Perfect Attendance

This morning was Younger's Fifth Grade Graduation exercise at his school. We were there for over 2 hours, largely due to the sheer number of awards given. Granted, the school is an academic center of excellence in our county school system, and most of the 73 fifth graders excel academically and in athletic and civic pursuits.

There *were* a number of awards that seemed like maybe the criteria is set low enough that everybody has a shot, so as not to leave kids out. I'm not going to stand here and say I oppose this, though I think initiatives like this, "scoreless Little League" games and the like are more harmful than helpful.

No, what I want to talk about is one very specific award that raises the hackles on my neck. Am I the only person who thinks recognizing Perfect Attendance is both unrealistic and unfair? The kids who go on to get this year after year must really miss out on stuff. Or maybe their folks don't ever do fun stuff during the year.

Let me rephrase - I'd be OK with PA awards (No, not *those* PA awards) if they didn't hold parentally-excused absences against the kids. Pretty much from the time I hit middle school on, my parents had a rule. We got "vacation days" every grading period, so long as we kept our grade up and didn't use a vaycay day to blow off anything important. Otherwise, it was pretty much our choice.

So, once a month or so I'd just stay home. I'd veg out on the couch watching TV and eating junk food. Or I'd play games or read. Or whatever. And it was great!

Other times, they'd pack us in the car and we go out of town. They're the ones who instilled this sense of adventure and family fun in us - we didn't always go to exciting places but we had fun together.

Now, as parents, Ape and I do the same thing. We're always on the go and we take the Clones with us. I don't think it's for the school to punish my kids if I take them out. So long as the absence doesn't interfere with classroom activities and such, of course.

Another prob I have with PA - does that mean these kids never get sick? Or are they at school, infestulating* my kids because they or their parents want some piece of shiny at the end of the year?

* Infestulating - v. - I have no idea where we came up with this. I thought it was a portmanteau of infest and something else, but now I can't remember what the something else is.