In most of our public and private schools, be it in the primary, elementary, secondary, or collegiate level, pupils or students usually make absences on the last school day of the week— Friday.
Of course, some pupils or students make absences for a justifiable cause but a great majority of them make absences on Fridays without justifiable causes or reasons. Such is a bad habit or practice on the part of our present day pupils and students. At the very start of the school year, teacher should endeavor to cut this bad habit of their pupils or student.
In my short but lively experience as a Grade III classroom teacher in the public schools, I have observed that most of my pupils made absences on Fridays on account of their being sent on an errand by their parents. Some only played at home, the parents being unmindful of such bad practice of their children.
There are still many causes why most pupils make absences on Fridays. I need not mention them anymore, for in this short article I am going to deal with you on how I personally minimized absences of my pupils on Fridays.
Firstly, after taking up the last subjects in the afternoon every Thursday, I always made a point to tell them that tomorrow is Friday and that to be absent on his day makes one’s studies incomplete. I oftentimes told contrast stories between a boy who succeeded in his studies because he never made a single absence and a boy who did not succeed he always made absence on Fridays.
I also them comparative examples that a pupil who does not make absences on Friday is compared to an efficient employee who receives eighteen pesos a day and a pupil who always makes absences on Fridays is compared to an inefficient laborer who is worth only five pesos a day.
Such good comparative examples related every Thursday afternoon just after the last subject is taken are wise reminder for our pupils that really Friday is important and still is a part of the school days in a week. Primary school children have young minds. They really need constant, remarkable reminders. For even matured people need to be reminded always. In such a way, I really acted as a good father and at the same time a wise guidance counselor to my pupils.
Secondly, I made it a point in my week’s activities in my classroom to administer a general check – up every Friday on the lessons taken up from Monday to Thursday. I would tell my pupils that their ratings in this general check – ups are the basis for their general rating at the end of the school year. To let them feel that I really mean business, they are checked up in a certain subject under time pressure. After the check-up, they are made to exchange papers, row by row, or as the case maybe, o depending upon the discretion of the teacher. Then a rating scale is made clear on the board. Next is the recording of the ratings in the class book. Their ratings are announced thereby they know where they stand.
With this as the teacher’s motive in mind every Friday, the pupils know exactly whether they are progressing or not. Habitual Friday-absentee-pupils would realize the need not to be absent on Fridays for fear they would no pass the grade at the end of the school year.
The last but not the least remedial measure I applied and am still applying is that I do not make Friday a “fly – day.” As a good servant and as paragon to my pupils, I have to stay with my pupils in my classroom until the last prescribed official hour of dismissal every afternoon, especially every Friday afternoon. The pupils then and there would be reminded that the teacher has fully served the whole day—Friday—for their own well and benefit and in such case, in one way or another, they would be accustomed to come to school every Friday.
This question therefore arises: What would happen if the teacher in a certain school, say in a far barrio school, leaves his school after dismissing his pupils at two or three o’clock every Friday afternoon just because he is going home?
The answer to this question is up to you to ponder.
By: Celia I. Sarmiento | Lamao Elementary School | Limay, Bataan
