Whether it is attendance at work, or attendance at school/college, tribal members have problems with attendance. From children in Head Start to tribal members elected to the tribal council, attendance is arguably the worst school/work/governing related problem on Indian Reservations.
Let's take the tribal workers first. Tribal members from different reservations are all aware of "ghost workers" (ghost workers are those tribal members who officially have a job, but no one ever sees them at work - or hardly ever sees them.). The three most common types of ghost workers are: (a) workers who have a "tribal official" sign off on their timesheet, regardless if they show up for work or not; (b) workers who simply do not ever show up for work, but somehow manage to get paid regardless; and (c) workers whose supervisor is a relative, and they show up at work periodically.
Let's do the math and see just how much harm missing one day a week can cause:
➢ 8 hours away per week x 52 weeks per year = 416 hours a year away from work.
➢ 416 hours away from work / 8 hours per day = 53.2 days a year gone from work.
➢ 416 hours away from work / 40 hours in a week = 10 weeks per year absent.
This leads to the question, how can a person miss 10 weeks per year, and still say he/she is carrying out their job duties? It is no wonder that tribal members do not receive the full benefits from dollars poured into the reservations.
Tribal workers are not the only ones who suffer from attendance problems. Tribal schools have trouble making Adequate Yearly Progress due to excessive student absenteeism. Back when I was a third grade teacher, a parent came up to me and asked me why her child's academic performance was below grade average. It was the beginning of the school year, and the cumulative records were still fresh in my mind, her child in particular. Her child had missed a total of sixty days by the time he/she had entered third grade (my classroom). I explained to the parent how absenteeism negatively impacted academic achievement and then said, "If I can have your child in my classroom for the 60 days he/she missed, your child will not only be at grade level, but beyond." The worst example of student absenteeism that I am aware of is two students who missed over 700 days by the time they reached the 7th grade. Think about it for a while - missing 700 days of schools. Why would a parent allow that to happen? Why would a student allow that to happen? Why would a teacher allow that to happen? Why would a school administrator allow that to happen? Why would a school board allow that to happen? Why would Tribal Social Services allow that to happen? Why would the Tribal Court allow that to happen? Finally, why would the Tribal Council allow that to happen?
How is the attendance issue affecting the reservations? We all we know the statistics: 50% or more unemployment, totally inadequate housing, low education levels, low self-esteem, suicides, etc., etc. In my opinion, these problems are directly related to our absenteeism at school and at work. If we had the honesty to admit that attendance is a serious issue, had the courage to take steps to improve it, then had the perseverance to stand against those who would undermine our efforts to improve it, and if we would be generous by praising and rewarding those tribal workers who came to work everyday, and students who had perfect attendance, our children's future would be so much brighter.
Let's take the tribal workers first. Tribal members from different reservations are all aware of "ghost workers" (ghost workers are those tribal members who officially have a job, but no one ever sees them at work - or hardly ever sees them.). The three most common types of ghost workers are: (a) workers who have a "tribal official" sign off on their timesheet, regardless if they show up for work or not; (b) workers who simply do not ever show up for work, but somehow manage to get paid regardless; and (c) workers whose supervisor is a relative, and they show up at work periodically.
Let's do the math and see just how much harm missing one day a week can cause:
➢ 8 hours away per week x 52 weeks per year = 416 hours a year away from work.
➢ 416 hours away from work / 8 hours per day = 53.2 days a year gone from work.
➢ 416 hours away from work / 40 hours in a week = 10 weeks per year absent.
This leads to the question, how can a person miss 10 weeks per year, and still say he/she is carrying out their job duties? It is no wonder that tribal members do not receive the full benefits from dollars poured into the reservations.
Tribal workers are not the only ones who suffer from attendance problems. Tribal schools have trouble making Adequate Yearly Progress due to excessive student absenteeism. Back when I was a third grade teacher, a parent came up to me and asked me why her child's academic performance was below grade average. It was the beginning of the school year, and the cumulative records were still fresh in my mind, her child in particular. Her child had missed a total of sixty days by the time he/she had entered third grade (my classroom). I explained to the parent how absenteeism negatively impacted academic achievement and then said, "If I can have your child in my classroom for the 60 days he/she missed, your child will not only be at grade level, but beyond." The worst example of student absenteeism that I am aware of is two students who missed over 700 days by the time they reached the 7th grade. Think about it for a while - missing 700 days of schools. Why would a parent allow that to happen? Why would a student allow that to happen? Why would a teacher allow that to happen? Why would a school administrator allow that to happen? Why would a school board allow that to happen? Why would Tribal Social Services allow that to happen? Why would the Tribal Court allow that to happen? Finally, why would the Tribal Council allow that to happen?
How is the attendance issue affecting the reservations? We all we know the statistics: 50% or more unemployment, totally inadequate housing, low education levels, low self-esteem, suicides, etc., etc. In my opinion, these problems are directly related to our absenteeism at school and at work. If we had the honesty to admit that attendance is a serious issue, had the courage to take steps to improve it, then had the perseverance to stand against those who would undermine our efforts to improve it, and if we would be generous by praising and rewarding those tribal workers who came to work everyday, and students who had perfect attendance, our children's future would be so much brighter.
