We have a problem. Yes, another one.

    Attendance is falling and has become a serious issue. More and more, students are being marked as absent. The biggest question is “why?”

    The safest assumption at this point is that students are skipping. We need to change that, but unfortunately, with one answer comes even more questions – the how’s and why’s.

    There’s a generalization that all students don’t have a good reason when they skip, which is true. However, some students say they skip because of boredom from their classes. Maybe it’s the way they’re being taught, or maybe it’s that the student isn’t interested in the subject, but It is well known that not everyone learns in the same way.

    With that being said, it’s still a safe assumption. There needs to be a way in which students can communicate to the school as to why people are skipping. Once that information is obtained, the entire campus can work together to fix it.

    Occasionally, the way classes are set up can make them seemingly mundane or lifeless. What’s unfortunate, is that this can happen in a class where the subject is of interest to the student. This can cause a student to become bored or stressed, leading them to a conclusion of “I’m not learning, so why should I go?”

    Naturally this is a problem not only because the student is absent, but also because they feel they can’t learn. As most students know, the more absences the school has, the less money they get paid to spend on our education.

    The district depends on the attendance of students, because students have to be present to learn, and the school needs us present to gain the funds needed to pay for educational costs. Somehow, though, there has to be a better system.

    There also has to be a more efficient way to teach the material. When a student doesn’t know the answer to a question, it’s either because they weren’t paying attention when the  teacher taught the lesson or because they don’t understand the material. Either one is not acceptable.

    Learning styles matter, and both the teacher and student have to make adjustments. Perhaps the learning environment can be changed or the material can be presented using a different method. Either way, this is an important concept and needs to be communicated among teachers and students.  

    Another, more interesting reason for absences is the generational theory. It is said that this generation (millennials and centennials) do not see the point in many things, and school can  seem trivial to the big picture that is life.

    Expectations for students are getting higher, and some parents are encouraging their children to begin planning for college in middle school or even earlier. The world is becoming  more competitive, and because the cost of college has risen so much, the stakes of planning early to achieve scholarship money has gotten even higher. It’s a lot to take in, and some students are just giving up.

    I’ve asked around and from a variety of responses here and there, it’s obvious to me that there’s a struggle with the lack of motivation students have. Perhaps a way to make this situation better and to increase attendance at school is to adjust classroom instruction.

    Times are changing, and we need to adapt. We have always had a way of adapting to the changing world and the generations that come in, such as the adjustment from looking at a card catalog in the library to find a book, to now using a search engine on the internet.

    We changed because we realized there was a better way to do things. There were better ways to teach the adults of the future.

    Having said this, If students want to succeed, they have to attend school. They need to be here every day to actually learn. However, we need teachers to realize that some students need a different approach. School can be very trying with so much information being given to us each day.

    At times it can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to get stressed about school, however, we all have to do our part. There is always a way to compromise with these situations. Like all issues, the attendance problem is not just one sided.

    We, as a campus, need to work together to fix the attendance issue. Students and teachers need to communicate their ideas. All of us need to be present each day. That way, we can express our opinions and create a positive change.