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This week I received an email from Georgia’s school about attendance.

Apparently she has reached five “unexcused absences”, which means I now need to have a meeting with the principal and the school counsellor. The interesting part is that I don’t even know what the five absences are yet — I have to wait for the state to send a letter outlining them.

What struck me about the situation wasn’t really the rule itself.

It was the structure behind it.

After twenty-five years in banking, I recognised the system immediately. Thresholds, documentation, conversations triggered once certain numbers are reached. It’s the same attendance matrix many workplaces use for adults.

Except this time… the employee is ten.

In this episode of This Week in America, I reflect on how institutions in the United States often operate through systems and compliance structures — from school attendance policies to a job opportunity I once had with Child Protective Services that ultimately closed because of a university requirement from decades earlier.

None of these systems exist for bad reasons.

But every now and then you encounter a moment where real life and institutional structure don’t quite line up — and you suddenly see the machinery behind the curtain.

Sometimes living overseas isn’t just about noticing cultural differences.

Sometimes it’s noticing how different societies organise themselves.

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