Which One Do You Want Teaching Your Kid?

A story that I have shared with a few teachers and civilians over the last few months has yielded some interesting responses and upon reflection some interesting questions.

THE STORY (short anonymous version)

Over the course of a school year I noticed a female student with “inconsistent” attendance. As the year progressed I noticed a pattern developing. She was in school for 5-7 weeks without missing then would miss 4-5 days, sometimes more, then return and do it all again. I asked around if anyone else had noticed and a teacher pulled me aside and said she knew what was going on…the girl was moving.

It seems that every time the rent came due and the landlord put the pressure on, she and her mother (and an unspecified number of siblings) unable to pay the rent would move to another house/trailer/apartment, the student was needed to help move and had to miss school. Needless to say this girl’s academic performance was less than stellar.

THE RESPONSES

Generally, initial responses are in one of two camps:

1. “Why is that parent not held accountable?” (or some close variant)
2. “How is this kid supposed to gain anything from school in that situation?”
   

THE QUESTION

Is there a better response? Which response do you want your kid’s teacher to make?