Funeral" in the yearbook, as DS had plenty of those too. He had mono and has had a rough 3-4 months.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I am not a fan of the perdect attendance award at all. IMO it is very rare that a person (not just a child) never gets sick in 13 years. So that would say to me that they went to school sick. On the off chance that they didn't I just don't see it as some big accomplishment. You are supposed to go to school if you are well. To me it is like using the toilet. You are supposed to. Should we give an award for that too? Now I am all for rewarding kids for things but I think the perfect attendance award more often than not involves sending a sick kid to school to infect the others. People can argue otherwise but I don't believe it at all. YMMV.

 

[eliza61]

Well I think it it because I am sure their were many times that they just wanted to stay in bed even though they were not sick. I know my kids try to do this on occassion. However, they get their bodies out of bed and go. So yes, they were lucky to have a good immune system but they didn't take days off just because. This shows dedication and what they probably will be like when they have jobs. What knock it?

ding ding.

Listen, I know it was work for my kids to get to school every day for 13 years.
I'm glad some folks think it was "luck" but believe me it was not "luck". It was work. they did not roll out of bed on their own. making sure they were healthy, making appointments that didn't interfer with school. yes, going to disney world and being inconvenience by lines. those were choices that did not have a darn thing with luck.

LOL. Maybe the award is really a recognition of making the harder choice. Oh maybe will send the kids to school or maybe we'll have a mommy play date. LOL. maybe the schools know this is the attitude that parents have.

 

[torinsmom]

I am not a fan of the perdect attendance award at all. IMO it is very rare that a person (not just a child) never gets sick in 13 years. So that would say to me that they went to school sick. On the off chance that they didn't I just don't see it as some big accomplishment. You are supposed to go to school if you are well. To me it is like using the toilet. You are supposed to. Should we give an award for that too? Now I am all for rewarding kids for things but I think the perfect attendance award more often than not involves sending a sick kid to school to infect the others. People can argue otherwise but I don't believe it at all. YMMV.

I can see that at kindergarten graduation....."Amy gets the perfect attendance award. She made it every day, although Mrs. Smith had to miss a week of work after Amy gave her the flu. and Tommy gets the perfect potty aiming award--he did not miss the toilet once this whole school year. Great job, Tommy!"

 

[Christine]

What I have noticed is that people allow their kids to stay home for just about anything. That's your choice as a parent, but I don't think you should get sour grapes towards people who don't do it.

If my daughter is tired or has a headache or just doesn't feel well--yes, I make her go to school. In my mind, I am trying to instill good habits for her later work life. If I stayed home everyday from work that I felt under the weather, I'd never have leave and my boss would not be very happy with me. Even on my job, I can tell the people who've been babied this way all their lives. A good number of people I work worth have NEVER been able to work a whole 2-week pay period. They take off a day for this, that or the other. I belive many times that they probably don't feel great. They stayed up to late, they didn't sleep well, or what have you. But sometimes you just gotta trudge on and work through it.

I remember especially when my DD was in middle school. Her best friend had 46 tardies (because she couldn't get out of bed and was *lucky* enough to have a mom at home to give into her whims and drive her to school late). The number of absences was also abysmal. But she wasn't really sick.

I don't think the kids who do go to school are inspired by the perfect attendance award and are trying to get it. Most older kids are embarrassed. But I think it is a positive reinforcement to say to someone "Hey, you thought enough about your education to force yourself to get in here everyday."

Of course, I do think 50% of the award is luck (being healthy) but half of it is perserverance.

 

[EllenFrasier]

When my kids were in lower grades, they wanted to go to school when they were sick because they didn't want to ruin their perfect attendance record. I made them stay home.
I think perfect attendance is worth a mention in the graduation program, but I don't think there should be an award for it. You know those kids went to school sick on at least one occasion....and probably ruined someone else's perfect attendance record by getting them sick!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I'd gotten a few perfect attendance awards for individual years. I would never go to school sick though. College I know I had perfect attendance.

 

[ccgirl]

My dd (21) received an award for perfect attendance when she graduated high school. 13 years of perfect attendance is something to be proud of. No, she did not go to school sick. She apparently had a good immune system. Yes, we did go on vacations, but we worked them around the school calendar. Even if she wasn't the one with perfect attendance, I would still feel the same way about recognizing students with perfect attendance. I don't understand why some people have a problem with it.

I agree.

At senior awards day this year (held separate from graduation), one of DSs best friends since kindy was recognized for perfect attendance this year. He was so embarassed to get the award and be singled out as the only senior not to miss or skip a day, but he was never sick and knew his parents would find out if he skipped.

I do think it's commendable to not miss a day, especially if you were not sick.

This is the part people are forgetting. Their are parents that let their children skip school (me being one of them) for all sorts of reasons, mental health, vacation, easier not to argue with them to get to school. I would never fault a child for getting an award for perfect attendance though or say they somehow didn't deserve it or it was a foolish reward.

I still don't see how not being sick is award-worthy. Lots of kids (mine included) are at school every day they aren't sick. The only difference is that some kids don't get sick apparently.

Being fortunate enough to never get sick seems like it's own reward!

So, do your kids only miss school for being sick? They never miss for vacations or anything else?

The award isn't for "never getting sick" its for never missing school. The two don't always go hand and hand.

I agree.

Understood. Once again, it's not about insisting all people get sick. It's that people who do get sick should be home, not at school. Perfect attendence means you either never got sick or went to school sick. Rewarding either doesn't really make sense to me.

What you want to reward is people attending school always - UNLESS they are sick. Perfect attendance awards don't really do that. It would be pretty impossible to prove who only had medically necessary absences.

But, then you have those parents lying their child was sick so they can get the perfect attendance reward. Do you require a doctor's note to approve the absence? As other posters stated, it's not just about being sick. It's about making it to school every day not taking off for a vacation or mental health day etc.

I think that is worth rewarding. Most kids take mental health or (cough, cough) "sick" days in a given year, so for a kid to never do that is impressive, IMO.

I agree.

ding ding.

Listen, I know it was work for my kids to get to school every day for 13 years.
I'm glad some folks think it was "luck" but believe me it was not "luck". It was work. they did not roll out of bed on their own. making sure they were healthy, making appointments that didn't interfer with school. yes, going to disney world and being inconvenience by lines. those were choices that did not have a darn thing with luck.

LOL. Maybe the award is really a recognition of making the harder choice. Oh maybe will send the kids to school or maybe we'll have a mommy play date. LOL. maybe the schools know this is the attitude that parents have.

I absolutely agree. I have to admit, there have been a few days where my DD did not want to go to school and I had to get to work and didn't have the patience to force her to go to school so I let her stay home. Doesn't mean other students should not be awarded for their perserverance (and that of their parents).

What I have noticed is that people allow their kids to stay home for just about anything. That's your choice as a parent, but I don't think you should get sour grapes towards people who don't do it.

If my daughter is tired or has a headache or just doesn't feel well--yes, I make her go to school. In my mind, I am trying to instill good habits for her later work life. If I stayed home everyday from work that I felt under the weather, I'd never have leave and my boss would not be very happy with me. Even on my job, I can tell the people who've been babied this way all their lives. A good number of people I work worth have NEVER been able to work a whole 2-week pay period. They take off a day for this, that or the other. I belive many times that they probably don't feel great. They stayed up to late, they didn't sleep well, or what have you. But sometimes you just gotta trudge on and work through it.

I remember especially when my DD was in middle school. Her best friend had 46 tardies (because she couldn't get out of bed and was *lucky* enough to have a mom at home to give into her whims and drive her to school late). The number of absences was also abysmal. But she wasn't really sick.

I don't think the kids who do go to school are inspired by the perfect attendance award and are trying to get it. Most older kids are embarrassed. But I think it is a positive reinforcement to say to someone "Hey, you thought enough about your education to force yourself to get in here everyday."

Of course, I do think 50% of the award is luck (being healthy) but half of it is perserverance.

Exactly.

When my kids were in lower grades, they wanted to go to school when they were sick because they didn't want to ruin their perfect attendance record. I made them stay home.
I think perfect attendance is worth a mention in the graduation program, but I don't think there should be an award for it. You know those kids went to school sick on at least one occasion....and probably ruined someone else's perfect attendance record by getting them sick!

It seems some posters feel it's only those with perfect attendance that seem to spread the germs.

Perfect attendance is awarded at many levels in the workplace. Frequently, teachers get a bonus for never missing a day as do many other companies.

I see no need to begrudge students for getting an award.

 

[leebee]

I just think a perfect attendance award is just another instance of giving an award for doing something that is expected of students. You did what you were supposed to do, yay for you. The reward for perfect attendance should be getting a full, adequate education.

 

[mickeyboat]

I just think a perfect attendance award is just another instance of giving an award for doing something that is expected of students. You did what you were supposed to do, yay for you. The reward for perfect attendance should be getting a full, adequate education.

Couldn't that be said for any kind of award? We always expect students and athletes to work hard. Shouldn't their academic or athletic performance be reward enough. Heck, based on that reasoning, we shouldn't calculate gpas or keep score.

 

[ccgirl]

I just think a perfect attendance award is just another instance of giving an award for doing something that is expected of students. You did what you were supposed to do, yay for you. The reward for perfect attendance should be getting a full, adequate education.

It would probably be that way if more students actually did what they were "supposed" to do then. If it's what you are supposed to do why do only a handful of students get it?

Couldn't that be said for any kind of award? We always expect students and athletes to work hard. Shouldn't their academic or athletic performance be reward enough. Heck, based on that reasoning, we shouldn't calculate gpas or keep score.

I agree. If that was the case then we shouldn't have honor roll, student of the month, valedictorian, salutatorian etc.

We shouldn't have playoffs for teams because, heck, you are supposed to win anyway.

 

[Disney Doll]

I actually had perfect attendance throughout high school because I wasn't sick.

Never have ben a sickly type person.

 

[Mkrop]

It cracks me up about every one saying that you should stay home when you are sick, but we have all had that boss (or at least I have had several) that would ream you a new one if you called out sick.

DS14's teacher is sick as a dog this week, but it is finals and graduation, if she wasnt there getting grades in and doing reviews, parents would have a heart attack.

I do keep my kids home if they are sick but I also know that school is not the real world

 

[Bob NC]

This award, in my experience, is more of a 'mention' than anything else. They usually get a cheap certificate.

If the award was a new car or a scholarship I'm sure the school year Disney vacationers would be beside themselves petitioning the school that these 'educational' Disney vacations should be exempt from absences.

For folks that let their kids stay home just "because they feel like it", or for mental health days, there really is no need for the sour grapes because some other kid got an award that your snowflake didn't.

If your kid gets sick, he doesn't get an award, no big deal. But I do feel the accomplishment of being in class every day is worthy of mention.

You know those kids went to school sick on at least one occasion....

Who knows that?

This is an incorrect assumption, my kids didn't go to school sick.

 

[2disneyboys]

My kids have never (and prob won't) win perfect attendance, but it's not for illness. My rules are no school if fever, contagious...but I am not going to teach my child to stay home cuz the have the seasonal sniffles .... School is teaching kids but it is also training them for life. Not many bosses appreciate the employee who misses a lot "cuz I didn't feel well". And after 10 years of managing employees, u can't convince me that sue is ALWAYS sick on a Monday or Friday... or Joe just so happened to get the stomach flu the 2 days he wanted off but was not able to get them off (for whatever reason).

Now I do take my kids out of school for vacations, but that's after verifying with the school schedule about testing schedules. We specifically enrolled our boys in a private school with a flexible curriculum (PACE) that allows the school to encourage family vacations without putting extra strain on the teachers. This is because we knew that because of our jobs it is very very difficult to take vacations on the normal schedule and vacations are important to us. This way is win win... We can vacation as a family on a schedule that works with our jobs and the kids school. This is why my kids would not get perfect attendance awards even if the school did give them.

I think the award is a nice gesture and no I don't feel that every kid who wins it was infecting other students (anymore than public door knobs, shopping cart handles or shaking hands with people, lol) or even was striving for this specific award.

 

[violetrose]

My kids rarely won the perfect attendance award, someone was always sick around here. I think my daughter did win it once in elementary school and my son in middle school.

Even still I think it's an award to be proud about and I can't believe others don't see it the same way. And I agree with those who say it instills good values to teach your child that every little minor ache and pain does not warrant a sick day. My kids would inevitably get a stomach virus or cold that knocked them flat on their back, which is different than the sniffles. And we never would take our kids out of school for vacation, that wouldn't even be a thought. The rules have always been unless you have a fever or are throwing up, you're going to school. It will serve them well in their working lives because no employer is going to want to hear you calling in on every whim.