At what age do you stop taking kids out of school?

[ingalou]

In our area of the country we don't get a fall break or spring break. The only big break we get is Christmas (not fighting those crowds). School starts at the end of August and releases mid May. So, booking a DWD vacation during low crowd times tends to be quite challenging. My daughter was in 2nd grade last year for our last trip and the amount of homework she had when we got home was astounding! The teacher just kept sending it home day after day and finally after two weeks we were caught up. My husband said we were never taking her out of school again due to the amount of homework she had to make up. My job is very busy March to August so any family vacations need to be taken during the school year. I guess our family vacations are going to be few and far between

 

[ammag]

My daughter is going into 4th grade, this is the first year I am finding myself considering it. However where I live to get into better middle schools attain dance and grades matter staring in fourth, so it's maybe an extra concern. In general though I think it's best to do what's best for your individual child and situation.

 

[2MOdisneyfans]

My daughter is going to miss 4 days for Disney. We leave next week. She will miss a M-Thurs. They are out of school that Friday and then the following Monday for Labor Day. I couldn't pass up the trip. Free dining, MNSSHP, going to the beach 1 day and they are only missing 4 days of school. (Some kids miss more than that when they are sick.) She is in the 11th grade. In the Spring she may miss a week to go on a cruise. Last year she missed a week to go to the beach. The year before she missed the first 2 days of school. When her bother was in 11th grade and she was in 8th grade, I pulled them out a week to go to
Las Vegas. My son didn't have to make up any work. They told him to go and have a great time. My daughter has never really had a lot of make up work either. My youngest is in Kindergarten and I have already told his teacher and the assistant principal. They are excited for him. I hope to make it a yearly trip with him. When my daughter was in grade school I pulled her out 3 years in a row. Oh, and when my son was a senior he went to Disney with his High School marching band. They took 108 members. They ranged from 10th-12th grade. They missed 3 days. They are hoping to take the band again in 2018. So the school is ok with kids going to Disney. When I worked at our High School, one of the principals took his kids out for a couple of days to go to Disney on Thanksgiving week. For me personally, I don't care what the school thinks. If my daughter can handle the make up work she may have, then it is ok. Life is too short. If I want to take my kids on vacation, then I am going to do it. We never know how much time we have with family. So we are going to make memories.

 

[DisneyMom111]

Apologies up front for speaking from a soapbox a bit....

Having said all that (here comes the soapbox), I resent any school system who attempts to tell a parent what he/she may do wth their children. In today's world the government has their hand in too much, and raising your kids the way you choose to. If the parents feel like they are responsible enough to help the child get the work done and that it won't sabotage the child's education, then it should be up to the parent, NOT the school. Schools who make ridiculous attendance restrictions are overstepping their bounds. I work for you the parent, and you pay ME to do so. Schools are not in charge of the kids, parents are.

Your kids. Your choice. You know best.

I can't agree with you more. I have felt this way many times during my son's time in school. Including getting too involved in their medical history. Some of the things they want to know, or try to do at the school, I feel is non of their business. I understand all of this has come to be due to parents that DON'T make sure their kids go to school, and don't make sure their kids are getting medical care, but for all of those who ARE taking care of our own kids, it should be up to US, not them.

I especially love your last line, so true!

 

[Boopuff]

I find it fascinating to learn how different states and schools handle absences. I know this thread started as a discussion about when to take kids out of school, so why are homeschooled people jumping in on this topic? Seems to me homeschooled kids can go whenever, we all know it, so why post anything here? Just wondering...

 

[Magpie]

I find it fascinating to learn how different states and schools handle absences. I know this thread started as a discussion about when to take kids out of school, so why are homeschooled people jumping in on this topic? Seems to me homeschooled kids can go whenever, we all know it, so why post anything here? Just wondering...

As someone who "jumped" on the topic, I went back through the thread to find out where it all started. The earliest mentions are things like (not quoting anyone exactly), "It was nice to have the freedom when we were homeschooling, but now..." and "One of ours is homeschooled, but the other child..." and "This is what we did before, but now we homeschool..." So not "homeschooled people", just people-people, answering the question. Many folks (like me) have had experience with a wide variety of educational approaches.

However, that led to a number of people expressing gratitude for the freedom homeschooling affords them, compared to public schooling, and a few expressions of pity for people who have handed over control of their family time to the school. Which then led to "not everyone can homeschool", followed by, "Everyone can totally homeschool, dude!" followed by, "This is why I don't homeschool," followed by, "I think you misunderstand what homeschooling really is," etc, etc.

Conversations naturally flow and shift and change direction, and sometimes they end up in surprising places. Given, though, that this is a thread about educational choices, I don't find it particularly surprising that people ended up discussing homeschooling.

Now, if we'd started off with a discussion about when to take kids out of school and ended up talking about the romantic habits of banana slugs, THEN I'd be surprised.

Aw, yeah....!

 

[CaterFamily]

I find it fascinating to learn how different states and schools handle absences. I know this thread started as a discussion about when to take kids out of school, so why are homeschooled people jumping in on this topic? Seems to me homeschooled kids can go whenever, we all know it, so why post anything here? Just wondering...

School is still school - all 180 days of it!

 

[pmiranda]

Kudos to those who have the patience and will to home school, but I that's not me. Now on to topic...

The last time we pulled our kids from school for a week was when my daughter was in 8th grade and son was in 6th grade. Both were considered middle school, but only my daughter found it challenging. now that she is in high school, she doesn't want to go during school. She got all A's last year in 9th grade and wants to continue her success, and I am proud of her for making that choice. Its just too hard to miss content and make up work, especially if they have math that semester. My advice is that middle school is iffy, and high school is a no go.

 

[Ava83]

Last time we pulled our girl out of school was 6th grade, with sports and school she struggled getting back into the swing of things.

She's a freshman now and we can't even consider it. She is on a block schedule (one set of classes one day, another the next-90 minutes each) and she cheers so our vacation time is not our own.

I now know why people go spring break

 

[Wenny]

Homeschooling is awesome, if that's what you feel is right for your kids. I'm so glad it's an option! But I'm glad we chose traditional schools for my DD for so many reasons I won't go into here since it's not the point of this thread...

Despite the fact that our district supports school year vacations, we stopped after 4th grade. We took a homework packet with us that year and spent three hours a day trying to keep up. It made her miserable, it made us frustrated, it made rope drop impossible and she still had work to catch up on when we got back. Just not worth it for us.

But that is us and that is our DD. Every kid is different. I know plenty of kids who could have breezed through that entire homework packet on the plane ride down. Go with what works for YOUR FAMILY.

 

[Momto2minniemice]

We have pulled out girls out of school just about every year for some some reasons or another for about a week at a time. Due to our jobs it is what it is for the kids. The way we see it is there is so much more to learn out side the walls of the school. We have been lucky and never really had much school work to make up. We have both elementary and middle school (who takes all honors and high school classes).

 

[daisy_77]

This trip will be the last trip we pull our daughter out of school. She is in middle school (6th grade). We are actually pulling her out right before school gets out in May 2017. She is too afraid of getting behind in class. Last time we pulled her out of school she had loads of homework and she had a hard time catching up.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

My parents took me out through high school and it didn't mess me up at all, in fact it made me work harder. I was a cheerleader, so I did have only certain times of the year I could go. When my kids were in school we took them out and figured we would do the same no problem but are now homeschoolers and the work comes with us!

 

[Murron]

I'm very old school (which by the way isn't all that bad thank you very much ). I never took my children out of school for a vacation. And that statement doesn't mean we judge anyone who does differently. They were in private Catholic schools which is the reason it was severely frowned upon. In any case, we managed to get in two vacations per year and they turned out to be happy, successful adults that still had educational vacation opportunities off the school year. Plus...jeezzz.. all the school sports and activities were just intense. I'm glad they're adults now and those schedules are a thing of the past!

 

[limabeanmom2003]

When my kids were in elementary school, I had no problem taking them out for a few days for a trip. Now that they are both in middle
School, it's a little trickier. They are both in advanced classes and the pace of instruction is pretty fast. I just came home from orientation for both my kids and the teachers all keep a "while I was away" folder for kids who are out. Luckily my kids rarely miss school due to illness, so the fact that they will miss a couple of days for long weekends in Disney doesn't bother me. They work hard and I value the family time we will have together.

 

[Magpie]

I'm very old school (which by the way isn't all that bad thank you very much ). I never took my children out of school for a vacation. And that statement doesn't mean we judge anyone who does differently. They were in private Catholic schools which is the reason it was severely frowned upon. In any case, we managed to get in two vacations per year and they turned out to be happy, successful adults that still had educational vacation opportunities off the school year. Plus...jeezzz.. all the school sports and activities were just intense. I'm glad they're adults now and those schedules are a thing of the past!

To be properly "old school", you'd be taking your children out of class to help with the harvest in the fall, and to go hunting in the spring. And you probably wouldn't hold with any of that college nonsense, either.

 

[jrt1176]

Growing up I missed a week of school to go to WDW from grade school all the way through high school! My brother was older and in college, so we went for his Spring Break instead of mine.

I'm sure it was a pain to make up the work, but I managed. There are always ways to lessen the make-up work... You can get some of it early to do before the trip, maybe take some with you...but, that will never get done! Of course, they'll have to bust some butt, but I think it's worth it. You learn a lot traveling to different places...even WDW!

I took my niece out for a week when she was in Kindergarten and again in 4th grade. She goes to a private school and gets, what I think is, a decent amount of homework. The teacher worked with us and we made it up the following week. It was a pain in the butt for that time, but the trip was great!

I think the positives out weigh the negatives.

 

[mister morrow]

I'm in 10th grade now and I can say missing a week of school could mess me up a lot since I am taking mostly college classes, but that is just me; some others handle it better than others.

If I were to go on a three or four day weekend and miss a day or two in the school week it won't "disturb" the dreadful school cycle.

I would definitely ask the teachers ahead of time for class and homework so your kids could finish it at Disney or on the plane there/coming back.

 

[Murron]

To be properly "old school", you'd be taking your children out of class to help with the harvest in the fall, and to go hunting in the spring. And you probably wouldn't hold with any of that college nonsense, either.

lol....I said old, not ancient! And that darn college nonsense....still paying the bills!

 

[Frozen2014]

We went on a 7 day cruise this past April and took our kids out of school. Our older one was in grade 5. That was the last time we'll pull him out. So going forward we'll have to stick to summer or March break. Our son is a student but even he commented he didn't like to have to catch up.