Take-Your-Kid-To-Work Day Loses Steam
CHICAGO—More than a decade after it began, take-your-kid-to-work day appears to be losing steam. Now it's keep-your-kid-in-school.
Thursday marked the 17th year for Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day. But some school districts sent strongly worded letters or e-mails to parents explaining that taking a child to work would put the youngster's education at risk.
Though many kids still accompany a parent to work, some employers say the event increasingly conflicts with high-stakes standardized testing in schools. And this year, it was overshadowed by Earth Day, which celebrated its 40th anniversary on Thursday.
In Phoenix, the superintendent sent out a letter telling students that missing time from school, even one day, means "his or her learning achievement suffers."
Though many kids still accompany a parent to work, some employers say the event increasingly conflicts with high-stakes standardized testing in schools. And this year, it was overshadowed by Earth Day, which celebrated its 40th anniversary on Thursday.
In Texas -- at Dell Inc. in Austin and Southern Methodist University in Dallas -- most of the focus was on Earth Day, not Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.
Hah!
I find that last line pretty ironic. At Dell Computer?
A young Michael Dell was working his tale off from age 10 up. He started out making tens of thousands selling newspaper subscriptions to newlyweds. Then he was madly dissecting and rebuilding computers before dropping out of useless college to start his multi-billion dollar international business. I sincerely doubt he'd deprecate a child skipping school to visit a real-world workplace for a single day. And I sincerely doubt he was focusing his energy, back in the day, on acid-rain or nuclear arms protests - or whatever the nonsense of his specific youth was.
Thanks to my Grumpy golf buddy for this link!
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