Not only did they get a day off from school, they also feel that they are also off the hook for any school work that was expected from them. And they see absolutely nothing wrong with that kind of logic.

Unfortunately, these kids just didn’t come up with this sort of mentality from out of thin air.

Many were allowed to do this while attending their middle schools. They were not penalized or punished and their grades were not adversely affected regardless of how many days they missed. And more than likely, it probably didn’t take long for a number of kids to figure out how easy it was to manipulate the system since there were no consequences involved. And in today’s modern age, there are probably plenty of parents who are also willing to contribute to their own children’s delinquency as well as helping them miss out on some school work.
 

Story Continues Below ę

Today's Top Stories

● The Real Barack Obama - Will He Please Stand Up ● School Vouchers - What’s all the Hullabaloo? ● Modern Poverty - What It Means To Be Poor ● Missing in Action - What Happened to Skeptics? ● Officer Killed - Our Failed Immigration Policy ● Insensitive Co-worker - Dealing with Racial Remarks

Yesterday's Top Stories

● Canada’s Health Care - Does Their System Really Work? ● Self-Sufficiency - Alternative Energy Sources ● Public Relations - Schools Don’t Need Advertising ● Hannah Montana - Is Miley Cyrus a Role Model? ● Voting Integrity - Show Me Your Photo ID ● Deporting Illegals - It Definitely Can Be Done

As a result, many teachers must firmly explain to their students that they are in high school instead of middle school and that they must abide by school policy. And some kids even feel insulted by this “new” requirement and just refuse to comply since they never had to do so in middle school.

What is even more amazing is when students then apply the same logic about missing a test.

They insist that since they had a legitimately “excused absence” that they are also exempt from “making up” their missed exam. Again, they feel that they are exempt from any test because they were absent.

Many of my peers from my age group are dumbfounded at this sort of convoluted logic. For me, it never really crossed my mind because I had simply known that I was responsible for anything that I missed. And looking back to my day, that if this sort of mentality was available, it probably wouldn’t take long for kids to easily manipulate the system and just get away with being lazy and irresponsible.

But this sort of mentality should not be allowed to flourish at all.

A school district needs to revise the existing policies they have that allow any school to maintain this sort of loophole. It gives perverse incentives to students while allowing them to evade responsibility. And worse, this sort of mentality robs a kid of a comprehensive education, especially when he or she decides to abuse the system.

Knowledge doesn’t disappear just because you weren’t around to learn it.

Our youth must learn the responsibility of completing their assignments and have it reinforced with an equitable policy for all their schools, middle schools included. The same students wouldn’t want other people to exercise this irresponsibility with them in their adult life such as a dentist, mechanic, etc.

And just because kids are younger in middle school doesn’t mean that they are also exempt from responsibility and learning. School districts have to come down hard on this mentality especially in certain grades so that it doesn’t get out of hand when children get older.

In addition, strict policies of completing assignments even after “excused” absences must come directly from school district policies and principals. It is a waste of time for teachers to enforce this discipline because it should have been done at the administrative level. And if administrators can make the school wide pitch not to smoke or bring a firearm to campus, then they can do this too.

But finally, the real world is going to be fiercely competitive and it will not allow these kinds of “excuses” in the workplace when children eventually become adults. Obligations and responsibilities are not simply going to disappear in the real world just because you conveniently disappeared. The moment you reappear, the same obligations and responsibilities will still be there and they will follow you around.

Our school age youth needs to know this so they can become better equipped to handle life when adulthood comes around.

We want your opinion! Tell us what you thought about this article. Click the Your Feedback menu item to send us your comments.