Daxx's Wife here! I am a teacher and a Disney fanatic and even I know the education you can get out of Disney World. EPCOT, in itself, is one huge learning experience! AK is the same way. And, lots to learn at MK & MGM, too!
With that said, I'm going to guess that the teacher is thinking that you *say* you're going to do these things, but doesn't think you really will. The teacher might think that you're just saying this and not going to do anything but have fun (and thus, not learn b/c according to some, it's not learning if you're having fun) while at WDW. I think that it's important that you show her that your child has learned. Use the Disney journal pages on this website or come up w/some cool project that can show this teacher that Disney can be a wonderful learning tool. It doesn't have to be anything major. Get a passport at EPCOT, have it stamped, etc. and have your child write one fact about each country that was visited. W/AK, do the whole kids booklet thing that they give you ... and take photos of the CM's teaching your child about what's in the book (our most memorable was the what animal was here part!).
To me, family time is very important. Many parents work and don't get to spend a lot of time w/their children. And, even in summer when the kids are on vaca., not every parent can get off of work to take a vacation at that time.
I'm taking DS out of school for 2 days for a Disney vaca. in May. It'll be our Mom and Son trip (for Mother's Day). I had not planned on telling his teacher that we were going to WDW (I was going to call him in as absent due to family vacation) but DS mentioned it to her already. DS said she said "Lucky Disney Boy!" (we took him out for 2 days in Oct. for his bday, too!). If she even thought anything negative, I don't care. If she laughed, I don't care. If she made fun of my decision, I don't care. It's my child, my life, my decisions. I know that he will make up his school work when we get back. And I know that he does well in school, so I'm not concerned. I figure that you only live once and being out of school for a couple of days here or there won't make a huge difference. It's not like he's out for days every month. To me, school IS important ... but so is family. And, yes ... I know that I can take him in the summer and we are. But sometimes, you just have to do fun things when they're not expected.
However, I will not make work packets for my students. They get their work when they come back from vacation. I do this b/c many times, the work packets get lost or left behind and it's really tough to plan weeks ahead just b/c someone is going on a vacation. Even though it might be 3 weeks notice, I don't plan 3 weeks out ... I plan each week the week before it happens. That doesn't give me enough time to get everything together. I feel that the child should come back and learn the materials at their own pace rather than rush through and not really learn b/c they're too focused on vacation. In that spirit I will not ask for DS's assignments that he'll miss while we're away. I think that's putting a teacher out. DS will have to just do double work and catch up when we return. You wanna play, you gotta pay. He knows he'll have to do more work but he's fine w/that.
Ignore the comments and don't think twice about it. You make the decisions when it comes to your family and you'll be making wonderful memories that your daughter will never forget. In 30 years, she prob. won't remember what she did on XYZ day in school but she will remember that on that date, her parents took her to Disney.
and hope you agree not to charge her with unexcused absences as a result.
Adding that this all depends on your state. In my state, vacations are considered illegal/unexcused absences and there's nothing a teacher could do about not charging it as one.
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