Teens And Truancy

Truancy may seem like a relatively insignificant problem for a teen to be going through. While some truancy may be typical it is important to understand that excessive truancy can lead to, or be a sign of more significant problems. If a teen skips a class or two in a quarter, this may be something that can be overlooked. If a teen is skipping a class or two a day, this may be an indicator that the teen is heading for dangerous waters and may need some help. The reasons a teen would skip school varies from teen to teen, but it is important for parents to monitor closely their child's behaviors. If a teen is failing a class and feels inadequate, they may cut the class to avoid ridicule or embarrassment. Parents need to be involved in the education of their teen. Teen age years are very pivotal and may establish how the remainder of a person's life will go.

Teen Truancy and the Law

Rarely do teens get arrested for being truant in today's society. This is due in part to police enforcement agencies having bigger fish to fry. It may also be due in part to schools that are year round or schools that have flexible hours. Teens may be out of school during the day on work release programs or even flexible school hours. This makes teen truancy difficult for law enforcement professionals to stay up with. Another aspect of teen truancy and the law are the laws some teens break when they are skipping school. Shoplifting is a problem for many teens and it would be safe to assume that much of the shoplifting that is done is done in connection teen truancy.

Teen Truancy and Public Schools

One problem that may contribute to teen truancy is the overload of public school administrators. Many school counselors and administration officials do not have time to track each and every student in their school. This makes it easy for teens to slip through the cracks. If a parent is not paying attention to their teens behaviors they may miss the report card, or note from school calling attention to their teen's truant behavior. Parent involvement is critical to assure that their child receives an education and stays out of trouble. This problem is difficult and becomes even more so if both parents work. Raising a teen is a full time job in and of itself.

Teen Truancy Summary

An old farmer compared raising children to raising cattle. He said that cattle will continually check the fence line to see if there is way to get out of their confined area. Teens can be very similar to the cows. They are continually looking for a way to get out of what they are supposed to do. It is wise for a parent to follow the example of the farmer who checks his fence regularly. If a parent will check on his teen's behavior regularly, they will have much better success in raising an educated well balanced teen.