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“Back to School” Actually Means Going Back to School

24 August 2007 9 Comments

For the second time this week, school officials and local leaders in the Lowcountry have made an appeal to parents:  “Send your kids to school.”

Apparently, some parents in the Lowcountry actually reside in the Twilight Zone, and have made it customary that children cut the first week of classes because nothing “important” happens during that time.  Yes, it’s the parents who allow kids to skip the first week because they don’t think it’s a big deal.

And people here wonder why South Carolina ranks toward the bottom in education?

I grew up in Columbia, just 100 miles or so inland.  When I was growing up, cutting the first week of school was too wild of an idea for us to even fantasize about.  And the further nugget that parents would be accessories in such a plot would have been absolutely unimaginable.  It wouldn’t have occurred to me to do something like that in a million years.

My mom, who happened to get straight As all the way through, hated school so much that she would be physically ill nearly every morning for years.  Yet I was never allowed to cut school just to cut.

I also seem to remember from my childhood that it was during the first week of school that teachers would hand out their syllabi, explain what was expected of the students and define their own grading structures.  That type of information, it seems reasonable to conclude, might be worth hearing.

I’m not sure why parents would want to start the school year by sending their own children a message that responsibility isn’t important.

9 Comments »

  • Kelly said:

    I don’t know either. The first week is when kids scope each other out, figure out what’s changed over the summer, settle in to their routine. Can you imagine being parent and LETTING your kids miss an entire week of school?!!

    # 24 August 2007 at 9:44 pm
  • Bob said:

    It’s surprising to me how many students miss school during the first week. Now, granted, I didn’t have anybody miss the WHOLE week, but I still had several out this week. It’s frustrating as a teacher.

    # 24 August 2007 at 10:43 pm
  • BookGal said:

    You’ve hit on a very sore topic with me. I always seem to have a child who is still on vacation the first week of school because it’s cheaper that way. To make matters worse, our Back to School night is always the first week as well. So then the parent expects a conference which is essentially a private version of Back to School night. The kid, also, comes in and doesn’t know any of the routines or expectations that have been set out in the first week. Sometimes, I have to waste class time to review things that were said many many times the week before. I agree with Bob – it’s very frustrating. Don’t even get me started on turning three day weekends into four or five!

    # 25 August 2007 at 11:26 am
  • budroe said:

    Send the kids to school.

    Send the parents to detention.

    No! I mean County Detention, you know “The Facility”? Isn’t that where people charged with child abuse and neglect and wanton endangerment go?

    Oh. Nevermind.

    # 25 August 2007 at 12:01 pm
  • Psychfun said:

    And it doesn’t change for College. Colleges have had to change the registration time periods to end early & you know need permission from the faculty because they would first register the 2nd week & then claim it is unfair if they missed points the first week because they felt that should be just syllabus etc. Granted you can read the syllabus but I’ve already had my students in the lab doing an activity. They could make up those 5 points with Extra Credit but you lose the flow & train of thought explained by your faculty member. My sis is a 3rd grade teacher…students forget soooo much being off the summer that they take this time to refresh & they really do need it. Heck, I reviewed research & it is apparent my students are not at the minimum competencies they should have.

    # 25 August 2007 at 12:40 pm
  • wil said:

    A thought folks — perhaps the PTB’s just aren’t very astute. The parents are telling the school system that they are starting the school year too damn early and they see no need to buy into that nonsense.

    # 25 August 2007 at 2:15 pm
  • dave said:

    It’s sad that you’re such a conformist that you couldn’t even fantasize about missing school. I doubt missing a week at the local indoctrination center is going to hurt anybody.

    It seems you’d follow just about any rule without giving it much thought. Can you even imagine what freedom would be like, Pat? Can you imagine being free to make your own decisions?

    dave

    # 25 August 2007 at 10:30 pm
  • Patrick (author) said:

    Can you imagine being free to make your own decisions?

    Are you serious?

    I’m just going to assume that you were being either facetious, sarcastic, or both on this one.

    # 25 August 2007 at 11:05 pm
  • De said:

    With the lazy and careless attitude that the current generation of parents seem to be promoting, is it any wonder that my ER is full of drug and alcohol addicted teenagers? Teach responsibility young and it stays with you as an adult. Children need discipline, not to be “free to make (their) own decisions.” Send your children to school! De :p

    # 26 August 2007 at 1:32 am

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