It is 6:30 a.m. and the sleeping teenager is due to be at school in one hour. Even though breakfast is the "most important meal of the day", getting enough rest is more important, so everyone tacitly agrees to allow the teenager to skip eating and sleep in a few more minutes.
By 7:00, time is of the essence. The other children in the family are getting packed for school, but the teenager is still asleep. Parents have to decide: is it worth starting off the morning with an angry teenager when letting him sleep in for another hour would make all the difference? Before picking up the phone to make the excuse call, parents need to be aware of the importance of attendance at school.
Reasons Why Attendance Matters
Getting teenagers to school is important, even if it means having strained morning relations. When everyone is awake, calm, and has time to discuss the issue, parents should explain these factors to their teenagers:
- Students need to be in class in order to learn.
- Establishing regular attendance demonstrates responsibility and dependabililty.
- Teachers write scholarship letters for responsible, dependable students.
- Employers hire people who are responsible and dependable.
- Students who are not in school miss out on a lot of social bonding between peers. This can lead to social isolation and risky behavior.
How Parents Help Teenagers Avoid Truancy
Although it seems like a person who can dress herself, make her lunch, and drive herself to school should be able to get herself to school on time, parents still need to support teenagers in making the right choices to get to school and be ready to learn. Some practices that encourage good attendance include:
- Minimize student absences as much as possible to make attendance a habit instead of a choice.
- Schedule appointments for after school.
- Arrange trips and vacations to be taken on school breaks.
- Make sure that teenagers get make up work for classes they miss.
Helping Teenagers Wake Up with Natural Light
If teenagers are getting enough sleep, waking up is much easier. Some people find that waking up to light is more effective than noise. In addition to depending on an alarm to wake up teenagers, turn on the light. Healiohealth makes a Sunrise Alarm Clock that creates a gradual light increase. It also has an audible alarm and white noise. Philips makes a similar product with a Wake Up Light Alarm Clock.
Government funding of schools is dependent on the attendance of students. If students do not go to school, schools lose money. It is in the best interest of the schools, ethically and financially, to refer the parents of truant students to authorities, which could prove problematic for parents and teenagers. It is best for everyone if teenagers make it to school on time, every day, ready to learn.
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