Ive read all the posts, although not as carefully as I probably should have. Here are a few things I think.
Missing school, or not, will not effect work ethic. Not to mention, being at school does not equal good grades anyhow. It just teaches kids to show up, not to give a job their all. We all know many people who show up and do next to nothing and/or do a rotten job. Didnt one poster say their wife quit because she got sick of working with lousy teachersthey were all still showing up though. Therefore, that argument holds no water for me. In addition, that story makes me much more thankful for those teachers who do work so hard for so littlewhere would kids be without their dedication.
How much a kid will miss from not being in class depends on several things. Like what grade it is, what the class is, how the teacher teaches, what the childs learning style is, how the child is doing in school, how involved the parents are, how the teacher AND school react to the missed days (if they are bothered, it will be harder), how the parent handles the missed days, what actual concepts are being studied during the absence, etc. Because of this, you cannot blanket statement if it is a bad thing or if it is irrelevant
As far as following the rules because those are the rules and if you dont like them change them first. Uh, not always. There is this thing (and it has changed the world many times) called civil disobedience. A good example (seeing how weve been inundated with the story lately) is Rosa Parks refusing to get out of her seat and sit in the back of the bus. To understand the concepts a little better, read the book. Heck, if it wasnt for that book, most of the acts (i.e., Boston Tea Party) leading up to the American Revolution wouldnt have happened.
The school system is set up to educate and it shouldnt be monitoring attendance and the reasons school is missed. Why excuse a trip to Rome and not to WDW? Or for the flu, but not for family time? A missed day is a missed day. And I think it is a shame if you are more willing to help one student than another. I just see that as a form of discrimination. Go ahead and flame away. Equal rights for all, period, as far as Im concerned.
In the big picture, no one is going to know or care what someones primary education grades are. Once youre in college (or have decided to skip it altogether), it is irrelevant. Moreover, thanks to community colleges, even those who did poorly in school can still get a college education. Whats that old joke...What do you call someone who graduate first in medical school and last in medical school? Doctor. I guess no one is going to care what your college grades are in the end either. Oh, and NEVER does anyone care what your attendance record is.
The value of an education isnt based on forcing attendance. My kids dont know if I was at school every day or missed 2 days a week. What they know is that both Mom and Dad are not only high school graduates, but that Dad has a BS and MBA and PhD and a law degree and Mom has two BAs and two MAs. They know that Mom and Dad were avid book readers, read the news and talk about current events not just around, but WITH them. Our kids are encouraged to think and explore the world. They were also taught to take time out from life and enjoy it, when needed. Life is all about quality. I would hate to not enjoy life. Nor should you have any regrets. Life is short; the time for fun might not be there tomorrow. I dont think anyone is going to die wishing they had worked more or had better attendance at school. They might wish they had taken that dream trip or spent more time with family or simply enjoyed what they had.