Both Sides Of The Bell: Student vs. Admin’s View On Attendance
At Lee High School, attendance has become an important focus for the administration as the school works towards becoming an “A” school. Teachers and administrators are encouraging students to come to school every day because being present and involved can make a big difference in their education. Regular attendance gives students more opportunities to learn, keep up with their work, and stay on track throughout the year.
Some students who have above average grades feel as though coming to school consistently is unnecessary due to the high grades they have already achieved. Erika Stewart, who is an assistant principal at Lee High School, was asked what she thought about the matter of coming to school even if you have an above average grade. She replied, “So, I think it’s important to be at school no matter what, because you never know what you might miss. You never know when just missing a day or two can catch up with you. So it’s important to be there every single day.” Patrick Holder is also an assistant principal at Lee High School who is in charge of keeping students on track and talking to them when he feels like a talk is needed to put a student back on track. “If you want to be a successful person in life you need to show up,” Holder says.
Mr. Holder was also asked about the importance of attendance at Lee High school. We asked if attendance is really as important as it’s being shown in the Huntsville City School district, or if attendance doesn't matter in the students' educational life. Holder stood firm in his answer, saying that showing up to school on time and having perfect attendance is important at Lee High School. Holder also says, “You can cheat your way through the homework that you missed, but when the test comes you won’t know what you’re doing.” In addition to Mr. Holder and Ms. Stewart, Ms. Thompson, who is the attendance clerk, says it's important to be at school to help create a sense of consistency. “Once you graduate, and you go into the workforce, you get penalized if you miss days of work.” Symbolizing the life after high school and the life some students may go on to live.
For many students, school starts long before the standard 8:30 AM start time. Some wake up before 5am in order to catch the bus on time, while others wake up at 6 AM in order to help their siblings get to school on time. One thing that most students agreed on, is that school starts far too early in the morning. One student stated, “ If school were to start a little later, maybe tardiness wouldn’t be a big issue since some of the reasons we are tardy are because some students have practice, work, and have to help around with their family the night before school, which gives them a little less time to rest after school. Their sleep schedule is being messed up due to their early morning routine of getting ready for school at 6 AM sharp.” Another student stated, “I don’t believe school starts at a reasonable time due to how early many of us have to wake up just for us to get here early to attend class.” One more student stated,“ I think school starts at a reasonable time, but getting here on time can still be difficult…Having a consistent start time helps us stay on track and get ready for the day.”
With this being said, some of the administrators argue the latter, Ms. Stewart states, “I think it used to start at 8 o’clock for high school and they had issues with that, so they pushed it back to 8:30. We do 8:30 right now because of elementary and middle schools.”
Some administrators at Lee have noticed some trends among students' attendance. Such as Mondays and Fridays are a common off day for many due to it being the day before or after the weekend and some students like a three-day weekend. Ms. Thompson was asked which attendance trends she noticed, and she replied, “Most of the kids I see here get early, they just don’t go to class on time.” Admin has also noticed that the time of day most students are tardy is the morning.
When it comes to attendance issues, the administrators at Lee have many ways to help their students. One way is that they can supply a student bus token or a pass for the city bus if their parents are unable to help them get to school. They also have resources to help students with sickness in the family by helping them get a new doctor or insurance. Ms. Stewart commented on this by saying, “You know, whatever it is, we can figure that out, but it’s important for us to know that that’s happening. Otherwise, we can’t help.”
Lee High School understands that some students may not be able to attend school due to illnesses, family issues, or car troubles, but they want all students to understand that your education stays with you forever. Lee High School wants all students and families to remember:“ Be who you're supposed to be, do what you're supposed to do, and don’t let anyone steal your joy today.”
