The lazy, hazy days of summer, the seemingly never ending vacation after a stressful school year, happy students, teachers wearing the smiles of a job well done.
If only.
The German national teachers association is miffed, and here is why.
The tourism industry is offering early bird deals for families within a few weeks before the start of summer vacation, before the end of the school year. At twenty or more percent off, enough parents are willing to take the offer, pack up and head for the sun.
We know for a fact that many a couple would love to leave the kids behind for a few weeks - but they don't. So, they write a sick notice and mail it on the way out of town.
The teachers association reports an increase in student sick days by 30 to 50 % before the summer vacation.
The association's position on the phenomenon is, rather boringly, that parents are teaching their children a bad message: the message that rules can be broken.
This is anti-social and a very real problem, says the association.
It may be unrealistic to expect a teachers association to come out and condone such parental evasion. Is it also unrealistic to expect the teachers to simply keep quiet?
As sad as the rule loving adult typing these lines finds it: children need to learn how to break rules safely, and what safer environment than school would you propose?
Children who never learn to navigate the rules of life won't have an easy adult life, and teachers should know that. Easy, for you teacher readers, in this context means "exceedingly unpleasant and potentially brief".
We regret to have to give the German national teachers association an F for their year end project.
While the association correctly identified the rule (attend until the last day of the school year), it has failed to correctly identify the many aspects that influence compliance.
Dear teachers, better luck next year.
If only.
The German national teachers association is miffed, and here is why.
The tourism industry is offering early bird deals for families within a few weeks before the start of summer vacation, before the end of the school year. At twenty or more percent off, enough parents are willing to take the offer, pack up and head for the sun.
We know for a fact that many a couple would love to leave the kids behind for a few weeks - but they don't. So, they write a sick notice and mail it on the way out of town.
The teachers association reports an increase in student sick days by 30 to 50 % before the summer vacation.
The association's position on the phenomenon is, rather boringly, that parents are teaching their children a bad message: the message that rules can be broken.
This is anti-social and a very real problem, says the association.
It may be unrealistic to expect a teachers association to come out and condone such parental evasion. Is it also unrealistic to expect the teachers to simply keep quiet?
As sad as the rule loving adult typing these lines finds it: children need to learn how to break rules safely, and what safer environment than school would you propose?
Children who never learn to navigate the rules of life won't have an easy adult life, and teachers should know that. Easy, for you teacher readers, in this context means "exceedingly unpleasant and potentially brief".
We regret to have to give the German national teachers association an F for their year end project.
While the association correctly identified the rule (attend until the last day of the school year), it has failed to correctly identify the many aspects that influence compliance.
Dear teachers, better luck next year.
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