The principal reprimands a dad for taking his children out of school for a few days --- his response is perfect!
Getting the opportunity to take time off from school to go on holiday with your parents is something that doesn't happen often. So, the twins Jack and Victoria Rossi, definitely felt like they had been kissed by Lady Luck, when they found out and were overjoyed.
However, when the family returned home, the parents received a letter of reprimand from the principal of their school which communicated to them to his opposition to the decision taken and warned about future action.
The father of the two students responded with a message that perhaps for some did not put him solidly on the right side of reason but it definitely makes you think.
The Smith family went to Boston to attend the famous Boston Marathon ...
Mike Rossi
Altogether the days absent from school were three (Friday, Monday, and Tuesday, plus of course the weekend which should not be counted), but probably the principal had not been informed of the decision made by the family. Therefore, when she came to know about it, she felt that she had to reprimand the parents by sending them a letter.
In it, the principal reminds the family that holidays organised by parents are not a valid reason to justify an absence from school.
Mike Rossi
The reason is that the school is unable to measure the educational value of the holiday and therefore the days of absence will be recorded as "unexcused".
In a public post that went viral, the father of the two students responded by trying to explain why he believed that their vacation was more than justified.
Mike Rossi
Dear Madam Principal,
While I appreciate your concern for our children's education, I can promise you they learned as much in the five days we were in Boston as they would in an entire year in school.
Our children had a once-in-a-lifetime experience, one that can't be duplicated in a classroom or read in a book.
In the 3 days of school they missed (which consisted of standardized testing that they could take any time) they learned about dedication, commitment, love, perseverance, overcoming adversity, civic pride, patriotism, American history culinary arts and physical education.
They watched their father overcome, injury, bad weather, the death of a loved one and many other obstacles to achieve an important personal goal.
They also experienced first-hand the love and support of thousands of others cheering on people with a common goal.
At the marathon, they watched blind runners, runners with prosthetic limbs and debilitating diseases and people running to raise money for great causes run in the most prestigious and historic marathon in the world.
They also paid tribute to the victims of a senseless act of terrorism and learned that no matter what evil may occur, terrorists can not deter the American spirit.
These are things they won't ever truly learn in the classroom.
In addition our children walked the Freedom Trail, visited the site of the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre and the graves of several signers of the Declaration of Independence.
These are things they WILL learn in school a year or more from now. So in actuality our children are ahead of the game.
They also visited an aquarium, sampled great cuisine and spent many hours of physical activity walking and swimming.
We appreciate the efforts of the wonderful teachers and staff and cherish the education they are receiving at Rydal Elementary School. We truly love our school.
But I wouldn't hesitate to pull them out of school again for an experience like the one they had this past week.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Michael Rossi
Father
What do you think about this father's letter?
