Why School Attendance is important
Mere change is not growth, Growth is the synthesis of change and continuity, and if there is no continuity there is no growth. Continuity is the essence of life, no doubt changes are necessary, but if continuity is not maintained then life ceases to exist. Imagine if one day, sun does not rise or rainfall happens in winters instead of the rainy season, or your favourite cartoon does not come up at the specified time, or your most lovable cricket players do not turn up for the match, the balance would be disturbed then, chaos would take place. You must be wondering why I am stressing so much on this continuity. It is because ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL ways to prepare any child for success in life is through regular school attendance . It is pertinent that your child attends the school regularly, as it does not only lead to better performance in school but also prepares himself for the future.
Regular Attendance helps the children to get better grades, develop healthy life habits, keeping a distance from dangerous behaviour and having a better chance of completing their studies. At the same time if students do not go to school regularly, then it would be difficult for the teachers to teach the class and even the momentum gets lost which further hampers the learning of the students. In fact, research has shown that a child’s attendance record is one of the biggest factors influencing his academic success.
Benefits of regular attendance:
By attending the class regularly, the child is more likely to keep up with the daily lessons and assignments, performing well in tests and quizzes. Other key benefits include-
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Greater Achievement
Students who attend the school regularly are more likely to score better in assessments and even in their exams. They tend to hold on the knowledge gained during classes for a longer period of time. This gives them an advantage from their counterparts, who are not regular to school. In the longer run they go on, to achieve their career goals without much fuss.
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Getting Opportunities
Those who attend the regular classes do not miss any opportunity, whether be it participating in any competition or going to any engaging event or even taking participation in scholarship. They are always aware of the happenings around them and are always ready to grab any opportunity that comes to them.
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Mastering the skills
Regular school attendance also helps the students in hone the skills that they have gained in the school. They can improve their language by communicating with their peers, further regular practising of the subjects like maths and science help them develop scientific temperament.
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Developing the WE feeling
School provides the opportunity to socialise oneself with the community. Students can learn how to be good citizens by engaging with each other, learn valuable social skills and develop a broader world view. It has been found that those who do not come to school regularly, do not tend to socialise easily, and even are at the risk of drug abuse or criminality.
Reasons for absenteeism
By making regular school attendance a priority, the child sets himself up for success throughout life. So keeping all these benefits in mind, why if first place, a student would miss the school. Following are the physical or emotional reasons for the student’s absence from the school.
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Low grades in-class test and assessments
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Ragging or bullying of the students
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Sickness and other related problems
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Need to support the family as a bread earner
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Taking care of family members
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Family celebrations or outings
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Family difficulties with housing or food
What to do if students are regularly absent from school
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Contact the school immediately. Being a parent it is your duty to see that if your child misses the school, due to illness or some family trip, proper steps are taken. So that child doesn’t fall behind on any lessons that he had missed. The class teacher should be the first person to be informed in absenteeism.
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Help your child get to school on time every day. Late preparations of meals or late bus or weather conditions should not be the reasons behind your child’s absence from the school. As a parent, you need to be prepared for such situations beforehand only.
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Getting involved with the students. Yes, as a Parent you need to take an active role in getting along with your child. You need to see what things your child has learned, look after her homework or assignments. Listening to how their day went, the successes they achieved, the struggles they faced. Help them to open up with you.
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Locate the anxiety sources. If you find your child frequently appears upset or hesitates to go to school and doesn’t come up with a proper explanation. Then consult her teachers even her peers to get the proper understanding of the problems.
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Proper scheduling of the family functions and trips. Check the school calendar, and plan accordingly so that your fun does not come at the cost of your child’s future.
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Promoting good health and nutrition. Providing the child with balanced diet food with loads of fruits and vegetables, with proper opportunities of outdoor games along with exercises help her get good health and abstaining away from the diseases.
By making school attendance a priority, students can become self-oriented, disciplined and are sure to get success in future. Remember – EVERY DAY COUNTS!
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