Re: Sec.: Absenteeism

[Robert Hiebert <rhiebert@CLN.ETC.BC.CA>]

Hello,

Welcome to the club! Up here in small-town British Columbia we have exactly
the same problems.  Our "solutions" are: yelling & screaming, threatening &
cajoling, handwringing & navel-gazing, whining & begging.  The scope of this
problem suggests broad, systemic causes and no short-term solutions.  I
think Alan Bloom's analysis in "The Closing of the American Mind" helps one
to understand the context of our education system.

At various times we have tried:

a)  Noon-hour detentions after X offenses.
b)  Letters and phone calls home after Y offenses.
c)  Student contracts.
d)  Pop quiz at beginning of class.

And I'm sure there are other things we have done. It's all spitting into the
wind; one is overwhelmed by the numbers.

Thanks for the opportunity to sound off.  It's a good topic.

Rob H.
 Robert Hiebert, Librarian
 Golden Secondary School
 Box 1350
 Golden, BC, V0A 1H0  CANADA
 eMAIL: rhiebert@cln.etc.bc.ca   *  Phone: 604 344 2201
 #fax: 604 344 7116 #