Sick Days and Ditching

FAOL Community Fly Anglers Online
1

There’s a stocked pond not too far away, stocked with channel catfish, rainbows, and bluegills. Most are small.

While biking on the way to the market today, there were couple of guys that either called in sick (yes, today is beautiful in the low 70s and the river is still to high to play), work the night shift, or whatever. With a stack of things to do, I really envied them.

Also, there were couple of boys that really SHOULD be in school at this hour. Hmmmm…

I almost went back and nearly asked them if their parents knew they were ditching classes to go fishing. It’s sort of obvious. When a kid is out in the afternoon, playing around, and it’s WEEKS before school ends for the summer----you have to wonder.

Sorry, it’s the mom in me. I know some parents don’t care if their kid drops out, ditches a few times each month, spends 3 or 4 (or MORE) hours a day on the Internet… But this one does.

Our kids have to earn their fun time on the computer or TV. And it’s never before homework, no matter what they promise. They have trade in tokens that appear and disappear with good manners/bad manners, chores, listening (yep, I repeat things twice, they lose a token), and other proper things.

I’ve been called mean before. I’ve heard the usual ‘But my friends do.’ I’ve also been called the best mom in the world when I told them one day to stop cleaning their rooms, we’re driving down to their favorite fishing hole. It was their reward for one getting three A’s in a row in Math, and the other one is on a roll for consecutive 100% on his spelling tests. (Eight weeks and counting!)

Gotta keep 'em off balance!

The Mom

2

I thought you would know why they are ditching class. The power of the fish is great in them. You can not ignore the force of the fish.

Luke Castwalker.

Man the fish force be with you.

3

Luckily, I can fish for 2 or three hours afterschool even if I dont have my homework done. I still manage to get it in and maintain a decent average.

I NEED a good fishing session to unwind and get my mind off of school. Some people just dont enjoy school one bit, and I happen to be one of them. There is just nothing like the feeling of getting out of school and heading down to the pond with a few friends with the fly rods (dont worry, i use flies).

You only live once, might as well enjoy it.

“If people focused on what is realy important, there would be a shortage of fishing poles”

[This message has been edited by Anthony (edited 10 May 2006).]

4

Make sure you never stop and ask my kids why they are fishing when they are supposed to be in school! You’ll find yourself swimming!

5

You did the right thing by not intruding on them. It’s not your responsibility or opportunity to parent someone else’s children. Doing so only implies that your parenting skills are better, and that is a judgement best left between you and your own children. The kids were just fishing, afterall, and how would you know where they should be that day?

6

SEELEYGRIZFAN–Excused absence is far different than skipping, as you well know. The teacher knows ahead of time and can prepare make-up. Both this year and last year we took off for working vacations in the middle of the school year, and the kids got to travel to other states, see other things and experience a wealth of memories and information. We make sure it’s not a critical time at school.

D. Micus–if you describe your kids, I’ll be sure to avoid them while they’re fishing. Are they majoring in Biology in college or just doing directly into the hamburger flipping career? LOL (Just kidding!)

nick0danger–you really need to see this: [url=http://www.storewars.org/flash/:715d6]http://www.storewars.org/flash/[/url:715d6]

Cuke Skywalker
May the Farm be With You

7

'Fifteen Yooper’s in a pontoon boat, fishing for “Moby Dick”! The wife, she think, I’m working. The “Boss”, he think, I’m sick. Telling story, swapping tales, and telling lies. It is a little bit like heaven, when you’re fishing with the “Guys”!

8

I spent alot of time at the river rathe than school. and still got my comp sci degree.

9

DianeID

As a kid I missed school about 3 times a month to go fishing with my dad. It was not until years later that he told me the teacher would call him and ask him to keep me home a day or so because I so far ahead of the rest of the class. I still managed to keep straight a’s and skip 2 grades in school, and started college at the ripe old age of 14. I think sometimes I learned more on the days I “skipped” than in class.

Now I would never let my sons or grandkids skip unless the teacher asked me to. But I know how much fun they were having.

Harold

10

nick0danger, that sounds like DH, but he spent most of the time playing Bridge. He has the ability to read something once, memorize and understand it. He got his undergrad, master, and PhD degrees in Geography, Sociology, Cartography, Chemistry, and Biology in about 8 years while working his way through, and teaching undergrads, at the same time. That would burn out most people. Taking 20 or 21 hours a semester was the first couple years, including another 14 per summer. The worst was a 7 am class of inorganic chemistry.

I like your idea better. I’m far better at fishing than playing Bridge.

11

Harold,
Why doesn’t that surprise me?

12

one difference i took 6 years (suppose to be 4) and i did okay not bad no good just okay. I did not fail classes but my heavest load was 3 classes, about 20 hours of school and i did not work except for the summer. Heck i still only work 32 hours a week at my job.

13

I live in one of the largest cities in the U.S. It is fairly common to see kids at the local fishing holes on “school days”

Many local school districts are on the “year round” schedule for k - 8 grades. Typically they are in class for 12 weeks or so then off for 3 or 4.

Most schools regularly have parent-teacher conference weeks, or training and seminars for teachers that result in additional off days or partial days for students.

We know lots of parents that home-school their children also, so are not on a fixed schedule.

When I take time off work to fish, most of the kids I see fishing are legitimately not in class.

14

There are just some days you don’t want to go to school/work for whatever reason.

We allowed our kids two “skip day” per semester. BUT … should they ever get caught skipping on their own, those four days we allowed them were gone … forever.

For the most part (as far as I know) it worked. We knew when they weren’t at school and where they were.

15

I’d like to believe that my kids, if and when they ditched would be fishing under a bridge where they could not be seen. Or maybe that’s just the way I was brought up.

Mark

I’d rather be in Wyoming!

16

Diane, because my sons wouldn’t accept some busy body butting in doesn’t mean they are burger flippers. One son is a straight A student at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and the other is an honor student in high school, planning to major in chemistry at the University of Montana. My point was, neither needs another parent–the parents they have are doing a fine job, thank you. You’re free to raise your kids the way you want, but please don’t be so presumptuous as to think you should try to raise the children of others.

[This message has been edited by D. Micus (edited 11 May 2006).]

17

I know you have all heard this many times, but I am going to say it again. I for one, am glad to hear that if some kids are going to skip school, that they are doing it to go fishing. I am not one to favor skipping school, but if they are going to do it, they choose to go fishing. There are a lot of other less constructive, dangerous and illegal activities they could be doing. Besides, it brings back some fond memories of my youth!

Thanks Diane for ther memories!

Dr Bob

18

Dr Bob,
That is so true. And you’re welcome. When I was small, there were couple of three day weekends in late Fall when we went camping. They were not ditching: my parents let the teacher know on Monday that I wasn’t going to be there on Friday so I had my class work to do in the car while we are driving. They didn’t take me out for a week like I do with my kids, but they did see no harm in an extra day.

D. Micus–I’m delighted to read your kids are doing so well. You did something right. Unfortunately, not all kids have parents like you who care. We nearly raised our neighbor’s girl because the father didn’t give a damn (he wanted a son), and the mother worked the night/early morning shift at a nursing home so she slept during the day and some of the evening until she had to get up, make dinner, and go to work. We had her from breakfast to sometimes after dark on weekends, took her fishing, hiking, camping, movies, football and baseball games. It started when we moved in the area, found her walking along the river alone (she was almost 5-years-old at that time), throwing stones and making mud pies. So, were we “busy bodies” for keeping her out of danger and give her some attention that she craved? I’d like to think we also kept her safe and gave her some good memories. My aunt did the same thing to couple junior high boys that were getting bad grades, skipping classes, etc. The mother left the father, he worked two jobs, and she made sure they came over for breakfast, caught the bus, had a place to come home after school, got homework done, and had a fun place until their dad came home at 7 to pick them up. You can’t begin to understand how frustrated that father was in the early days and how grateful he was to my aunt for caring. The lives of the boys turned around: one got a partial track scholarship, the other is making the Marines a career. They always stop by her house to chat when their in town.

Sometimes caring is good. Kids need it whether they want to admit it or not. We all know there are a lot of good stories about adults helping kids.

19

If I had to do it over I sure would go to class and get a good education instead of going fishing.
That way I could afford $500 rods and reels, $60 lines and $400 waders. Paying someone $350 a day to row a boat for me would be no problem. And I wouldn’t have to stay in flea-bag motels, I’d just buy the ranch that the creek flowed through.
Like it or not fishing is an expensive proposition and down the road you’ll have to be a member of an expensive club to get on decent water. look at the membership of fishing clubs here and in other countries like Europe. Not too many average Joes belong to them.
I truly should have gone to class instead of fishing, I could have done a lot more and better fishing now than then.

[This message has been edited by kbobb (edited 11 May 2006).]

20

I ditched yesterday to chase the sulphur hatch and haven’t been able to wipe the smile off my face all day. I ditched in highschool to trout fish and pheasant hunt. I barely went to college as PSU has too much good trout water nearby. These weren’t the best choices, but I turned out pretty well. And I recall most of those trips very, very fondly. I don’t think changing my decision to ditch would have had any influence on anything except depriving me of the outdoors experiences that I gathered. Of course we’ll never know, but I’m happy with the way things turned out.