Our school doesn't have substitute teachers, movie days, sick days, field trip days, or teacher prep days. Well, we have them, but I certainly don't count them as one of our official 180 days of "school". Substitute? Poor Tim tried to teach them once. Math alone took 2 hours. Movies are relegated to afternoons (after schoolwork is finished) with bad weather. If a kid is sick then they don't have school or we do a bit in bed, but I don't count it. Field trips are great, but we still get our regular work done too. Teacher prep is on Sunday afternoons with a cup of tea. See a trend? We, and most homeschoolers, only count a day of school as a day when we get get schoolwork done, unlike the public schools.Superintendents seem to believe that if a child is in the building they are learning something and now they give prizes for just showing up. Somehow I don't think the Wyoming schools are giving any of the homeschoolers with perfect attendance a free car.
CASPER, Wyoming (AP) -- Public schools commonly reward excellent attendance with movie tickets, gas vouchers and iPods. But some diligent students ...are now hitting the ultimate teenage jackpot for going to school: They have won cars or trucks.
In most cases the car or truck is donated by a local dealership, and the prizes typically are awarded through drawings open only to students with good attendance.
"I can't tell you that it's increased attendance," district spokesman Terry D'Italia said. "But what it has done over the years is just kept a focus on it and kept it at the top of kids' minds."
Jack Stafford, associate principal at South Tahoe High School, said attendance increased slightly last year, the first year the school system gave away a car, and is up slightly so far this year. He said changing times call for such incentives.
Only 98 of Natrona County's 3,200 sophomores, juniors and seniors were eligible for last year's drawing. They were allowed only one excused absence, and no unexcused ones.
Districts have a lot to gain and little to lose by holding car drawings. The vehicles are usually free. And in Wyoming, even a one-student increase in average daily enrollment means another $12,000 in state funding for the year.
"I can't tell you that it's increased attendance," district spokesman Terry D'Italia said. "But what it has done over the years is just kept a focus on it and kept it at the top of kids' minds."
Jack Stafford, associate principal at South Tahoe High School, said attendance increased slightly last year, the first year the school system gave away a car, and is up slightly so far this year. He said changing times call for such incentives.
Only 98 of Natrona County's 3,200 sophomores, juniors and seniors were eligible for last year's drawing. They were allowed only one excused absence, and no unexcused ones.
Districts have a lot to gain and little to lose by holding car drawings. The vehicles are usually free. And in Wyoming, even a one-student increase in average daily enrollment means another $12,000 in state funding for the year.
3 comments:
My senior year in HS, they let students who had missed three or fewer days and who had an A or B average skip their final exam. That was surely incentive enough. A car seems a bit excessive.
No, we don't have sick days either. I don't even count field trips as a day of school.
This is one of the many strange differences between public and home schooling. As a former public educator, I know that the purpose of those "rewards" is to encourage children to do the one thing that will give them an opportunity for success:
To come to school.
Teachers have no opportunity to help them experience success if they don't attend. It seems ridiculous, but it's a real issue.
Interesting post.
I think the last line in the article sums it all up. Much as your title did.
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