Is this Truancy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It does beg the question what if this was an A-student at Deal who was a very talented rapper/poet and was traveling around the world competing in spoken-word slams. Are some talents more acceptable and deserving of flexibility than others?

What about a very talented straight-A athlete. Like say a gymnast who was competing in national competitions around the country. I have found that most schools give much more leeway to athletes than to any other form of truancy.

In any event, if the child is missing a significant amount of school for competitions, then the parents should be considering tutors who can ensure a scheduled education. Just because the child is straight-A, does not necessarily mean that the child is getting all of the education required. She may be able to test well, without learning as much about the topic as her peers. This may not be evident until later when she for further education. She may have tested well, but her basic knowledge of subjects may be incomplete due to missing certain lessons about the topics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of the problem is that kids who do this stuff place a large burden on the teacher. They have to get assignments ahead of time, correct them when they turn them in, keep the kid up to speed etc.

Not sure its fair to as a school to do that.

I can understand that to a point. But this is a straight A kid already so clearly she has goood sutdy habits and school managment skills. And its not as if she is missing half the year. Again, I just think they should use more discretion. Isn't this a kid we want to keep in DCPS?

Not at the cost of having to essentially create a unique school curriculum for them, no.

I wonder if she or he could have applied for an IEP?

Do you understand what an IEP is? It's for kids with actual educational needs, not someone who wants to pull their kid out of the school all the time to pursue outside interests.

She's obviously a talented child, and that should be fostered. But not at the expense of school resources and the other children in her class. If the family can't afford a private school that will accommodate these pursuits, it sounds like they'd be better off home schooling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It does beg the question what if this was an A-student at Deal who was a very talented rapper/poet and was traveling around the world competing in spoken-word slams. Are some talents more acceptable and deserving of flexibility than others?

Is this hypothetical based in some real-world situation, or are we just making up scenarios and assuming that the outcome might be different without information to back that up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It does beg the question what if this was an A-student at Deal who was a very talented rapper/poet and was traveling around the world competing in spoken-word slams. Are some talents more acceptable and deserving of flexibility than others?

What about a very talented straight-A athlete. Like say a gymnast who was competing in national competitions around the country. I have found that most schools give much more leeway to athletes than to any other form of truancy.

In any event, if the child is missing a significant amount of school for competitions, then the parents should be considering tutors who can ensure a scheduled education. Just because the child is straight-A, does not necessarily mean that the child is getting all of the education required. She may be able to test well, without learning as much about the topic as her peers. This may not be evident until later when she for further education. She may have tested well, but her basic knowledge of subjects may be incomplete due to missing certain lessons about the topics.

Hypothetically you may be correct but in this instance the little girl is also a math prodigy. She took geometry in 7th grade. My DD knows her casually and says she is super-smart. I think DCPS is being ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

The reality is that most teenage athletes of that caliber ARE home schooled or have private tutors while on the road, for exactly this reason. Actors completing their primary and secondary school coursework have similar strategies, because film schedules almost always result in too many absences to participate effectively in a school.

I feel for this girl and her parents, but the reality is that this situation is not all that different from the myriad posters who don't understand why it's not okay to pull their kids from school for 2 weeks to go on vacation in January.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/in-dc-a-12-year-old-piano-prodigy-is-treated-as-a-truant-instead-of-a-star-student/2014/09/08/58962746-3727-11e4-bdfb-de4104544a37_story.html

Column in post today about a musical prodigy who misses school for international piano competitions. her parents finally took her out of Deal since she was labled a truant for missing more than 10 days. I know school is important but I think if the parents 1) have an excuse (not relisha rudds nut mom) 2) commit to making sure the student finishes all the work on time during the absence-then they should use more disretion.
the problem are the kids are aren't going to school for no other reason than the parents don't care or have no idea what the heck the kids are doing during the day.

You are absolutely right.

The problem is that DC is still recovering from its crack-smoking bad old days. So we are left with some weird rules. This is one of them - there are others. There was another thread on this recently with some staunch defenders of this hardline rule, who cited Rudd.

It is yet another example of how hard it is to run a public education system with such incredible disparities.

Your response couldn't be more ignorant. Every state in the union has compulsory education laws. It has nothing to do with crack. I guess your ignorant ass didn't know that Massachusetts established first compulsory education laws in 1642, hardly a time filled with crack smokers. Washington, DC laws date back to 1925, long before the crack epidemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/in-dc-a-12-year-old-piano-prodigy-is-treated-as-a-truant-instead-of-a-star-student/2014/09/08/58962746-3727-11e4-bdfb-de4104544a37_story.html

Column in post today about a musical prodigy who misses school for international piano competitions. her parents finally took her out of Deal since she was labled a truant for missing more than 10 days. I know school is important but I think if the parents 1) have an excuse (not relisha rudds nut mom) 2) commit to making sure the student finishes all the work on time during the absence-then they should use more disretion.
the problem are the kids are aren't going to school for no other reason than the parents don't care or have no idea what the heck the kids are doing during the day.

You are absolutely right.

The problem is that DC is still recovering from its crack-smoking bad old days. So we are left with some weird rules. This is one of them - there are others. There was another thread on this recently with some staunch defenders of this hardline rule, who cited Rudd.

It is yet another example of how hard it is to run a public education system with such incredible disparities. \

No but the hardline rules definitely are influenced by the very high truancy rates in DC that typically due to parental neglect. I understand the city doesn't want to appear biased. But DCPS needs to use some common sense here. The parents are letting the kid run around all day. She is a straight A student.

Your response couldn't be more ignorant. Every state in the union has compulsory education laws. It has nothing to do with crack. I guess your ignorant ass didn't know that Massachusetts established first compulsory education laws in 1642, hardly a time filled with crack smokers. Washington, DC laws date back to 1925, long before the crack epidemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It does beg the question what if this was an A-student at Deal who was a very talented rapper/poet and was traveling around the world competing in spoken-word slams. Are some talents more acceptable and deserving of flexibility than others?

What about a very talented straight-A athlete. Like say a gymnast who was competing in national competitions around the country. I have found that most schools give much more leeway to athletes than to any other form of truancy.

In any event, if the child is missing a significant amount of school for competitions, then the parents should be considering tutors who can ensure a scheduled education. Just because the child is straight-A, does not necessarily mean that the child is getting all of the education required. She may be able to test well, without learning as much about the topic as her peers. This may not be evident until later when she for further education. She may have tested well, but her basic knowledge of subjects may be incomplete due to missing certain lessons about the topics.

Hypothetically you may be correct but in this instance the little girl is also a math prodigy. She took geometry in 7th grade. My DD knows her casually and says she is super-smart. I think DCPS is being ridiculous.

If the kid is excelling academically despite the missed time, what does that say about the fundamental importance of pedagogy? Maybe she'd be bored spending more time in class. Doesn't seem like the so-called "truanancy" is hold holding her back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/in-dc-a-12-year-old-piano-prodigy-is-treated-as-a-truant-instead-of-a-star-student/2014/09/08/58962746-3727-11e4-bdfb-de4104544a37_story.html

Column in post today about a musical prodigy who misses school for international piano competitions. her parents finally took her out of Deal since she was labled a truant for missing more than 10 days. I know school is important but I think if the parents 1) have an excuse (not relisha rudds nut mom) 2) commit to making sure the student finishes all the work on time during the absence-then they should use more disretion.
the problem are the kids are aren't going to school for no other reason than the parents don't care or have no idea what the heck the kids are doing during the day.

You are absolutely right.

The problem is that DC is still recovering from its crack-smoking bad old days. So we are left with some weird rules. This is one of them - there are others. There was another thread on this recently with some staunch defenders of this hardline rule, who cited Rudd.

It is yet another example of how hard it is to run a public education system with such incredible disparities.

Your response couldn't be more ignorant. Every state in the union has compulsory education laws. It has nothing to do with crack. I guess your ignorant ass didn't know that Massachusetts established first compulsory education laws in 1642, hardly a time filled with crack smokers. Washington, DC laws date back to 1925, long before the crack epidemic.

My ignorant ass was, in this case, referring to the hardline 10 day rule for referral to child services, not the more general compulsory education laws. You don't have to travel far (NoVa, MoCo) to find schools and school districts that apply/interpret these laws reasonably and in favor of families like the one being discussed.

[Anonymous]

DC: Where the talented and high achievers are punished and the slackers are coddled and socially promoted...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of the problem is that kids who do this stuff place a large burden on the teacher. They have to get assignments ahead of time, correct them when they turn them in, keep the kid up to speed etc.

Not sure its fair to as a school to do that.

I can understand that to a point. But this is a straight A kid already so clearly she has goood sutdy habits and school managment skills. And its not as if she is missing half the year. Again, I just think they should use more discretion. Isn't this a kid we want to keep in DCPS?

Not at the cost of having to essentially create a unique school curriculum for them, no.

How is the school creating a "unique curriculum" My mom is a teacher and her lesson plans are usually done weeks in advance.

I am a teacher and this is just silly. Yes, of course my lessons are planned in advance. However, they are not designed to be implemented by a child outside of the classroom. If a student misses that much class, then s/he would essentially need an independent study course. So yes, it would be a unique curriculum for one student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of the problem is that kids who do this stuff place a large burden on the teacher. They have to get assignments ahead of time, correct them when they turn them in, keep the kid up to speed etc.

Not sure its fair to as a school to do that.

I can understand that to a point. But this is a straight A kid already so clearly she has goood sutdy habits and school managment skills. And its not as if she is missing half the year. Again, I just think they should use more discretion. Isn't this a kid we want to keep in DCPS?

Not at the cost of having to essentially create a unique school curriculum for them, no.

How is the school creating a "unique curriculum" My mom is a teacher and her lesson plans are usually done weeks in advance.

I am a teacher and this is just silly. Yes, of course my lessons are planned in advance. However, they are not designed to be implemented by a child outside of the classroom. If a student misses that much class, then s/he would essentially need an independent study course. So yes, it would be a unique curriculum for one student.

Naive question here: are IEPs unique curricula for students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of the problem is that kids who do this stuff place a large burden on the teacher. They have to get assignments ahead of time, correct them when they turn them in, keep the kid up to speed etc.

Not sure its fair to as a school to do that.

I can understand that to a point. But this is a straight A kid already so clearly she has goood sutdy habits and school managment skills. And its not as if she is missing half the year. Again, I just think they should use more discretion. Isn't this a kid we want to keep in DCPS?

Not at the cost of having to essentially create a unique school curriculum for them, no.

How is the school creating a "unique curriculum" My mom is a teacher and her lesson plans are usually done weeks in advance.

I am a teacher and this is just silly. Yes, of course my lessons are planned in advance. However, they are not designed to be implemented by a child outside of the classroom. If a student misses that much class, then s/he would essentially need an independent study course. So yes, it would be a unique curriculum for one student.

Naive question here: are IEPs unique curricula for students?

No, IEP are not unique curricula. They are adaptations to help a student with special needs to work within the general curriculum. If the needs are severe enough, a child may not be able to work within the general curriculum, in which case they may be put in a specialized classroom with a program adapted to their needs/abilities.

[Anonymous]

In Montgomery county they are firm with parents. If you take your kid out of school you cannot ask the teacher to provide extra work. They can tell you, in general what they are working on- but no stupid packets.
As for the pp who has a mom that does lesson plans weeks in advance, that is horrible teaching! You are not responding to data and classroom needs if you just forge ahead with planning. Planning through the week I understand. But weeks ahead is very old school teaching.

[Anonymous]

DCPS can't have any successful extraordinary students except those in Banneker. It's a rule.