taking kids out of school

[Unregistered]

I am just curious....I noticed on a board it said that taking kids out of school starts a controversy.... not to start one but I am just curious as to what/why people get so upset about it? I see some things but if your child is doing very well in school and you know they will not fall behind what is the harm?

[wildeoscar]

some people think one way, some people think another... kinda like red vs. blue states.

[andymattmom]

I am just curious....I noticed on a board it said that taking kids out of school starts a controversy.... not to start one but I am just curious as to what/why people get so upset about it? I see some things but if your child is doing very well in school and you know they will not fall behind what is the harm?



I am taking my 8th and 6th grader out for a week in September. They get good grades and have good attendance. I can see if the children struggle or have missed/miss lots of days it being an issue but I have done it one other time. They did the homework before we went and it worked out.

[wifey1220]

my son will be in second grade and he will be missing a week of school again. he missed because of Disney trip in k and 1st grade.

[tinkntraining]

I, too, am taking an 8th grader and 6th grader out of school for a week in May for Disney. They are both honor roll students and I received permission from the principal. Thank goodness, our school district really works with the parents on "teaching field trips" -- as adults, we all know that learning doesn't always have to take place in school -- there are TONS of opportunities for learning at Disney (engineering, science, history, culture, math, just to name a few). As long as I'm not taking them out during standardized testings, and I don't abuse the priviledge, the district is on-board. Of course, my girls will have to make up the work they've missed. But, what a small price to have to pay for a week at Disney!

But, each to their own. I support the parents either way!:thumbsup2

[patti_jim_peanut]

My daughter will be missing her first few days back to school after april vacation. We have already told the teachers and they will be giving her some assignments to work on while we are at Disney. She's in kindergarten, so obviously it won't be long division, but we try to never miss an opportunity to learn something.:yay:

[srwarden1928]

As a teacher, I would say that taking a high school student out is doing their academics a disservice, particularly if the school is on a block schedule (which is wonderful in many ways). It can be very difficult for the work to be made up at the level the student is used to. Most students do more poorly on makeup work than their usual standards, especially in math, which is what I teach. I would have strong reservations about taking a middle school student out of school for similar reasons. However, if an elementary age child is doing well in school, some time out for a trip is not a bad idea. I missed two weeks for family vacations in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th grade. We had the vacations in the summer after I got to a high enough level that the absences would have hurt.

[EltonJohn]

I am just curious....I noticed on a board it said that taking kids out of school starts a controversy.... not to start one but I am just curious as to what/why people get so upset about it? I see some things but if your child is doing very well in school and you know they will not fall behind what is the harm?

I don't why it's controversial, especially as it only conerns the parent and his/her child. It is really no one else's business.

[wildeoscar]

the smart kids will figure it out and catch up, the dumb kids get a trip to disney... as I see it everyone wins.

[magickingdommom]

If your child's grades are well maintained and there's no issue with their attendance...it can be quite a rewarding experience. I pulled my two DDs(1st and 3rd graders) out of school last December for MVMCP for three school days plus the weekend. (OK, we lucked out and two of the three days were snow days, but who could've planned that?:rotfl2: ) In fact when we asked permission to take them out, we promised the teachers a report from each of them. :teacher: So my DDs wrote about different cultures they learned about in EPCOT. It was a win-win for everyone!:cool1:

[penguin087]

My 8th grader flat out refused to miss a whole week of school. :confused3 He is a great student and rarely misses school. He felt he would have too much work to catch up. He really, really, really cares about his grades. I didn't want to go in the summer so we reached a compromise and he will be missing 3 days in May. We shortened the trip a little and by May they are starting to wrap up and review for finals. Not as much new material being taught.

[goofyboyzmom]

I have an 11th grader, 9th grader and 6th grader and I have taken them out of school for 4-5 days each in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 and coming up in a couple of weeks. I agree education is extremely important and I have 3 good students. If they stuggled, I [I]probably[I] would not do it, but these are priceless times and our time together is more important than work they can make up. In two years my oldest will be in college and then we will have to definitely plan to go in the off time.

[stopher1]

Personally I don't see what the big deal is, if your children are relatively good in school and can catch up. But even if they aren't, as I paraphase what a PP said, this is a special time in their lives, and once in a while doing something this is great for the family! Which in my opinion, is JUST AS IMPORTANT as formal education. Afterall, they're only young once.

[Tammysue5]

We took our kids out last summer for our first family vacation... K, 3rd, 11th. I had not intended to do that again this year but the kids are good students and had not problems last year making up homework. They are only young once and not everyone can get off during school breaks.

[KLoRusso]

I don't see the harm in it. I plan on taking DD out of Kindergarten in January so we can take adavantage of the milder weather and smaller crowds. We thought about going in September but we don't want to have DD pulled out of a new class only two weeks after starting school. I think that if you know your child and his/her temperment you can determine if pulling them out of school is a good idea.

[dvczerfs]

Wow!!! Its Like Asking Who Are Voting For!!

[janloz]

We are taking our 2nd and 6th grader out of school the week after Thanksgiving. They are both excellent students and we have already spoken to their teachers and they will prepare work for them to do before we go, on the plane and will finish work when we get back. We are going that week since it is my son's 11th bday and we want him to celebrate in WDW (DD7 did for her 5th in 2006). He is very excited to visit Epcot this time to learn more about the countires he is studying in school. I know some teachers don't agree but I know my children and we made a decision that we think is best for us. :santa:

[melissaknits]

We did it twice. My kids were home schooled, so the schedule was more flexible. I could take my vacation whenever and then have them work on extra week or two into the summer. My husband's youngest was in public school. He had work to complete before he returned, which he did.

We got married down there the first year, and the date was important for us (December 14) as it was an existing anniversary and we'd waited until 1997 just to get that date on a Saturday. We were originally planning a local wedding. When the location burned down and we were scrambling for a substitute my husband said "Why don't we just run off to Disney World and get married?" We could not have afforded to go at any other time of year - got amazing deals on a suite both times.

The second time was two years later and again money came into it. Value Season can be a big bonus when you're traveling with kids.

That said I was recently chastised by a school teacher friend who was disgusted that I'd taken the one kid out for a family vacation not once but twice. And my crime was over ten years ago. She was very offended, said "What do parents think we are, free babysitters??" I said "Worse than that. I think I own them till they're 18! I just lend them to you for a few hours a day."

[I'mAlittleBitGoofy]

I am just curious....I noticed on a board it said that taking kids out of school starts a controversy.... not to start one but I am just curious as to what/why people get so upset about it? I see some things but if your child is doing very well in school and you know they will not fall behind what is the harm?

We do it every year. My kids are in 1st and 3rd grade. I don't have an issue with it. They are both excellent students. Some people will argue that attendance is equated into funding for the school your child attends. As long as the child isn't exceeding his/her absences, I don't see the big deal.
I have also read posts from teachers who get on their pedestal and berate us parents who pull our kids out of school for vacation. Thankfully, I don't encounter them in our school system. In fact, both of my childrens teachers are Disney fans and said, "Great, have a good time and say hello to Mickey!" Lol

[cassmat]

LOL, thank-God both kids are strong students. We take them out every year the week after the Christmas holidays. Our son was mad this year as he had too much catching up to do...
For the upcoming Xmas, we are going the week before Christmas, as he starts his first year of high school and the week after will be too hard as exams will start soon!!

I do not feel bad at all....

[debilovesmickey]

Well I will add my 2 cents as a teacher.
I took my own kids out for WDW when they were 9 and 12 for 2.5 days at Thanksgiving time.
I think it matters if you are taking them out yearly or even more often.

At my school we are not allowed to give work ahead, the children must make it up when they return. In my kids' case their trip in 2001 was truly once in their childhoods, not an annual or semi annual trip.

I also think , as a teacher and parent, that I want kids to know school is important. I have had students tell me they have taken days off to decorate the Christmas tree or because they felt like a day off or have gotten dismissed to go to buy a gift for a birthday party. No matter what grade they are in, I think parents send messages about whether they value education or not by their behavior. Yes, family trips are very important and it is more crowded at Disney on school vacations. It is the only time I get to go, I know first hand! :)

I think it is up to each family to decide what is right for them .

Debi

[otisandmaggie]

Believe it or not, a trip to Disney is an excused absence in our school. Even if it wasn't, I'd probably still take them out. My kids are bright and I have witnessed how much time gets wasted in a day. If you take away lunch, p.e., recess, busy work, time spent in transit from one activity to another, you don't leave a HUGE amount of instructional time (I'm talking about a 1st and 3rd graders here) We have plenty of time in the car on the way down and back to take care of any make-up work. They do a project based on what they've learned on the trip within a couple of weeks of our return. We don't go every year, but probably would if we didn't have so many other places we want to go as well! Several of our kids teachers over the years have told us that it's really obvious that our kids have had lots of experiences and travel and it really helps them in their school work. I'm not saying we take them out for weeks and weeks every year, but if they miss a week total for the year to enable us to have some travel experiences they wouldn't have otherwise - I think it's worth it. We always talk to the teachers ahead of time to tell them what we'll be doing. We make every effort not to create any extra work for them. Every teacher we've had so far (6 in all for both kids) has been very suportive. My I did ramble on! Sorry!!!

[lam712]

We have taken our three children out of school for 3-5 days every other year or so for our family vacation for many years. When they were younger, my husband did not have enough seniority to take a summer vacation so we always planned an October trip which coincided with a long weekend off for some teacher inservice days. I believe you have to know your own family and whether they will be able to complete the work or learn the material on their own. All of our children are/were honor students and our daughter was valedictorian, so I do not believe our family vacations hurt them academically. However, our teachers always worked with us to help our students. My daughter's Spanish teacher had her bring back two Disney maps; one printed in English and one in Spanish to share with the class, etc. I think it would have been very difficult to do this without cooperation with school staff, so if you live in a school district that will not help, I can see where taking students out of school would be very difficult.

We are planning a Disney trip this August right before Labor Day so our two children who are in college can also go with us (and still enjoy free dining!). Our school starts August 19th and our youngest son will be starting his senior year. We were a little hesitant to take him out the week after school starts. However, he said he would prefer it this way so he can go the first few days to get his books/assignments. He believes that week will be mostly review and the more difficult work will start after Labor Day.

[PirateMaiden]

We'll be taking our DD out of her 2nd week of school again this year. We did it last year- 1st grade. We arranged with her teacher to take all of her work with us and she had to complete her assignments each day before we went off to the parks. It all seems to have worked out well as she has been student of the month each month this year.:thumbsup2 (Not that the trip had anything to do with her acomplishments, but it obviously didn't hurt.):)

[srwarden1928]

At the school where I teach, only the first 4 absences in a semester can be excused with a parent note. This could include a trip. Beginning with the fifth absence, documentation is required. By board policy, if an absence is unexcused, the teacher has a choice of makeup at half credit or automatic zero. More than four days (and perfect attendance beforehand) could be devastating gradewise.

[moepanz]

this is so funny I was just checking my DS school calender for next Dec. He is starting kindergarden in Sept. I am a little concerend I do not know what the policy is for taking kids out for vac. Whatever it is it does not matter because we are going Dec. 2-9 either way. I just hope I don't get too much flak. Any suggestions on when I should bring it up to the teacher?

[jennifer03878]

I am taking my DS10 out of school in 3 weeks (it's the week after his April vacation). I am letting his school know this week. I am going to make sure that he gets all his school work that he missed so that he can do it on he plane and he will also write in his journal (he's done this the last 2 years that we have gone and it hasn't been a big issue). he's so far ahead of all the other kids in class that i don't feel bad his missing any classes and his school actually is OK with their going on vacation as long as they make up their classwork. This is his last year of Elementary school so this will be the last year we will be able to do this and we don't feel bad at all. This year it's going to be a total surprise for him. He isn't going to know he's going until we are going until we get to the bus to go to the airport. I doubt he'll miss school until we get back ;) . He'll still get his homework done on time.

[TanyaLovesPooh]

We are doing it in October. My son will be 9th grade and daughter will be 5th. They miss maybe 1-2 days per year for being ill and are both always on the Honor Roll. They have been straight A students thru out school so I am not worried, they will be doing make-up work the on the drive there.

[DVCRob]

We snatch our kids out at the drop of a hat! My kids make all A's and they're smart like their mother. Now if they were like me....

[Tinkerspell]

We took the kids out of school for a week last school year. What week? Why the last week of school, when they aren't doing anything anyway but watching movies and cleaning out their desks. What was nice was it put us at Disney during value season, while it was warm, but not miserably hot. The kids had a blast. (Mind you, they were in 4th and 5th grades last year.)

This year, we're not pulling them out because my husband and myself are both in graduate school and we absolutely cannot get out of our classes whatsoever. Other than the heat of summer, the only time we can take them (that would need us to pull them out of school) is during finals week. Since DS will be in 7th next year, his first run of finals, we're not pulling the kiddos this school year or next. After that, who knows?

For the OP, I think the controversy lies in people who believe that school must take precedence and determine your schedule. I personally think that there are just as many learning opportunities outside a classroom as inside, and any educator worth their salt would acknowledge that to be true. Not everyone agrees, but such is life. They're entitled to think children should be in school without unnecessary absences, and I'm entitled to think that I'd like very much not to swelter in Florida and pay for the privilege of doing so. :rotfl:

Before the hoopla starts though, I do want to point out that I've worked as a special educator, homeschooled my children in the past, and I'm getting my graduate degree so I can teach college. I am passionate about learning and know the importance of education. I am just as passionate about going to Disney when it's a reasonable temperature outside.

[ntz4disney]

We have taken our kids to Disney twice during each school year since our oldest started Kindergarten. I have always sent in letters to the teachers well in advance and have requested a homework packet so she was not behind in her school work. I have never encountered a problem from the teachers OR the school principal. As a matter of fact with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 days in the school year, all of my child's absebt days were due to Disney vacations! If she was not a good student then I might reconsider when we go away and for how long ... going in the summer is not an option for us, way too HOT in Florida at that time of year:flower3:

[yaksack]

My wife is a school nurse so she cannot take off in September, but if she could, we would take our kids out.

[tina_la]

We took our kids out last year for a little less than a week. Got a little flak from the school and they reported it because it was more than 5 days even though I talked to them about it first. Didn't matter to us, it was our first family vacation EVER and we had a blast. As I told my kids "you are my children and I am responsible for you not the school. " We are taking them out 5 days in September this year too.

BTW we did my son's work on the way up there. a week of work in about 2 hours and he recieved better grades when we got back on his tests than he did the week before in class. The teacher even wrote a note saying how impressed she was.:rotfl:

[yaksack]

[QUOTE=tina_la;24354652]We took our kids out last year for a little less than a week. Got a little flak from the school and they reported it because it was more than 5 days even though I talked to them about it first.

Who did the school report it to and what are the consequences?

[Unregistered]

I have always struggled with taking my kids out for vacation but decided to do it anyway this September. My youngest is 12. She is mildly autistic and struggles some, but gets decent grades. We are currently paying college tuition, room and board. The free dining plan offered in Sept. along with a 3 day business trip made it affordable for us to go then. We took the older kids every year, during school breaks for along time but stopped going when the youngest was 3. I want her to have a childhood Disney experience she will remember. Having only one left at home made me realize how fast kids grow up and how important family time is.
I have not told her school yet and imagine they will not be happy. I heard the principle give a speech last year that implied the kids with 4.0 GPA's were the same kids with perfect attendance. She then commended them for coming to school with sore throats and tummy aches. I could not believe it, lets encourage the kids to spread germs around and get a whole bunch of kids sick. Perhaps my asthmatic child would miss less school and not have blue lips for a week, if sick kids stayed home for a day or two. I will be taking her out for a 6 days even though I have anxiety about it. I am hoping she misses mostly review so early in the school year. If not we will deal with it and help her catch up.
She will have a family life time memory, that will stay with her a lot longer than 8th grade math.

[tina_la]

they said the school board but I have never been contacted and really that was as far as it went. Just telling me that by state law they were required to report any child that missed more than 5 days in a row. that was Sept of last year.

[chessie2008]

We took our dd out of 1st grade for a week last year. The teacher made a snotty comment about how it wouldn't work if everyone did that but that was all I heard about it. In Sept we will have to take her out of the 3rd grade and my ds out of kindergarten for the week. I really don't see it being a problem. Except for the days she missed in 1st grade for our trip she has only been absent 2 other days from Kindergarten to 2nd grade. I think if you know your child(ren) and that they can handle it and aren't usually ill too often you should have the right to decide that for them. We choose Sept because, besides the free dining, I really wanted her to be there for her birthday, a memory I hope she will never forget.

[dvczerfs]

We took our kids out last year for a little less than a week. Got a little flak from the school and they reported it because it was more than 5 days even though I talked to them about it first. Didn't matter to us, it was our first family vacation EVER and we had a blast. As I told my kids "you are my children and I am responsible for you not the school. " We are taking them out 5 days in September this year too.

BTW we did my son's work on the way up there. a week of work in about 2 hours and he recieved better grades when we got back on his tests than he did the week before in class. The teacher even wrote a note saying how impressed she was.:rotfl:

hi tina la!! couldnt of said it better myself!! my wife and i both work for a living to pay school tax's which are going up 10 per. every year for the next ten years. the last i looked out my front door there was an american flag flying so i think you should be able to take your kids on vacation when you want to. we do the same and our teachers are very nice and give my dd her work before we leave every year. takes the test the first day back in class with not a problem. she missed 8 days in dec and will miss 9 days in october.because of my work, we can only go in october or december.

[Unregistered]

I too am a parent who has chosen to take my dd out of school on occassion for our Disney vacations. I will be doing this again at the beginning of Sept. For us, combined with the FD and value season, it is what is affordable for my family. (The sharp increase in our gas, heating fuel and enormous school taxes indeed plays a part in our decision).
This year she will only miss the first day of school. Even if it were the first week of school, our district does not begin new lessons right of way. They are busy settling in, handing out text books, notices and other supplies. So for us this works. (By the way, our district does not approve of our decision concerning vaca. time during school days)
I also believe that traveling can be just as much an education as sitting in a classroom reading out of books, in some cases, perhaps even more educational than a classroom. We are all different families with different needs and for the most part, we all have good intentions. So parents, whatever you decide is acceptable for your family, go for it!

[Sgt.Tibbs]

and I am also taking my kids out of school for it. I planned our trip to coincide with a week that teachers have "convention days" on Thurs & Fri. so my DS9 and DD6 will really only be missing 3 days of school. They both do very well in school and I will talk to their teachers about sending work home for them to do while we are away.
I think that if we feel our kids can handle the make-up work and won't suffer academically, it's fine.

[prekteacher]

I will be taking my 6th and 3rd grader out of school for the frist week of may this year for our very first family reuion ever. Also one of the family members going has cancer and may not be around next year( my dad)They both have great grades and the school looks at there days in school and days out and there behavier(sp) and it is also up to the school pricpcial(sp) .
Ifeel it is up to the family if they take the children out of school or not.

[HonnyDipp]

We have 3 school aged children and we are taking them out of school for a week for our world trip in November. My DS10 has severe asthma and taking him during the summer months is a bad idea. I plan on telling the teachers right after school starts of our plans.

[robinc71]

I will be taking my 6th and 3rd grader out of school for the frist week of may this year for our very first family reuion ever. Also one of the family members going has cancer and may not be around next year( my dad)They both have great grades and the school looks at there days in school and days out and there behavier(sp) and it is also up to the school pricpcial(sp) .
Ifeel it is up to the family if they take the children out of school or not.


Sorry to hear about your Dad :grouphug: I hope that you have a magical journey and wonderful memories. I feel that as a parent, I get to chose certain things for myself and my child. When to vacation is one of them. I'm a single mom working 40+ hours per week. Each dime I save is worth its weight in gold sometimes. Value season is not during the summer! It would be different if my DD was not a good student but I'm lucky. Our school makes you fill out papers to get approved and then We did have work to take with us. No flack from teacher, told to have a great time. Heading back this September for a surprise trip. Hope her teacher next year is just as wonderful.

[dvczerfs]

I will be taking my 6th and 3rd grader out of school for the frist week of may this year for our very first family reuion ever. Also one of the family members going has cancer and may not be around next year( my dad)They both have great grades and the school looks at there days in school and days out and there behavier(sp) and it is also up to the school pricpcial(sp) .
Ifeel it is up to the family if they take the children out of school or not. sorry to hear about your dad. both my parents were wdw fans and lost them and a brother to cancer all in the early 50s and late 40s. have a wonderful trip! remember to keep the faith! theres always hope!!

[liftn]

I think it is a choice that should be made based upon the child. If your child is rarely absent and does well, then it should be no problem. If your child struggles or has missed many days, then you should reconsider your choice. I know they are only "young once", but remember that is a double edge sword. They are only "young once" - if you let them know that they are allowed to go only because they have been doing well and have a good attendance record, then great. On the flip side, if your child does not do well or misses scholl a lot, then you should think twice about your trip. Giving them the wrong message at a young age could affect them later in life.

We leave for Disney in exactly 1 month from today. Although my DD is very excited, she has not missed a single day this year, and this will be bitter sweet for her, because she wanted a perfect attendance.

Oh ya, her teacher has missed 8 days this year so far. As an adult, I feel that is far worse then a child missing school.

[Kaler131]

We are going to do it this September. Our kids will be in 9th, 6th, 3rd, and preschool. My 9th grader is an honor student, so she will not have a problem making up the work. The boys will do their work before and after we go/get home.:thumbsup2

[3happydancers]

I will be taking my 6th and 3rd grader out of school for the frist week of may this year for our very first family reuion ever. Also one of the family members going has cancer and may not be around next year( my dad)They both have great grades and the school looks at there days in school and days out and there behavier(sp) and it is also up to the school pricpcial(sp) .
Ifeel it is up to the family if they take the children out of school or not.

So sorry to hear of your Dad's failing health. We have lost both my husband's parents and my dad. I wish you and your family the best of memories to hold onto!

[2giddy4wdw]

I truly believe that it is the parents choice on whether to take your children out of school, whether they are good students or not so good students. In this day and age I think that we have lost sight of our children. If your children are still willing to go on a vacation with the family, whether to Disney or some other place, I say go for it. Our DS was not the best student in school or college. No matter how much we stressed to do your best, he was ok being an average student. Our DD on the other hand is an over achiever. But to say that we can't take a vacation because one doesn't do as well as the other isn't fair either. Our DS is now graduated from college and did his externship at Disney (that's how much we all love disney), and I would not give up all of the vacations that we took with him while he was younger. I have pictures and memories that will last a life time. My DD is a freshman this year and we took her and a friend with us in October, and all work was made up before the end of the week that we got back. We will be going again this year the week after Thanksgiving and taking DD out of school and will continue to do this until she graduates from high school. My children know how important school is and by taking them out doesn't make them worse students then the ones that don't take vacations during school. Even with taking my daughter out, she still carries a 3.9 GPA. Yes I guess she could of had a 4.0 if we didn't go on vacation, but then again maybe she would not even have that.

I say that everyone needs to decide for themselves what is best...in the long run I feel that you really need to live each day to the fullest!!!! I went through almost losing my dad this year and am sooooo thankful that a year ago we took both of our kids (while DS was on college break, DD still was in school)and my parents to Disney for a vacation. We have the best memories that none of us will ever forget.

[Aliceacc]

Just for the record:

I haven't heard anyone argue against family vacations or family time. I think that everyone here agrees that they're incredibly important.

I think the argument centers on whether or not those family vacations should coincide with school days.

[PrincessTiffany]

I am just curious....I noticed on a board it said that taking kids out of school starts a controversy.... not to start one but I am just curious as to what/why people get so upset about it? I see some things but if your child is doing very well in school and you know they will not fall behind what is the harm?
Because we have quite a few of the "moral majority" here on the Dis that feel it is their place to let us know how our children should be raised and have a great need to save us from ourselves and the bad examples we are setting for our children by taking them out of school for a vacation. That's just my opinion though, and I'm just one of those irresponsible parents who take their children out of school to go to WDW.

[dvczerfs]

Because we have quite a few of the "moral majority" here on the Dis that feel it is their place to let us know how our children should be raised and have a great need to save us from ourselves and the bad examples we are setting for our children by taking them out of school for a vacation. That's just my opinion though, and I'm just one of those irresponsible parents who take their children out of school to go to WDW.
VERY NICE! COULDNT OF SAID IT BETTER MYSELF!! IM HUMMING GOD BLESS AMERICA AS IM READING THIS! IM WITH YA SISTER!!:hippie:

[tina_la]

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[all4disney98]

We will be taking our son out of school for 4 days next school year. He is a good student and can handle missing these few days. I don't feel I am setting a bad example because as with last year, we will set aside time each day back in the room to work on some homework. Also, I am setting the example that family comes first. You can have all the money in the world but without time for your family and friends to share your life with, you aren't going to be happy.

I lost my father a few months ago and he and my mom were planning on going with us on this next trip. Losing him has just strenghthened my belief that our time here is too short to worry about missing a few days in the real world and that our time together is priceless.

This is how I am raising my family and I am not saying what others do is right or wrong. This is just right for our family and our situation so no flames please.

[daisyduck123]

I pull my high-school freshman & 4th grader out every year...they each miss 5-6 school days for our WDW trips. I am glad that there is such a large group of parents that detest pulling their kids out....it just makes the crowd levels lower for the rest of us!:thumbsup2

*I also pull myself out of school as well :teacher:

[Disneyparisfan]

Just to 'stir things up' how do the people who don't think we should take the kids out of school feel about me doing it?

I work in the emergency services- Shift work and Loooong Hours. (at the moment I am averaging a 75 hour week) My leave (vacation time) is rostered, ie. my station officer TELLS me when I can and cannot have leave.

I have no choice on the matter, I can request, dates but as there are other guys on my watch with kids, it usually doesn't happen.

I don't see nearly as much of my DW :lovestruc or my DD :cutie: as I would like to, and often when I do I am just too tired, grouchy, upset, stressed etc depending on my last shift to really appreciate my time with them.

Vacation is another thing though. We love Disney, visit as often as we can, which is no where near as often as we would like (costs a lot from where I live) so sometimes the only way to be able to go is to take my DD out of school, both for time and money.

I do it reluctantly, (she does reasonably well at the moment, :teacher: but I am aware that that can always change:confused3 ) but my choice is pull her out or dont go.

So would the 'anti' lobby have me take at best one vacation every 4 years with her, and sit around the house every other year by myself, or is it OK in some circumstances to bend the rules a little?

The above would obviously apply to anyone with restricted leave dates, Militairy personnel, some Government workers, etc.

What's everyones views please. ;)

Just as an afterthought- when asking the school for copies of any work my DD missed, so we could cover it with her we were told no! So the schools obviously dont think it's that important! Or possibly just our school's rubbish!

[dizzy203]

Life is too short and you never know what will happen tomorrow so I go to Disney when I can. One of the factors that I take into consideration when I make my decision is how my son is doing in school. I had no problem taking him out of school when he was in 1st & 2nd grade but 3rd grade to 6th grade was harder so we didn't go. In both 7th and 8th grade he was doing a lot better so I talked to his teacher and she said that he was doing great and had no problem with me taking him out of school. She told us to have great time and not worry about it at all. He's in 9th grade now and this past Oct I took him out of school for 4 days. I was concerned about keeping him out (his father didn't want us to go) but we went and he had no problems with school. As a matter of fact, I think his grades have been the best he's ever gotten. I know next year will be harder so we're going to Disney but he'll only miss 3 days. He has blocked scheduling where he has the same classes all year but they're every other day. So he'll miss 2 days of 1 set of classes and only 1 day of another set of classes.

[Crisgw]

Our oldest is starting Kindergarten Aug 22 and we'll take him out the week (Sept 6-13) we do Disney. We're also taking our youngest out of preschool. My parents took both my sister and I out for Disney each year and we each got full rides (academic) to Northwestern and Denison University :lmao:

[ilovediznee2]

As a teacher, I would say that taking a high school student out is doing their academics a disservice, particularly if the school is on a block schedule (which is wonderful in many ways). It can be very difficult for the work to be made up at the level the student is used to. Most students do more poorly on makeup work than their usual standards, especially in math, which is what I teach. I would have strong reservations about taking a middle school student out of school for similar reasons. However, if an elementary age child is doing well in school, some time out for a trip is not a bad idea. I missed two weeks for family vacations in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th grade. We had the vacations in the summer after I got to a high enough level that the absences would have hurt.

As a mom who takes her DDs :love: out of school, I would have to say that I am starting to agree here...just a little...
My oldest is now in 9th grade, and I will be taking her out the second week of school next year. After that, I don't plan on taking her out, as she is doubling up on all of her classes, and in the 11th grade, she will also be taking 12th grade classes. This is a lot to make up, so I will plan our vacations accordingly.
Until then, though, both of my DDs have been on the honor roll, and the oldest plays on 3 soccer teams-one being Premier :thumbsup2 , so it hasn't been an issue. I just don't want to take the chance of her falling behind while doing work for two grades at once, all while maintaining her honor roll status, and staying on the three soccer teams. That's a lot to handle in the 11th grade.
I still think, though, that it should be up to the parents.

[ilovediznee2]

Just to 'stir things up' how do the people who don't think we should take the kids out of school feel about me doing it?

I work in the emergency services- Shift work and Loooong Hours. (at the moment I am averaging a 75 hour week) My leave (vacation time) is rostered, ie. my station officer TELLS me when I can and cannot have leave.

I have no choice on the matter, I can request, dates but as there are other guys on my watch with kids, it usually doesn't happen.

I don't see nearly as much of my DW :lovestruc or my DD :cutie: as I would like to, and often when I do I am just too tired, grouchy, upset, stressed etc depending on my last shift to really appreciate my time with them.

Vacation is another thing though. We love Disney, visit as often as we can, which is no where near as often as we would like (costs a lot from where I live) so sometimes the only way to be able to go is to take my DD out of school, both for time and money.

I do it reluctantly, (she does reasonably well at the moment, :teacher: but I am aware that that can always change:confused3 ) but my choice is pull her out or dont go.

So would the 'anti' lobby have me take at best one vacation every 4 years with her, and sit around the house every other year by myself, or is it OK in some circumstances to bend the rules a little?

The above would obviously apply to anyone with restricted leave dates, Militairy personnel, some Government workers, etc.

What's everyones views please. ;)

Just as an afterthought- when asking the school for copies of any work my DD missed, so we could cover it with her we were told no! So the schools obviously dont think it's that important! Or possibly just our school's rubbish!

Like you, I can only get vacation when I'm "told" that I can. So, while my thoughts on taking my DDs out of school later on in life may be changing a little, I also believe that life is too short. I am able to take a vacation every year- I just don't know when I'm "allowed." If you get the opportunity, take it!!!
Here's a thought- if your daughter starts to fall behind, hire a tutor and take them along!!! :dance3: :rotfl:

[Cee]

I took my kids out of school for a week in December several times. Mainly
because it was a slower time of year and better weather. We always got
their teachers to sign off that they were caught up in all their work and to
get any assignments that would be due while they were away. If I had it to
do over again, I would not do it. I felt my kids struggled to catch up after
we got back. It's definitely an individual decision. I feel I was selfish and
didn't always put the kids interests first. I shouldn't have put them in the
position of being behind. That was pressure and anxiety they didn't need.

A lesson learned.....:teacher:

[DISNEY4XMAS]

We leave for Disney in exactly 1 month from today. Although my DD is very excited, she has not missed a single day this year, and this will be bitter sweet for her, because she wanted a perfect attendance.

Oh ya, her teacher has missed 8 days this year so far. As an adult, I feel that is far worse then a child missing school.

I totally agree with you my son's teacher has missed a lot of time and it isn't even the end of the year. We are planning on taking our kids out of school in sept 09 for three days one week and two the next week. So they won't miss a full week just part of two. We are going (hopefully for free dining) and the Value season. I will have kids in 1, 3, 9 & 11. With having that many kids I have to go in Value season, and for us it is easier to get the vacation time off. Plus my DS7 is a diabetic and the heat will be horrible on his blood sugar. We went last year at Christmas break and kids didn't miss a day of school but we didn't get to see half of the things we wanted to see because of large lines and long waits. Back in 2001 we took my daughter out of school for a week and they sent us homework home which she did some on the plane and some daily while we were there.

[MisMikiNikiLynne]

I take all 3 of mine out every year to do Disney, and I could care less how others feel about it! Life is too short and you never know what could happen tomorrow. My children are in K, 2nd and 4th grades and I always alert the school to our upcoming vacations. I have only had issues with one teacher so far... and I believe it to be jelousy. My children, even with their special needs, learn so much by traveling! They learn about budgeting, money, reading a map, transportation, not to mention weather and different areas of the World and so much more!
My DH and I work very hard to give our girls opportunities that we did not have. Please don't slam me for my opinion. Thanks.

[kimsuenew]

I have homeschooled our DS the last two years, however, before that we always took him out (every May) to go to Hilton Head (clear through year one of HS), always for at least seven school days.

DS school had a policy in place where you had to "apply" for vacation leave (form to fill out, submit to Principal, and upon approval he forwarded it to the teachers, that each had to sign off what work would be missed/needed to be completed, and any tests that would be missed or given immediately upon return).

All work had to be submitted upon return and any missed quizzes and/or tests needed taken immediately upon return as well.

Our school was a bit unique, there are others nearby that do not allow for vacation trips during the school year. If not allowed, than one would have to decide if they wanted to deal with unexcused absenses (eg make-up work/quizzes/tests not allowed), and with a possible truancy issue.

I would just check on your child's school policy, schools are different as are states!

I feel that vacations are a learning experience! :thumbsup2 We visit many places of historical importances (Forts or Savannah for instance), study architecture, learn about nature (marshland, wetlands, ocean), and just immerse ourselves in the culture of every place we visit! :goodvibes