Dear Parents

One of the most significant lessons a parent can teach their child is the importance of punctuality. Attendance and punctuality play a huge role in increasing children's academic success. When students are not in class they miss out on a wealth of knowledge as well as continuity of learning. When students miss school for no good reason, they usually lack the motivation to complete the work they missed from being absent.

Children shouldn’t be kept home to babysit. When parents do this, they make attending school even more difficult, causing the child to complete multiple assignments upon their return and struggle to make sense of what is being taught.

Your best teaching is done by example, so leaving for work five minutes late tells your child that being punctual is not important. This will affect their children's success and future prospects.

A late bus, misplaced shoes, a crowded bathroom can hold people up but appropriate strategies can be explicitly taught to your children. For example, preparing clothes the night before can save time when a bathroom is shared. Teach children the appropriate tools to use in order to increase their chances for perfect attendance.

Take a no-excuses approach with your children when it comes to absences and punctuality. Give your children natural consequences that show them the results of lateness. Consequences prepare your children for the real world, where they really do miss out on learning, opportunities and even wages because they did not show up on time or at all.

Teach your child that good attendance is not something that just happens. It takes planning, preparation and persistence, but it pays off. Ensure that your child will reap the rewards by instilling punctuality.

Reflection: It is difficult to prove yourself reliable when people are required to wait for you.

Kind regards everyone.