A
teacher’s take on getting your kids to school on time… And why it’s the least
you can do.
A couple of
weeks into the new school year here in Australia and one thing is frustrating
me more than assessments, meetings and a new bunch of rascals combined.
PARENTS! Specifically, why is it so darn hard to get your kid to
school on time? Seriously?! 9am can’t be that hard, considering we
teachers are there before 8am every day (That may come as a surprise to those
that think we work 9-3:30, hehe).
Before I rant,
let me chuck in some quotes, to prove it’s not just me… Michael Grose’s Parenting
Ideas website is fantastic if you haven’t explored it already. He
says here that “School absenteeism is a huge
problem in Australia – and much of it is parent-condoned”. Shockingly, the
average student misses 12-15 days of school each year (doesn’t sound like that
much really, however…), which equates to a full school year lost over the span
of their education. Yikes!
Grose continues
that “Australian kids spend only 15% of their total time at school. They spend
more time asleep than they do at school. So we need to maximise every day to
get full value. That means turning up to school every day, on time”. There are
always a few stragglers, coming into class late, whose parents bring them to
the door after the bell has gone, give them their cuddles, say their goodbyes,
holding up the start of the school day for the whole class. One day last week,
we didn’t actually start the school day until 9:07 (Even then, one boy didn’t
arrive until 9:45!). When the bell rang at 9am (following a ‘warning bell’ at
8:57) only half of my class were present! Let’s say though, very
conservatively, that the beginning of my class’s school day is held up for just
2 minutes each day. That’s almost 7 hours missed across the year; more than a
full school day.
Last year I had
a perpetually late mother get stroppy with me for, and I quote, “You don’t
acknowledge me in the mornings when I bring _ into the class!” For real? You
bring your son into class late every day and you want me to engage you in
conversation, despite that fact that you’re contributing to the whole class
losing more than a full day of school this year?
Punctuality isn’t just about teachers griping about a lost couple of minutes. It affects all students in a class and is a problem all around the world, with some UK schools beginning to issue fines to parents of tardy students!
Parents, get
your kids to school on time.
Better yet, get them to school 5 or 10 minutes early. That will give them a
chance to have a chat to their buddies, maybe have a quick run-around outside,
unpack their bags and come into class to get settled. They’re ready to start
the school day when the bell rings.
The alternative
is to rush around in the morning, get them to school late, give them no time to
socialise and get settled, and come into class late, embarrassed and ashamed
that the whole class is waiting on them and that they haven’t had time to
organise their belongings.
Why
it’s the least [many parents] could do:
No doubt ‘Parent’ is becoming fewer and fewer peoples’ full-time job. Most parents now are so-called ‘working parents’. Of course this means you’re going to be busy, busy, busy. Not only are you thinking about your child constantly and caring for them; organising play-dates, planning dinner, getting the kids to their sport games, music lessons, trying to get on top of the house-work. You’re also holding down your own job, rushing around to meetings and so on. As a result, more and more parents are taking a hands-off approach to their child’s formal education. With less time in your day, you might not be able to get to school during the day to help in the classroom or attend excursions. With nights a blur, parents are often telling me there’s no time for homework (if you’ve read my post about homework you’ll know that I’m not too fussed about that, anyway!), and are often too busy or tired to get to school for parent-teacher meetings and information nights. If you’re one of these parents – and rest assured I am by no means ‘having a dig’ at you – then, at the very least, the extend of your involvement with your child’s schooling is making sure they’re at school every day, and that they’re there on time.
No doubt ‘Parent’ is becoming fewer and fewer peoples’ full-time job. Most parents now are so-called ‘working parents’. Of course this means you’re going to be busy, busy, busy. Not only are you thinking about your child constantly and caring for them; organising play-dates, planning dinner, getting the kids to their sport games, music lessons, trying to get on top of the house-work. You’re also holding down your own job, rushing around to meetings and so on. As a result, more and more parents are taking a hands-off approach to their child’s formal education. With less time in your day, you might not be able to get to school during the day to help in the classroom or attend excursions. With nights a blur, parents are often telling me there’s no time for homework (if you’ve read my post about homework you’ll know that I’m not too fussed about that, anyway!), and are often too busy or tired to get to school for parent-teacher meetings and information nights. If you’re one of these parents – and rest assured I am by no means ‘having a dig’ at you – then, at the very least, the extend of your involvement with your child’s schooling is making sure they’re at school every day, and that they’re there on time.
Teachers are
there to support you and help you give your child the best possible start to
their life. Sometimes, you need to help us to help them. Get your kids to
school on time.
More from
Teachling:
Further
reading:
Heidi
Scrimgeour’s “Late for school again: But does it really matter?”
Livia
McCoy’s “Student absences: They hurt more than you might think”
Michael Grose’s
“It's not ok to be away... Or to be late to school”
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