171 days, 1,197 hours, 71,820 minutes

This is the amount of time instructors are granted to imbue the knowledge and skills needed for Liberty Common students to earn promotion to the next grade level. Having taught for 12 years, I know every second of that time is precious. Part of the challenge as an instructor is determining how to maximize the time. Often mere seconds are utilized to practice another round of Latin vocabulary or rehearse those tricky math facts. Time is our most precious and coveted commodity.

 

The impact of being late to school or missing time in the classroom cannot be understated.  There has been an increasing trend, nationwide, of chronic absenteeism.  It has become such a widespread problem, particularly after COVID shutdowns and mandated quarantines, educational experts have been called to testify in Congress and large think-tank groups like the American Enterprise Institute continue to weigh in. 

 

While Liberty’s numbers don’t perfectly parallel some of the more concerning statistics, we have seen an increase in extended absences during the school year unrelated to illness. The trend of taking an off-season vacation or extending a holiday break has become more common—it is also impacting the educational program of our school. Our policy (LCS Policy 5.5) states:

 

 

We implore parents not to schedule vacations during the school year— there are 194 days out of school to spend on those special trips or family outings.  With the exception of excused illnesses (see our "How Sick Is Too Sick” guidance), Liberty Common students thrive when they participate in each and every lesson.

 

While teachers are often willing to provide some work in advance if it is available and requested by parents, we do not—and cannot—expect our instructors to go to extraordinary lengths to provide a curated “make-up-work package” to attempt compensating for the educational experience of missed instruction in the classroom. The in-class experience simply cannot be recreated and puts undue strain on teachers who then must juggle instruction with the additional load of preparing and evaluating this work. Ultimately, this is detrimental to the teacher and subsequently to the rest of the class:  extended absences impact not only the student missing school, but their classmates and instructors.    

 

We also emphasize the importance of being at school on time. The first minutes of the day are critical in setting students up for a successful school day. Younger students who are tardy often take the first part of the day to recover and regulate. Older students who are tardy often miss turning in required assignments or receiving important classroom information.

 

All classes begin with bell work intended to review or reinforce critical concepts and is a key part of starting the day strong. Chronic tardiness results in detentions for students in the fourth grade and up—a reality which is not enjoyable to enforce for any party involved but typically resolves the issue fairly effectively. As always, teachers and staff are here to help if there are strategies which need to be explored to ensure a timely start to the day.

 

While this may sound like a reprimand, we offer it more as a gentle reminder, keeping in mind our goal is to be partners with parents in the education and character formation of their children. Parents, we need your dedication to ensuring the educational program we are implementing during each of our 171 days is maximized by having students in class, on time, accessing and adding to the beauty and richness of what is being taught.