Category: Campus Life

Let’s face it, when people say they aspire for fulfilling careers, they usually mean tremendous financial success or popularity or both. However, for some people, career fulfillment does not necessary mean five- or six-figure monthly salaries and a monthly luxurious vacation at obscure islands that you need a private jet to reach.  They are contented to have a career that allows them with the opportunity to do something they are passionate about or a chance to pursue continuous professional development. Others are more concerned about a career that gives them the chance to make a lasting impact. Such is the role of a child development practitioner. As with all professions that involve kids, these professionals have the distinction of helping mold these young ones, preparing them for the future ahead.

Child Development Practitioners– What You Need to Know

Perhaps child development practitioners are often associated with child caretakers or nannies, but they are so much more than that. In fact, they actually take on the responsibility of paving the educational path of kids, including infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged kids up to third grade.

Childhood development practitioners must provide a healthy and safe environment for the children, as well as ensure it is inclusive and engaging. They must also be observant and capable of interpreting a child’s development in order to plan programs that foster further development as necessary. In addition, they track the children’s progress and be keen on any difficulties in cognitive and behavioural functions. They must then be able to create programs that that are appropriate to each kid’s learning capacity.

Salary

According to Neuvoo.ca, a childhood development practitioner earns $45,513 a year on average.

Skills

If you are contemplating a career as a childhood development practitioner, enrolling in a Child Development Practitioner or Early Childhood Education is recommended.

Through these programs, you will be able to learn practice and theory pertaining to childcare and the instructional methods used to enhance physical, cognitive, and emotional development. Of course, other essential points of learning are ensuring you provide a safe, inclusive, caring, clean, and stimulating environment for the children, as well as monitoring and tracking their progress, and being aware of any challenges kids have that affect their development.

Childhood development practitioners are often enrolled in schools and daycare centers , as well as community centers which offer free daycare.

In this profession, you are expected to work exceptionally well with kids and must innately have a nurturing and caring attitude to them. Advanced to expert knowledge in behaviour management strategies, as well as in childhood development and overall psychology of children is also an advantage.

Pros and Cons

Being a childhood development practitioner means you have the privilege of being in a position that makes a positive impact in the lives of kids. It’s a profession that is emotionally satisfying and fulfilling.

A disadvantage is that the work environment can be unpredictable at times as kids’ moods and attitudes constantly change. Of course, for those with a genuine passion for kids, this is barely a stumbling block. After all, they know they area big part of a kids’ life and has the potential to make a difference.

SOURCES:

https://neuvoo.ca/salary/?job=childhood+development

Three Jobs that Will Allow You to Work with Babies

Entering post-secondary education can be a scary time. Deciding on your pathway, picking a campus, leaving home and money challenges are all very difficult struggles that most students face. So of course, students are bound to re-think their decisions, and that’s okay. A lot of students nowadays are choosing to go straight into their career out of high-school and become very successful. The most important decision of all is about choosing what is right for you and only you. If leaving home and living on campus is not what you want, but that’s what all your friends are doing, don’t do it. Try to avoid being pressured into decisions based on what others around you are choosing to do. Most teachers advise students into going to college or university. However, there are many other pathways that may be more suitable for you. These pathways include community college, apprenticeship or going straight to the workplace.

Colleges are great ways for applied thinkers to get the education that is best for them. Colleges, unlike universities, are hands-on learners. Whether your passion is sports, technology, art, music, drama, math, science, or any other interests you have, they have programs that are best for applied learners.

Universities although similar to colleges, can also be very different. Universities mainly use a different technique of learning, by mostly focusing on the critical analysis of subjects, and use a lot of textbooks and academic journal research. Most classes are students in lecture halls, taking notes. If you are currently taking academic classes or believe that thinking-style would be easier for you, university is best for you.

Community colleges are a great choice for people returning to school, people who wish to get higher requirements in order to get into another program, or if you think this is the best option for you. Community colleges typically have two year programs that allows you to go straight to the workforce with a higher education than a graduation diploma.

Apprenticeship is an up and coming decision for many high-school graduates who are interested in trades. Apprenticeships mean that the worker would be learning on-the-job. You are specifically trained by another worker for your job.

Finally, many high school students are making the decision to get straight to work after high school by entering the workforce. A lot of students are eager to get out of school and begin working in the profession they want.

The most important decision of all is about choosing what is right for you and only you. No graduate should ever feel as if they are being forced into a pathway that they don’t want. Choose the pathway that is right for you.

Sources:

https://www.haltonpathways.ca/post-secondary/

https://blog.studentlifenetwork.com/2017/02/23/help-ive-changed-my-mind-about-going-to-school/

https://www.collegexpress.com/interests/public-colleges-and-universities/ask-experts/whats-difference-between-community-college-and-state-university/

You may have mixed feelings about your final year of high school. On one hand, you’re extremely excited to be in the home stretch of your high school career and it feels like the world is in the palm of your hand. On the other hand, your stomach might be knots because you honestly don’t know which way to go and what lies ahead of you. If it makes you feel better, most people are in this exact situation. Even with people who believe they have it all figured out, they may still have doubts about their situation. Take comfort in knowing that you have many different options. In fact, they’re virtually endless. That can seem overwhelming, but let’s break down the pros and cons of every option after you graduate high school and you can begin to decide which option is best for you.

College or University

The option that you will hear most often is the “higher learning” path, which means taking a few years for college or university. Many teachers and guidance counselors will push this option because in the traditional mindset, going to a good college or university was the only way you could succeed and find a good job. While this is not necessarily the case (in fact, some graduates have trouble finding work in their fields and are left with a low-paying retail job and a mountain of student debt), pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a field that interests you can certainly give you a leg up. According to Universities Canada, as many as 1.7 million students were enrolled in Canadian universities in 2017 on either a full-time or part-time basis. However, it comes with a price tag, costing from $2,400 per academic year up to as much as $6,100 a year for a year in a Bachelor’s program, according to Ontariocolleges.ca.

Get Straight To Work

Not everyone can afford to go to college right away, so you might need to save up some money with a part-time or full-time job. This can be a pretty attractive for students who worked their way through high school since they already have a job. Also, if you’re someone who doesn’t know what they want to do right away, working a job can buy you some time before you decide to make that next life decision.

Enter the Trades

Maybe you want to enter a career that is not only free, but actually pays you to learn and excel through the apprenticeship and journeyman levels. If you’re a person that enjoys working with your hands and installations and repairs are processes that appeal to you, then the trades might be the perfect choice for you. There is a great demand for young people in the trades to replace an aging workforce, so you can count on being paid reasonably well, the median salary standing around $53,000 per year, according to Neuvoo.

Or Just Take a Year to Yourself

There’s nothing wrong with taking a year off of everything to figure things out. You certainly don’t want to rush into a college program only to drop out halfway through or pursue the trades when you have no interest in the job. A gap year can have you taking on volunteer positions, taking part in an internship to build on your resume, or to just develop your hobbies. When you don’t want to rush and you would like to take your time, a gap year might be a solid option.

Above all, what to do after high school isn’t a clear-cut decision and nothing is a once-size-fits-all solution. Understand that there are many options out there and discuss these potential solutions with people you trust before you make the post-graduate leap.

If you’re approaching the end of high school, there’s no doubt that you’ve been bombarded with questions about what comes next. For some, this is an easy answer – they know exactly what program they’re going into, how to pay for it, which university they’re doing this at, and what they’ll use it for afterwards.

For the rest of us, it’s not so easy. Most potential options seem like a shot in the dark that might be close to something we’re interested in, but not guaranteed to work out. Some programs seem appealing, but the universities that offer them are much pricier than you can afford. You may even have a good idea of what you want, but find yourself stressed about heading into another 4 years of school right after finishing high school.

If you find yourself feeling these things – or any kind of hesitation – perhaps you should consider taking a gap year!

A gap year is very common in this day and age. Many high school students graduate feeling rushed and (understandably) stressed about making decisions that will impact the next, independent section of their life. What many choose to do instead is not choose yet: they opt to take time off from school and figure out more about themselves and the world around them. For a lot of students,  it is a financial decision; they just cannot afford to go to post-secondary, yet.

Here are some things to consider when making a decision about what’s right for you:

Pros:

1. Taking a gap year gives you much more free time to find work, which results in useful things earned! Specifically, money. If you come from a lower-income family, or hope to head towards a pricier university in the future, having time to just focus on working and saving up can significantly assist your finances in the future.
2. Another positive aspect of work means you can learn in the fields of careers you’re interested in! Sometimes this is a much better way of getting a sense of what’s right for you. You can learn whether it’s an area you might find a place in, or if you should search for other fields to learn about at university. If it does turn out to be something you enjoy, it will give you contacts and network connections for after or during university, if you want to find a place in the industry again! And, if nothing else, it’s a valuable learning experience for independence. Speaking of which…
3. Taking a gap year can teach you the independence you need to live on your own that you might not get in university. If you’re learning to live by yourself and trying to succeed in higher-level education simultaneously, it can be very stressful and might take away from both experiences. Taking a gap year means you get a chance to understand how to be more self-sufficient, and then allows you to take on post-secondary education once you’re on more solid footing.

Cons:

1. Some find they’re struck by a lack of motivation in school performance once they’ve had time off. A long break can result in some trouble getting back into the swing of things.
2. For some people who may be unsure about what they want to do, it can be helpful to just dive headfirst into your options! Taking a year off can relieve stress, but it can also just feel like a big waste of time. Sometimes, if you’re indecisive, the best way to figure it out is to just enroll and learn about anything you might be interested in – time off from school could be good for figuring yourself out, but so is active participation in a wide variety of things.

Whatever your situation is, taking a gap year is entirely up to you. Do what feels best and try to make your post-secondary experience a positive and enjoyable one!

Sources:

• https://blog.prepscholar.com/taking-a-gap-year-ideas-programs
• https://www.topuniversities.com/blog/reasons-you-should-take-gap-year-going-university
• https://www.thescholarshiphub.org.uk/blog/pros-and-cons-of-a-gap-year

Being a teenager is easily one of the most challenging times in life that you’ll ever have to experience. It’s difficult dealing with raging hormones-everything around you seems to change completely. Your body is changing both mentally and physically, and your view on the world begins to alter.. As we grow older, we learn that the world is much scarier than we think, and we need to be careful. Mental illness has been the second leading cause of death for young Canadians aged 15- 24. Over 3.2 million Canadians aged 12-19 are at risk of developing depression.  It’s difficult because this is the age where things are starting to change, and we’re faced with more responsibilities as we get closer to adulthood…

Now life is getting more complicated. We begin to realize we must grow up, everyone knows this, but when it really hits you, it all becomes real and terrifying. I think that the reason it’s been particularly hard for today’s generation of teens is because our generation had to grow up alongside the rise and popularity of social media., We’re all addicted to it-even I’ll admit I can’t go very long without taking a scroll through Instagram. The problem with social media is that a lot of the time, we teenagers feel like we have to look like what we see on the internet, and if we don’t, we automatically see ourselves as “less than” everyone else around us. It can turn into a vicious cycle. Sometimes we do get competitive with each other, and we don’t even realize it. It’s this constant need to look “good” in a post on social media. This adds on to the social issues that we face at school or around other teens sometimes because teenagers can be petty, often times.

I remember growing up watching classic Disney movies such as “High School Musical” and thinking that it would be like that once I got to high school and it made me idolize every teenager I met..  I used to love the idea of being a teenager; I thought all teens seemed so cool and independent. To me, being a teenager was basically like being an adult and I used to hate the idea of being treated as a kid…

Then, I became a teenager myself, and being a teenager in the age where social media is huge is quite challenging. I think today on social media, a lot of the idea of being “perfect” comes in to play. Sometimes we think that we must dress or look a certain way to come off as attractive or appealing to our fellow classmates and peers. As social media advances it gets worse and we think that we’re not good enough for anyone, including ourselves. Teenagers go through a lot; school itself is very stressful and causes most (but not all) teens anxiety. Sometimes our parents never really seem to understand how much pressure and stress school can cause. On top of that, teens also deal with a lot of social problems when it comes to the people in school and around them and it can be tough to fit in.  When I was in elementary school, everyone seemed carefree and happy; this changed when I started going to high school. It was like suddenly everyone had problems and was horribly sad- I didn’t understand the change at first. Now, I figured out that everyone has problems in their lives, even as kids. As we get older, we become more self-aware and pay more attention to the little details in our lives.. The great part of all this though, is that we can always improve ourselves and make things better.

A lot of the time we let out our feelings by posting it on social media, or we listen to a lot of depressing music. Based on personal experience, music helps a lot because you don’t feel so alone and, in a sense, you feel like someone understands the situations in your life and what you’re going through. Even if we’re all alone, we’re together in that too. If you look to the better side of things in your life (there is always a brighter side) than you will start to feel better; it is all about perspective.

Social media is a big part of a teenager’s life, today. It is hard to ignore and hard not to participate in it because everyone uses it for a number of different reasons. No matter how you use social media, for contact with friends, to make a statement or otherwise, always remember that it is not solely who you are. Don’t feel dragged down by it for if you allow it to “influence” you too much, you may find yourself feeling confused about your true identity. As cliché as it sounds, never compare yourself to others because there is only one you- this thought alone should give you all the confidence you need. You are unique in your own way and no social media post could ever change that!

Resources:

https://cmha.ca/about-cmha/fast-facts-about-mental-illness

Body shaming. This is a concept that most of us have heard before, but a lot of us don’t fully understand what it is and the impact that it has on teenagers. In 2019, more and more teenagers are developing mental health-related issues due to this terrible problem that needs to be stopped.

What is body shaming?

Body shaming is when somebody humiliates, makes fun of, or mocks someone else by making critical comments about their body shape or size. Although it most commonly starts off by one person saying mean remarks to another, body shaming can also be done to yourself. Body shaming is a severe form of bullying and can be the start of so many issues, for example, eating disorders, depression, lack of self-esteem and confidence, anxiety and other related issues.

Why is body shaming such a big deal in 2019?

Have you looked in magazines and advertisements lately? Most of the models in those advertisements and magazines are the idea of a “perfect body type” that society has created; slim, small, tan, etc. Many teenagers have had problems with accepting their bodies because of these ads and models. Teenagers feel like they need to meet the only “acceptable” body type of the season, (which is the ones we see in ads and magazines), and they will do anything to meet this standard set by society. This can include starving themselves and working out excessively so that they become thinner. Teenagers are being told to change their appearances on the daily. Magazines are constantly offering tips on how to lose weight “in days”, how to appear slimmer “instantly,” and how to hide our “imperfections”.  It has become normal for people to criticize aspects of our bodies as some type of “bonding” experience with our friends, (if we all hate our bodies, it makes us feel connected and united). Social media is a big contributor to body shaming. Messages often imply that we should want to change our bodies, that we should be slimmer, smaller and tanner and if we don’t follow suit, people will hate us and we will become the target of someone else’s body shaming comments.

Why body shaming needs to be stopped!

Teenagers are becoming more desperate for other people to like and accept their bodies. It boosts their self-esteem because they dislike their bodies due to daily body shaming. Most of us don’t realize how often body shaming comes up in our day to day life; how many billboards have weight loss images on them, how many advertisements come up on our devices for “a slimmer look”.  People who are experiencing high levels of body dissatisfaction feel like they are flawed in comparison to others. This is one of the highest risk factors for feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and eating disorders. Body shaming is the best-known contributor to the development of serious eating disorders called anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

How can we make a difference and stop body shaming?!

This all starts out as one single movement. Accepting and loving your own body; being body positive. What you do to help prevent body shaming might feel like it has little to no impact at all, but the best way to help others is to help yourself first. Some small steps to defeat body shaming yourself may include: using mindfulness activities, using positive affirmation lists for yourself, turning your focus away from what you look like and instead how you feel, getting support from a professional or trusted adult (for example: family doctor, dietitian, specialized mental health worker, parent, guardian, school social workers or guidance counsellors.), taking a social media cleanse – or at least surrounding yourself with positivity on social media platforms, and most importantly, believe in yourself!

Sources:

1. “Body Shaming, Social Media, Bullying And The Drive To Be Best – What 2019 Holds For Kids On Social Media According To Selfie Filmmaker And Positive Psychologist Barbara Becker Holstein.” Home – CBS News 8 – San Diego, CA News Station – KFMB Channel 8, 19 Dec. 2018, www.cbs8.com/story/39666342/body-shaming-social-media-bullying-and-the-drive-to-be-best-what-2019-holds-for-kids-on-social-media-according-to-selfie-filmmaker-and-positive.
2. “Body-Shaming: What Is It & Why Do We Do It?” Walden Eating Disorders Treatment, 10 Sept. 2018, www.waldeneatingdisorders.com/body-shaming-what-is-it-why-do-we-do-it/.
3. “Body Image & Eating Disorders.” National Eating Disorders Association, 22 Feb. 2018, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/body-image-eating-disorders.
4. Rugh, Sooji. “Body-Shaming: How To Spot It How To Stop It.” Mindbodygreen, Mindbodygreen, 22 May 2015, www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12452/bodyshaming-how-to-spot-it-how-to-stop-it.html.

“How to Overcome Body Shame.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/modern-sex/201707/how-overcome-body-shame

According to a research by Homelesshub.ca, it’s estimated that about 230,000 experience homelessness in Canada in a given year. In fact, data from an Ipsos Reid poll in March 2013 suggests that as many as 1.3 million Canadians have experienced homelessness or inadequate housing. Not only do these individuals experience a diminished quality of life due to having insufficient shelter or none at all, they also experience constant threats to their lives due to poor conditions as a result of being homeless, especially during the winter months where the temperatures dwindle to -20 and even lower. Over the years, there has been a significant number of deaths due to hypothermia. In Saskatoon alone, the bitter cold temperatures resulted in 13 deaths.

Suffice it is to say, it’s a problem that needs to be prioritized. You can do your share in helping these people out by reaching out to the following organizations throughout Canada that are dedicated to directly help the homeless in Canada. These groups offer a load of volunteer opportunities so you can lend a hand. If you are unable to volunteer your time, you can still help through donations.

British Columbia

211 British Columbia Services Society

330-111 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia

bc211 is a nonprofit organization focuses on assisting the community by providing free information and referral, government and social services in BC. Those with homelessness issues can look into this organization for help through their wide range of services for the homelessness, including emergency shelters for families, mem, women, and youth. They can also lend a helping hand to those in need of household goods, meals and snacks, outreach, shower and laundry facilities, and transition houses for victims of violence. Their help line services include 211, the Alcohol and Drug Information and Referral Service (ADIRS), the Problem Gambling Help Line, VictimLink BC, and the Youth Against Violence Line. This organization is funded by the United Way along with British Columbia and City of Vancouver governments.

Alberta

Accessible Housing Society

1212 31st Avenue N.E., Suite 215

Calgary, Alberta

Accessible Housing is a non-profit organization and registered charity dedicated to opening doors for people with limited mobility to acquire accessible and affordable proper housing. They have outreach and residential programs where they deliver housing and personal support. You can help through various means through this organization: by assisting at community events like festivals, fairs, or fundraisers, helping with site maintenance like painting or landscaping, and applying for leadership on committees and our board. You can also donate online.

New Brunswick

Bathurst Youth Centre

895 Ste Anne Street

Bathurst, New Brunswick

Bathurst Youth Centre specifically caters to the youth by offering structured programs that tackle the most pressing issues tackled by the youth today. They also provide counseling, educational, recreational, and social activities all under a supervised setting. This centre believes in creating a healthy and positive environment for the young ones by providing leisure activities like dances, concerts, variety shows, cafes, pool tables, and games areas, and other sports. They also provide help for the kids’ employment needs.

Saskatoon

The Lighthouse

227 20th St E. S7K 0A5

The Lighthouse specializes in providing affordable housing for the community, but it also caters to those in need of emergency shelters for those who have nowhere to sleep at night. The Lighthouse also provides counselling services to those who are at risk of being made homeless for various reasons. The Lighthouse provides numerous volunteer opportunities for the community including cleaning and maintenance, food, and leisure activities.

Quebec

Old Brewery Mission

902 Saint-Laurent Blvd.
Montreal (Quebec) H2Z 1J2

The Old Brewery Mission is committed to providing Montreal’s homeless men and women their essential needs while remaining steadfast to finding practical and sustainable solutions to end chronic homelessness. This organization offers volunteer opportunities in meals preparation and food serving, office administration, and event management. They also accept professional services such as legal advice, accounting, translation, graphic design, and photography.

SOURCES:

https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/homelessness-101/how-many-people-are-homeless-canada

http://www.canadian-universities.net/Volunteer/Homeless_and_Housing.html

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/city-crews-clear-encampment-under-gardiner-expressway-homeless-1.5054918

http://www.bc211.ca/

https://www.bathurstyouthcentre.ca/

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/here-are-organizations-helping-the-homeless-survive-winter-1.2176233

Reading novels can be a good way to relax, but also to build up a better vocabulary and to gain insights into the world. Novels can teach people about life, help them understand other cultures, or learn how to make better decisions. Even if you have a busy schedule, you should be sure that you spend time in 2019 reading novels.

Do you have a favourite kind of novel, such as fantasy or historical fiction, or do you prefer adventure stories or maybe novels about relationships?  Whatever kind you prefer, you will probably be able to find a book to suit your interests. If you want to be sure that the books you read are high quality, you can check at the library or look online to see what other people recommend.

Canadian fiction can be a good place to start. The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena is about two teenagers who fall in love with each other, and Ghosts by David A. Robertson tells the story of an Indigenous teenager and a community dealing with an illness coming from a nearby research facility. These and other Canadian books can help connect readers to the communities where they live or introduce them to new ones.

Many good books have also come from other countries. Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus is a mystery set in a small town, while Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian continues the fantasy series about a daring escape and an attempt to win back a kingdom. Fans of the mystery genre might want to check out Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte, and a good choice for a historical novel is The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi.

New books are always exciting, whether they deal with modern life or a past era. Still, good books can speak to people in any era and show them something about life. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, for example, is still popular years after it was written, and the seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia are classics. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle is another very good book that was recently made into a movie.

In 2015, people were excited to hear that a novelist named Harper Lee was going to publish her second novel. The first one, To Kill a Mockingbird, won the Pulitzer Prize when she published it in 1950, and it is still popular today. Even years later, the themes that she wrote about are still relevant.

Good writing is all about helping people to understand the world better, although it can be entertaining at the same time. For example, humour can help people see their faults while making them laugh, and fantasy can use people and creatures from other worlds to show people what this world is like. Some of the characters in Narnia, even though they are beavers or bears, are much like people in the ways they deal with others or in the decisions they make.

Reading novels can be an escape from daily life, a way to relax, but it can also be a learning experience. Be sure to check out some of the best books that are available.

Bibliography:

CBC Books. “29 Canadian Kids’ Books and YA to Look for in 2019.” https://www.cbc.ca/books/29-canadian-kids-books-ya-to-look-for-in-spring-2019-1.4996568.

Time Magazine. “The 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time.” http://time.com/100-best-young-adult-books/.

McMurdie, Dana. “The Most Exciting Young Adult Books of 2019.” https://www.readbrightly.com/ya-books-2019/.

Lifehack. “27 Must Read Books Every Novel Lover Should Read at Least Once.” https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/25-incredible-novels-you-must-read-least-once-your-life.html.

Smith, Eric. 10 of the Best Young Adult Novels of January 2019

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/01/best-young-adult-novels-of-january-2019.html.

By Helena Wright

As we become older and grow into adulthood, we naturally become accountable and more responsible for our actions. It is no longer your teachers, your parents and the adults in your life making your decisions. As much as we can sometimes justify not going to school, by saying that the content is not important, or you have something better to do, or you just don’t want to go are not valid enough reasons to skip. Skipping class in high-school is a rite of passage, with notorious ‘senior skip days’ and good summer weather that prompts time spent outdoors rather than in a dingy classroom. Sometimes getting out of bed in the morning to go to an 8:30 class that you’re not particularly fond of can feel like a loosing battle. Maybe, you have a last- minute assignment due in your next period that you haven’t finished or maybe a test you haven’t studied for, and need to go to the library instead of class to get it done.

However, a few skipped classes can turn into a bad case of absenteeism. In that case you miss valuable information that your teacher is giving and present yourself as not only unreliable but as unprepared for life beyond high-school. Your ability to prove yourself as a reliable and productive individual that can discipline themselves to attend to their responsibilities is valuable for future employers and future professors in university. Your ability to discipline yourself and present yourself as prepared and participating in your classes tells your teachers that you care. It shows to others that you are understanding of what is expected of you, and you can rise beyond your desires and do what you need to do.

When applying to universities, your attendance will reflect your commitment to your studies and your classes. Admission offices that are accepting students will choose a student with the drive to apply themselves and learn, over a student that proved that they could not commit to their classes. As university is less parentally involved, it relies on a student’s commitment to their studies. As professors are not going to contact you or your parents with concerns of absenteeism. Your learning in post-secondary is dependent on you getting yourself to class and learning the content. Not attending your lectures leads to struggle in learning the content, and does not shed a good light on academic commitment. If you need to ask your teacher or your professor for a reference or good word, you will want to be the person who is attributed with the participation and engagement to class material.

Overall, attendance reflects commitment and admirable, hard-working qualities that not only teachers will seek, but employers and future mentors.