Perfect Attendance awards

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely stupid, especially in times of Covid.

My kids don't miss many days of school (maybe two or three a year), but those days are important: usually it's when my son has a food challenge that starts at 8:30 and ends at 2pm, to test his nut allergies. And for my daughter it's when she needs the day off to rehearse for competitions in her chosen hobby. Which paid off last week, because she has been invited to play at Carnegie Hall.

But, why do you care if other kids are recognized for it? My kid is terrible at art, but other kids win awards. My neighbor’s kid is a little shit, but some kids get a good citizens award.

Isn't it obvious? It's because some families will send their kids to school sick in the hope they can go the entire year without missing one day of school, which means they'll infect others.

And if you're in a pandemic, that's really scraping the bottom of the barrel of stupid.

I really don’t think parents are sending sick kids to school in hopes of getting a perfect attendance award. Some parents may send their sick kids to school, but not for that reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I associate those awards with kids in schools with lowest performing students/low income schools. Saddest (ridiculous) "award."

I’m the PP from above. I went to an Ivy and have a PhD. I also played 3 Varsity sports in HS and was captain of each team. I won plenty of other awards, but I was actually pretty proud of that one. Very few kids besides me cared or noticed that I won it. I doubt it was encouraging others to try for perfect attendance.

Cringe response on so many levels. A number of people on DCUM have had very successful paths, and couldn't have cared less about perfect attendance. You just come off like a hyper-competitive award-glutton.

Of course perfect attendance is not the thing that made me successful. My equally successful sister was constantly sick and missed tons of school. She also got most of my parent’s attention because she was always sick. It was kind of nice to be recognized at school for something that made me an afterthought at home.

[Anonymous]

Getting chicken pox in the first grade really threw my chance of K-12 perfect attendance. But I do remember that one kid in high school who received that award...not. It was a dumb award then and an even dumber award for the post covid era.

[Anonymous]

I suggest keeping the Perfect Attendance Award but coupling it with a new Superspreader Award.

[Anonymous]

My kid has missed school this year only for religious holidays. Guess he'll never get an award.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I worked at a low(ish) income school, we had a no UNEXCUSED absences attendance award. I liked that. Allows for absences due to sickness, needing an occasional day off (so long as parent called in), etc. The perfect attendance award for all absences is just stupid to me though. Especially in the age of covid...

Agree. Going to school sick shouldn’t be encouraged!

[Anonymous]

My children will never win this because they're Jewish and the DCPS calendar is based around Christian holidays.

My friend's child will never get this because she has a couple days of chemo every month.

It's a stupid, discriminatory award that makes kids feel bad for things they can't control.

[Anonymous]

I remember getting it one year in ES and being so depressed at the thought I hadn’t missed a single day! I felt like they were rubbing it in. My mom was of the “no fever, you’re fine—go to school” type.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I associate those awards with kids in schools with lowest performing students/low income schools. Saddest (ridiculous) "award."

I’m the PP from above. I went to an Ivy and have a PhD. I also played 3 Varsity sports in HS and was captain of each team. I won plenty of other awards, but I was actually pretty proud of that one. Very few kids besides me cared or noticed that I won it. I doubt it was encouraging others to try for perfect attendance.

Cringe response on so many levels. A number of people on DCUM have had very successful paths, and couldn't have cared less about perfect attendance. You just come off like a hyper-competitive award-glutton.

Of course perfect attendance is not the thing that made me successful. My equally successful sister was constantly sick and missed tons of school. She also got most of my parent’s attention because she was always sick. It was kind of nice to be recognized at school for something that made me an afterthought at home.

You missed the part where it's irrelevant to have perfect attendance. I'm sorry you felt overlooked, though. I also hope you felt incredibly lucky not to be sick!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suggest keeping the Perfect Attendance Award but coupling it with a new Superspreader Award.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I associate those awards with kids in schools with lowest performing students/low income schools. Saddest (ridiculous) "award."

I’m the PP from above. I went to an Ivy and have a PhD. I also played 3 Varsity sports in HS and was captain of each team. I won plenty of other awards, but I was actually pretty proud of that one. Very few kids besides me cared or noticed that I won it. I doubt it was encouraging others to try for perfect attendance.

Cringe response on so many levels. A number of people on DCUM have had very successful paths, and couldn't have cared less about perfect attendance. You just come off like a hyper-competitive award-glutton.

+1000000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely stupid, especially in times of Covid.

My kids don't miss many days of school (maybe two or three a year), but those days are important: usually it's when my son has a food challenge that starts at 8:30 and ends at 2pm, to test his nut allergies. And for my daughter it's when she needs the day off to rehearse for competitions in her chosen hobby. Which paid off last week, because she has been invited to play at Carnegie Hall.

But, why do you care if other kids are recognized for it? My kid is terrible at art, but other kids win awards. My neighbor’s kid is a little shit, but some kids get a good citizens award.

Isn't it obvious? It's because some families will send their kids to school sick in the hope they can go the entire year without missing one day of school, which means they'll infect others.

And if you're in a pandemic, that's really scraping the bottom of the barrel of stupid.

My kid hasn’t missed a day of school yet this year. He also hasn’t gotten Covid. He isn’t trying to win an award. He just doesn’t get sick very often.

And that's just luck of the draw. So it does not merit a certificate.

I guess so but plenty of his friends have missed school not for illnesses but for vacations or travel. I don’t see why the school can’t reward kids who actually show up and families who prioritize school over other things. Of course kids get sick, but lots actually don’t.

i don't get why schools would reward kids (or not reward them) for the decisions their parents make. Stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely stupid, especially in times of Covid.

My kids don't miss many days of school (maybe two or three a year), but those days are important: usually it's when my son has a food challenge that starts at 8:30 and ends at 2pm, to test his nut allergies. And for my daughter it's when she needs the day off to rehearse for competitions in her chosen hobby. Which paid off last week, because she has been invited to play at Carnegie Hall.

But, why do you care if other kids are recognized for it? My kid is terrible at art, but other kids win awards. My neighbor’s kid is a little shit, but some kids get a good citizens award.

Isn't it obvious? It's because some families will send their kids to school sick in the hope they can go the entire year without missing one day of school, which means they'll infect others.

And if you're in a pandemic, that's really scraping the bottom of the barrel of stupid.

My kid hasn’t missed a day of school yet this year. He also hasn’t gotten Covid. He isn’t trying to win an award. He just doesn’t get sick very often.

And that's just luck of the draw. So it does not merit a certificate.

I guess so but plenty of his friends have missed school not for illnesses but for vacations or travel. I don’t see why the school can’t reward kids who actually show up and families who prioritize school over other things. Of course kids get sick, but lots actually don’t.

i don't get why schools would reward kids (or not reward them) for the decisions their parents make. Stupid.

When I was kid, it was the kids trying to get the perfect attendance awards - parents didn't really play into it much. We were all smart kids trying to get it too. Looking back, seems silly, but it was fun.

[Anonymous]

I didn't know schools still did these. I don't mind. Schools have lots of reasons for having different awards that have nothing to do with rewarding an exceptional action (i.e. perfect attendance.)

Our elem. gives out a goodwill ambassador type award multiple times a year. Each teacher/ staff member can nominate one or two kids. My kids felt bad about never getting one when they were young. As they got older, they realized that most of the people who got these awards were the troublemakers. For instance, one kid got into a fight with another kid. After a teacher intervened, the first kid invited the second to kick the soccer ball around with him at recess. See, my kids wouldn't be noticed for this because they don't get into fights. The award became a heavy-handed lesson for the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My children will never win this because they're Jewish and the DCPS calendar is based around Christian holidays.

My friend's child will never get this because she has a couple days of chemo every month.

It's a stupid, discriminatory award that makes kids feel bad for things they can't control.

Agree