It’s a constant hit or miss when it comes to missing school, either for something medical or educational, for instance, Take Your Child to Work Day. It’s an annual event that so many children sign up to observe and often participate in their parents’ daily professional lives. Not only that, but to view what they might be thinking of pursuing for their future career.
However, administrations like Salisbury don’t always view this as a valid excuse from school. They often prioritize a student’s total absences, whether they’re excused or not, leaving little to no room for medical emergencies or private family matters. Even when documents are provided, they still mark it as unlawful.
Many students from Salisbury see this as unfair because focusing on students’ absences is pointless. With the students going to the program wanting to learn more about the field their parents are in, knowing that they’d gain more knowledge about what the volunteers are explaining from observing and being at a professional workplace. Observing their parents’ workplace will provide career guidance that many schools cannot, but if the administration needs more information on it, they should talk to their parents.
Furthermore, they said even though a student or students are taking a day off from school, they’re still learning, just different skills and departments. Programs like those at the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) prove just how educational that day can be. By hosting it for students in grades 9-12 and offering guided tours for specific departments, for example, two students from Salisbury High School went to the program and learned so much. They visited the neurophysiology lab, which is in the department that monitors citizens who have a severe history of seizures. They talk about how good quality means, not only for the hospital and its caregivers, but also the patients checking in as well. Last is the MedEvac, students got to ask all sorts of questions and were even able to go in the helicopter, view it and even watch it leave from the hospital. More importantly, LVHN provides career clarity that schools can’t really provide as well.
Education doesn’t stop at school. When students go into a professional setting, they gain a perspective that a classroom can’t provide or even do similarly. By noticing these experiences as sensible, administrations like Salisbury can show their students that they value their future just as much as their daily attendance.
