The teacher should have been more proactive in his/her scheduling and not have scheduled a field trip during the 3 day period of the Sweet 16. Bad planning on his/her part.

So during the Sweet Sixteen, teachers should plan on doing nothing of great value, planning on students being absent for the Sweet Sixteen? Sounds like a waste of time for the teachers and the students that are in school.

This was typical for me all through school. As my Dad said: "A lot more can be learned in life than just a classroom"…. I personally think schools try to insert themselves way too much into a parental responsibility for "education"….thus the upswing in home schooling. The obvious lesson learned at the Sweet 16 is Hard Work = Reward….but that may not fit our current education system.

 

Not to divert the thread, but the majority of current studies and surveys suggest that the #1 reason for parents home-schooling their children is religion.

Without necessarily disagreeing about students being allowed to attend the tournament, as a basketball fan who is also an educator I’d like to throw in a few cautionary notes:

1. When it comes to quizzes and exams, every absence is a potential opportunity for someone to gain an unfair advantage. In the age of the smart phone, any student can send an absent classmate information on an exam’s content or even photos of the exam itself. Yeah, I know, it’s not my kid or your kid, it’s our neighbors’ kids. Actually, recent studies suggest it’s at least six out of every ten high school students, with approximately one-third admitting they do it repeatedly.

2. On a more important and less cynical note, if we excuse students from class to attend a basketball tournament because it’s a learning experience – and I’m not saying it isn’t – then we must consider dozens of other learning experiences. What about a speech by a public figure? An auto show? A out-of-town Miley Cyrus concert? (Okay, bad choice – maybe a Peter Gabriel concert?) How many make-up assignments for how many students for how many reasons amount to too many? This could be a pretty slippery slope, friends.

3. I absolutely support the idea that learning is not confined to the classroom, and that sports provide important life lessons. However, we fans should remind ourselves that the lessons learned by playing or observing sports often can be learned elsewhere as well. Teamwork is just as crucial in concert band as it is in football, and using preparation to conquer fatigue is as big a part of a forensics competition as it is a basketball tournament. And no sports experience enables a student to solve a quadratic equation or identify the capital of the Czech Republic.

 

Again, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to let students attend this type of event. I just think there’s a bigger picture to be considered. [descends from soapbox]

 

What are these electronic gadgets doing in the classroom to start with?? Your auto show and concerts, are they sponsored by the KHSAA...How about a blanket policy in the commonwealth, it is either an excused absent or it is not for KHSAA events.....

In '99 I was in the 5th grade and made my first trip to the state tournament with my dad. We left Wednesday after school. Missed Thursday and Friday. Largely the only 2 days of the school year I would miss. Went on that way through high school. Because my attendance (and grades) were fine the rest of the time, the school never had a problem with letting me go. I was 'sick' but by high school everyone (including the school) knew where I was. It wasn't a battle worth fighting for them.

 

So my thought is... If you do it the right way, there's no problem with it.

I'm surprised the teacher wasn't going him/herself.

As for the experience I notice more kids there not paying any attention to basketball but socializing on the concourse. Not sure what kind of special experience that is but apparently it's believed to be important by a lot of parents.

I'm surprised the teacher wasn't going him/herself.

As for the experience I notice more kids there not paying any attention to basketball but socializing on the concourse. Not sure what kind of special experience that is but apparently it's believed to be important by a lot of parents.

 

You are correct,,,,,

My first trip to the state tournament was my senior year (1999), Friday afternoon when Madison Central and Scott County played and it was one of the largest crowds in history. My dad and my friend's dad checked us out after second period to head to Lexington. I still remember explaining to my foods teacher why I was leaving (she made me write a report on meat; I kid you not). I've went just about every year on Friday since then and I'm looking forward to a couple years from now when my little boy is old enough to go with me and my dad. If he has to miss a day of skipping in kindergarten or math in 3rd grade, then so be it. We'll be discussing physical education (basketball), history (past Sweet Sixteen winners) and geography (where all the schools are located), along with a little state pride. And I say all of this as a teacher myself.

I think districts that never make it have the biggest issue.:walk:

 

Boom.

 

This..

What are these electronic gadgets doing in the classroom to start with?? Your auto show and concerts, are they sponsored by the KHSAA...How about a blanket policy in the commonwealth, it is either an excused absent or it is not for KHSAA events.....

 

Those are excellent points. As for electronic gadgets, well, needless to say phones aren't supposed to be used during class but they're pretty easily concealed; plus, I know of at least one high school where students are allowed to get onto their phones as long as everyone has finished classwork for that day. As for auto shows and concerts not being connected with the KHSAA, that's pretty much my point: if a basketball tournament is considered a legitimate learning experience, then plenty of non-KHSAA events -- spindoc's hunting trips being a great example -- also have to be viewed as potential learning experiences, at which point the lines could get fuzzy. Personally, I think your suggestion of a blanket policy is spot on; the question would be how big a blanket to use when crafting the policy.

Just to throw this out there: should kids be pulled out for non-revenue sports championships? I mean, if it's about the educational opportunities......