Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.

How many do you think will actually be out? I'm guessing it'll be fewer than 5% will be out at all (unless they are sick), and fewer than 1% will be out the entire week.

Probably over 5% and it doesn’t even matter. One teacher abroad is permission for one class (probably a grade) of parents to do the same. No one is interested in penalizing their kids to meet the suckers half of a double standard.

A single teacher out is "so many" that you feel it will affect an entire grade?

So if a single chemistry teacher is out, that means the entire tenth grade is affected? You can't actually be that deluded, can you? Come on.

Affected academically, no, but fully aware this “prioritize school over vacation!” isn’t applied to the teachers. So when there’s another email the whole grade will remember Mr. Jones was out, and when there’s a cheap flight to Europe this Spring parents will not think twice about booking it.

Let’s say 5% of the teachers are out. That means 95% of them are at work, doing exactly what you want them to do. They aren’t prioritizing vacations, yet you’re acting as if all teachers are taking part in some huge double standard.

For my part, my kids are staying in school.

I don’t “want” them to do anything. Their boss says families should spend money to travel on the most expensive days of the year to prioritize being in the classes they’re not teaching because they wanted those cheaper flights he talks about in his email.

I’m glad they’re getting time with their families, and will have absolutely no problem taking time with mine, with exactly the same regard to the principals email that the absent teachers showed.

Get help.

Your twisting of words, catastrophizing, being hyperargumentative, holding grudges, and using hyperbole are manipulation tactics (like gaslighting or word twisting) and cognitive distortions (such as catastrophizing and black‑and‑white thinking). There isn’t a single neat label that covers all of them, but they fall under the umbrella of toxic communication patterns and maladaptive cognition. Therapy is remarkably effective.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.

How many do you think will actually be out? I'm guessing it'll be fewer than 5% will be out at all (unless they are sick), and fewer than 1% will be out the entire week.

Probably over 5% and it doesn’t even matter. One teacher abroad is permission for one class (probably a grade) of parents to do the same. No one is interested in penalizing their kids to meet the suckers half of a double standard.

A single teacher out is "so many" that you feel it will affect an entire grade?

So if a single chemistry teacher is out, that means the entire tenth grade is affected? You can't actually be that deluded, can you? Come on.

Affected academically, no, but fully aware this “prioritize school over vacation!” isn’t applied to the teachers. So when there’s another email the whole grade will remember Mr. Jones was out, and when there’s a cheap flight to Europe this Spring parents will not think twice about booking it.

Let’s say 5% of the teachers are out. That means 95% of them are at work, doing exactly what you want them to do. They aren’t prioritizing vacations, yet you’re acting as if all teachers are taking part in some huge double standard.

For my part, my kids are staying in school.

I don’t “want” them to do anything. Their boss says families should spend money to travel on the most expensive days of the year to prioritize being in the classes they’re not teaching because they wanted those cheaper flights he talks about in his email.

I’m glad they’re getting time with their families, and will have absolutely no problem taking time with mine, with exactly the same regard to the principals email that the absent teachers showed.

Get help.

Your twisting of words, catastrophizing, being hyperargumentative, holding grudges, and using hyperbole are manipulation tactics (like gaslighting or word twisting) and cognitive distortions (such as catastrophizing and black‑and‑white thinking). There isn’t a single neat label that covers all of them, but they fall under the umbrella of toxic communication patterns and maladaptive cognition. Therapy is remarkably effective.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.

How many do you think will actually be out? I'm guessing it'll be fewer than 5% will be out at all (unless they are sick), and fewer than 1% will be out the entire week.

Probably over 5% and it doesn’t even matter. One teacher abroad is permission for one class (probably a grade) of parents to do the same. No one is interested in penalizing their kids to meet the suckers half of a double standard.

A single teacher out is "so many" that you feel it will affect an entire grade?

So if a single chemistry teacher is out, that means the entire tenth grade is affected? You can't actually be that deluded, can you? Come on.

Affected academically, no, but fully aware this “prioritize school over vacation!” isn’t applied to the teachers. So when there’s another email the whole grade will remember Mr. Jones was out, and when there’s a cheap flight to Europe this Spring parents will not think twice about booking it.

Let’s say 5% of the teachers are out. That means 95% of them are at work, doing exactly what you want them to do. They aren’t prioritizing vacations, yet you’re acting as if all teachers are taking part in some huge double standard.

For my part, my kids are staying in school.

I don’t “want” them to do anything. Their boss says families should spend money to travel on the most expensive days of the year to prioritize being in the classes they’re not teaching because they wanted those cheaper flights he talks about in his email.

I’m glad they’re getting time with their families, and will have absolutely no problem taking time with mine, with exactly the same regard to the principals email that the absent teachers showed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.

How many do you think will actually be out? I'm guessing it'll be fewer than 5% will be out at all (unless they are sick), and fewer than 1% will be out the entire week.

Probably over 5% and it doesn’t even matter. One teacher abroad is permission for one class (probably a grade) of parents to do the same. No one is interested in penalizing their kids to meet the suckers half of a double standard.

A single teacher out is "so many" that you feel it will affect an entire grade?

So if a single chemistry teacher is out, that means the entire tenth grade is affected? You can't actually be that deluded, can you? Come on.

Affected academically, no, but fully aware this “prioritize school over vacation!” isn’t applied to the teachers. So when there’s another email the whole grade will remember Mr. Jones was out, and when there’s a cheap flight to Europe this Spring parents will not think twice about booking it.

Let’s say 5% of the teachers are out. That means 95% of them are at work, doing exactly what you want them to do. They aren’t prioritizing vacations, yet you’re acting as if all teachers are taking part in some huge double standard.

For my part, my kids are staying in school.

I don’t “want” them to do anything. Their boss says families should spend money to travel on the most expensive days of the year to prioritize being in the classes they’re not teaching because they wanted those cheaper flights he talks about in his email.

I’m glad they’re getting time with their families, and will have absolutely no problem taking time with mine, with exactly the same regard to the principals email that the absent teachers showed.

Okay? Then stop making it about the teachers. They didn’t send the email and most (the huge majority) are staying at school.

If you’re so offended, then write the principal and tell him. Then take a vacation out of spite and be done with it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.

How many do you think will actually be out? I'm guessing it'll be fewer than 5% will be out at all (unless they are sick), and fewer than 1% will be out the entire week.

Probably over 5% and it doesn’t even matter. One teacher abroad is permission for one class (probably a grade) of parents to do the same. No one is interested in penalizing their kids to meet the suckers half of a double standard.

A single teacher out is "so many" that you feel it will affect an entire grade?

So if a single chemistry teacher is out, that means the entire tenth grade is affected? You can't actually be that deluded, can you? Come on.

Affected academically, no, but fully aware this “prioritize school over vacation!” isn’t applied to the teachers. So when there’s another email the whole grade will remember Mr. Jones was out, and when there’s a cheap flight to Europe this Spring parents will not think twice about booking it.

Let’s say 5% of the teachers are out. That means 95% of them are at work, doing exactly what you want them to do. They aren’t prioritizing vacations, yet you’re acting as if all teachers are taking part in some huge double standard.

For my part, my kids are staying in school.

I don’t “want” them to do anything. Their boss says families should spend money to travel on the most expensive days of the year to prioritize being in the classes they’re not teaching because they wanted those cheaper flights he talks about in his email.

I’m glad they’re getting time with their families, and will have absolutely no problem taking time with mine, with exactly the same regard to the principals email that the absent teachers showed.

Okay? Then stop making it about the teachers. They didn’t send the email and most (the huge majority) are staying at school.

If you’re so offended, then write the principal and tell him. Then take a vacation out of spite and be done with it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.

How many do you think will actually be out? I'm guessing it'll be fewer than 5% will be out at all (unless they are sick), and fewer than 1% will be out the entire week.

Probably over 5% and it doesn’t even matter. One teacher abroad is permission for one class (probably a grade) of parents to do the same. No one is interested in penalizing their kids to meet the suckers half of a double standard.

A single teacher out is "so many" that you feel it will affect an entire grade?

So if a single chemistry teacher is out, that means the entire tenth grade is affected? You can't actually be that deluded, can you? Come on.

Affected academically, no, but fully aware this “prioritize school over vacation!” isn’t applied to the teachers. So when there’s another email the whole grade will remember Mr. Jones was out, and when there’s a cheap flight to Europe this Spring parents will not think twice about booking it.

Let’s say 5% of the teachers are out. That means 95% of them are at work, doing exactly what you want them to do. They aren’t prioritizing vacations, yet you’re acting as if all teachers are taking part in some huge double standard.

For my part, my kids are staying in school.

I don’t “want” them to do anything. Their boss says families should spend money to travel on the most expensive days of the year to prioritize being in the classes they’re not teaching because they wanted those cheaper flights he talks about in his email.

I’m glad they’re getting time with their families, and will have absolutely no problem taking time with mine, with exactly the same regard to the principals email that the absent teachers showed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.

How many do you think will actually be out? I'm guessing it'll be fewer than 5% will be out at all (unless they are sick), and fewer than 1% will be out the entire week.

Probably over 5% and it doesn’t even matter. One teacher abroad is permission for one class (probably a grade) of parents to do the same. No one is interested in penalizing their kids to meet the suckers half of a double standard.

A single teacher out is "so many" that you feel it will affect an entire grade?

So if a single chemistry teacher is out, that means the entire tenth grade is affected? You can't actually be that deluded, can you? Come on.

Affected academically, no, but fully aware this “prioritize school over vacation!” isn’t applied to the teachers. So when there’s another email the whole grade will remember Mr. Jones was out, and when there’s a cheap flight to Europe this Spring parents will not think twice about booking it.

Let’s say 5% of the teachers are out. That means 95% of them are at work, doing exactly what you want them to do. They aren’t prioritizing vacations, yet you’re acting as if all teachers are taking part in some huge double standard.

For my part, my kids are staying in school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.

How many do you think will actually be out? I'm guessing it'll be fewer than 5% will be out at all (unless they are sick), and fewer than 1% will be out the entire week.

Probably over 5% and it doesn’t even matter. One teacher abroad is permission for one class (probably a grade) of parents to do the same. No one is interested in penalizing their kids to meet the suckers half of a double standard.

A single teacher out is "so many" that you feel it will affect an entire grade?

So if a single chemistry teacher is out, that means the entire tenth grade is affected? You can't actually be that deluded, can you? Come on.

Affected academically, no, but fully aware this “prioritize school over vacation!” isn’t applied to the teachers. So when there’s another email the whole grade will remember Mr. Jones was out, and when there’s a cheap flight to Europe this Spring parents will not think twice about booking it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.

How many do you think will actually be out? I'm guessing it'll be fewer than 5% will be out at all (unless they are sick), and fewer than 1% will be out the entire week.

Probably over 5% and it doesn’t even matter. One teacher abroad is permission for one class (probably a grade) of parents to do the same. No one is interested in penalizing their kids to meet the suckers half of a double standard.

A single teacher out is "so many" that you feel it will affect an entire grade?

So if a single chemistry teacher is out, that means the entire tenth grade is affected? You can't actually be that deluded, can you? Come on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.

How many do you think will actually be out? I'm guessing it'll be fewer than 5% will be out at all (unless they are sick), and fewer than 1% will be out the entire week.

Probably over 5% and it doesn’t even matter. One teacher abroad is permission for one class (probably a grade) of parents to do the same. No one is interested in penalizing their kids to meet the suckers half of a double standard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.

How many do you think will actually be out? I'm guessing it'll be fewer than 5% will be out at all (unless they are sick), and fewer than 1% will be out the entire week.

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Anonymous wrote:Oh I should add as well. Some of the best teaching I do as a parent is when we travel. Language, geography, history are all supported by raising kids who are aware of being in a wider world. I don’t ask teachers to thank me for that when I return either.

Why would they thank us for parenting? Everything you listed is what we should do as parents. Teachers dont need to thank us for parenting by teaching our kids when we travel any more than they need to thank us for toilet-training our children, supplying toothbrushes to our children, or clothing our children. It is our JOB as parents.

Agreed— and providing work to a child who has been absent is their JOB as teachers. No special thanks needed.

Well, there’s absences and there’s absences. Sick? Definitely my job to provide work. Vacation? No, not really… but I’ll do it anyway.

And there’s “providing work” and there’s teaching. If you want me to say, “check online! It’s there,” then I provided work. If you want me to stay after to teach the lesson to your child because he was on vacation, then that’s additional teaching.

So you can withhold your thanks in a “I’m going to stick it to that teacher” kind of way. That’s fine. Meanwhile, my daughter was sick earlier this week. I sent an email to her teacher, she responded with support, and I thanked her for it. It took me about 3 seconds.

We are different people.

If the vacation is excused, yes, your job. I don’t see how that impact your quality of life so much that you keep fixating on it. It’s very easy to get an excused absence if that’s really going to make you much happier.

How do you get the vacation excused?

A PP a few pages back said she would get a doctor's excuse for mental health or something like that.

So lie or get someone to lie for you? And teachers are then obligated to help catch your kid up (but not be thanked for it).

None of the examples given were lies. Mental health is excused in fcps, college visits are excused, and kids are under the care of their pediatricians. Saying “my kid has flu” is a lie.

Again its never been needed because I don’t have this kind of power hungry teacher in my kids orbit (elementary school so maybe that’s why) but I wouldn’t let their problems become my problems.

DP. Love that simply suggesting a thank you for additional work is considered “power hungry”!

“Power hungry” was the people saying its not their job/they won’t provide makeup work so students shouldn’t travel or they should
be penalized (but teachers can).

Though, trying to be the hall monitor of what teachers deserve thanks for— as though some random internet stranger knows more about a kids teachers performance than the students parent does— has a certain red flag quality.

Except that’s not what most of the teachers on this thread have been saying, including me. We’ve said we are happy to provide work regardless of reason (sickness, vacation).

If you trace this back, one poster (me) said that it would be nice to hear a quick “thank you” if you asked me for extra assistance in the form of individualized units or extra after-school help. (A real example? A request for an entire unit to be packaged up with daily targets and check-ins that align with the family’s vacation plans.) I never said I needed a “thank you” for anything within the context of my job, like throwing worksheets your kid’s way.

I was mocked and insulted by multiple posters for that suggestion. I learned that it’s my job to bend over backwards, and that if I don’t do it gleefully and gratefully that the family will lie about their destination to force me to do it.

So there we are. I’m the villain.

No one here asked for this, and if the family in question didn’t thank you they obviously weren’t as impressed with you as you are with yourself .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh I should add as well. Some of the best teaching I do as a parent is when we travel. Language, geography, history are all supported by raising kids who are aware of being in a wider world. I don’t ask teachers to thank me for that when I return either.

Why would they thank us for parenting? Everything you listed is what we should do as parents. Teachers dont need to thank us for parenting by teaching our kids when we travel any more than they need to thank us for toilet-training our children, supplying toothbrushes to our children, or clothing our children. It is our JOB as parents.

Agreed— and providing work to a child who has been absent is their JOB as teachers. No special thanks needed.

Well, there’s absences and there’s absences. Sick? Definitely my job to provide work. Vacation? No, not really… but I’ll do it anyway.

And there’s “providing work” and there’s teaching. If you want me to say, “check online! It’s there,” then I provided work. If you want me to stay after to teach the lesson to your child because he was on vacation, then that’s additional teaching.

So you can withhold your thanks in a “I’m going to stick it to that teacher” kind of way. That’s fine. Meanwhile, my daughter was sick earlier this week. I sent an email to her teacher, she responded with support, and I thanked her for it. It took me about 3 seconds.

We are different people.

If the vacation is excused, yes, your job. I don’t see how that impact your quality of life so much that you keep fixating on it. It’s very easy to get an excused absence if that’s really going to make you much happier.

How do you get the vacation excused?

A PP a few pages back said she would get a doctor's excuse for mental health or something like that.

So lie or get someone to lie for you? And teachers are then obligated to help catch your kid up (but not be thanked for it).

None of the examples given were lies. Mental health is excused in fcps, college visits are excused, and kids are under the care of their pediatricians. Saying “my kid has flu” is a lie.

Again its never been needed because I don’t have this kind of power hungry teacher in my kids orbit (elementary school so maybe that’s why) but I wouldn’t let their problems become my problems.

DP. Love that simply suggesting a thank you for additional work is considered “power hungry”!

“Power hungry” was the people saying its not their job/they won’t provide makeup work so students shouldn’t travel or they should
be penalized (but teachers can).

Though, trying to be the hall monitor of what teachers deserve thanks for— as though some random internet stranger knows more about a kids teachers performance than the students parent does— has a certain red flag quality.

Except that’s not what most of the teachers on this thread have been saying, including me. We’ve said we are happy to provide work regardless of reason (sickness, vacation).

If you trace this back, one poster (me) said that it would be nice to hear a quick “thank you” if you asked me for extra assistance in the form of individualized units or extra after-school help. (A real example? A request for an entire unit to be packaged up with daily targets and check-ins that align with the family’s vacation plans.) I never said I needed a “thank you” for anything within the context of my job, like throwing worksheets your kid’s way.

I was mocked and insulted by multiple posters for that suggestion. I learned that it’s my job to bend over backwards, and that if I don’t do it gleefully and gratefully that the family will lie about their destination to force me to do it.

So there we are. I’m the villain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The messaging about the importance of attendance is getting more and more aggressive. And now also kind of racist.

"December Attendance
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. Give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The price of plane tickets often influences when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

Two weeks to go! Let's finish strong. Winter break is December 22nd through January 2nd. School resumes on January 5th, 2026."

This letter is not aggressive and every part of it is true. When I taught in buildings where kids were going to their home countries over break, we had kids who missed 3-4 weeks of school on either side of the break. About 3-5% of our kids missed 40+ days of school each year. That makes learning impossible. And no, I'm not referring to kids with chronic health issues. If a kid misses one day before or after break and only missed 5-8 days over the course of the year, they'll be fine. But when we start talking more than 5% of the year, that's a problem. It's a problem particularly for kids who are below level. Fyi, I think teacher attendance is just as important.

Well the part that isn’t true is the statement “our teachers will be teaching” considering how many are out next week.