Do You Pull Your School Aged Kids out of School?

[Artuero]

If my own experience is any guide, missing class in K-12 will help prepare kids for college and grad school better than anything else

 

[Baloo]

I don't have a problem taking our sons out of school if I need to.My son's Erich's school is very understanding about family time.I've never taken him or my step son, Jonathan (goes to a different school) out more than 3 days.

I've always informed the teachers several weeks in advance so I could have the make up work they needed to do with us.Erich had none,and Jon...OY! ...I think the teacher was jealous!! LOL!

I think parents have the right to take their children out when they want to as long as they are respectful of the school and let the child's teacher know ahead of time. I personally wouldn't choose a major testing time to take my sons out.In the past we've taken them out around holiday times or a slow period in school.

 

[peg2001]

DH is a bit leary about taking our children out of school for family vacations. Our official school policy is that these days are unexcused. We took DD out for a week last year (only kindergarten, anyway) and because of a snowstorm, she ended up only missing 2 days of school. My note to the school before we went simply stated that she would not be in school that week. They can excuse or unexcuse it all they want.

We'll be taking her out again for a week next year (second grade) and DH has asked me how the school will respond. I told him that I didn't care. He just says that if DHS comes calling, he's going to refer them to me.

Peggy

 

[Otto's Doll]

I posted this same question a week or so ago, and got the same mixed responses. I do agree that there is something special about this family time (my husband is in the military, and we have no guarantees that Daddy will always be home when we are able to go on vacation). I also spoke to the kids princepal, and to some of the teachers at our school, and ALL of them gave me the same response... GO! I am taking them out for a week after the first two days of school, and know that they won't have any problem making up the review work. They are in 3rd and 5th grade. With that said, however, I do agree that it would be much harder to do this in the next year for my older child, so if we go, it will be in early June after the kids are done with school.

Go! Enjoy!

Otto's Doll

 

[collegejudy]

Originally posted by Debby7
I am a teacher as well as a parent of three teens. After losing my nephew in a car accident, I decided I would rather have memories than regrets. For the last ten years, I pull myself and my children out of school every other 2nd week of December so we can enjoy a wonderful Christmas time vacation and still not miss any of the important family gatherings that happen at home at holiday time.
We tell the teachers ahead and often the kids have their assignments handed in before we go. In the big picture, a few weeks of family time over 13 years of school is not going to make a critical difference. ( By the way , my oldest two have now graduated from high school, both in the top ten of their class !)

I am also a teacher and I agree with you completely. I don't have a problem with people taking their kids on vacations during school as long as they are responsible and get the makeup work etc. for their kids. Family time is very important to children and I am always happy to do what I can to help families spend quality time together. Another note, I have had numerous kids in my classes thats parents work in civil service jobs (policemen, nurses, firemen etc.) these people usually do not get the holidays off because it is when the rest of the world needs them the most, so they must take their vacations when everyone else is in school. I am also a parent of 3, a ds16, a ds14, and a dd10. Over the years we have taken them out of school for a week each year to vacation, (the off season is about all we can afford on a teachers salary) and they learn a lot about life on these trips, examples, how to budget and save for a trip, how to look for the best deals, how to navigate a large airport, how to get a taxi, etc. I believe life experiences are as important as book learning and each child should get the oppurtunity to have both.

So do what works best for your family, but if you need to go when school is in session go and don't feel guilty, the time you spend with your children is very important to them and to you. Just communicate with their teachers and most will be more then happy to help in any way they can.

 

[indyanna]

"year round " school here. Our school system started a program two years ago called "Alternate Calendar", and we jumped on the bandwagon. It's not truly year round, we have two week breaks in the fall, at Christmas and in the spring. Summer is just a couple of weeks shorter. The program is becoming quite popular, but a lot of people still thumb their noses at it because they think it would take too much away from summer. I love it because summer's over just as the kids start to get a little bored and we get breaks just when we start to feel a little overwhelmed with school work. Best of all, the extra bonus to me is getting to take family vacations in the fall when the crowds are less.

If any of you have the opportunity to participate in a program such as this, I say take it! I promise you won't regret it! Guess where we'll be this fall and with no schoolwork to make up!

 

[cheeringmom]

I wish we had year round school. My kids have the block schedule in which they have 4 classes everyday 1 1/2 hrs each. So when they miss one day, its like missing two. A lot to catch up on. Yet we still pull the kids out for a couple of days. We get the work ahead of time and let them work on it during down time.

 

[Tinkerbelle739]

I agree with Debby7. Family memories are priceless. My DS is 4 and entering preK and DD is 5 and entering K. We are taking a 2 week vacation in early October. I admit I did think twice about it but the second week is a family reunion at a large lodge in TN. There will be 28 of us. How could we miss that? We added Disney beforehand to spend some much needed family fun time. I am hoping we have cooperative teachers. We will certainly do our best to catch them up on the trip.

Just my 2 cents.

How many more days? WE CANT WAIT!!

Wishing everyone a "magical" day!

GF Sago Cay Lagoon View 11/00
POR 10/03

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

I always said we would never take our twins out of school, but as others have said life altering losses can change your life forever. My DFIL passed away suddenly March 16, 2003. He was 59 and never had a health problem in the 16 years I'd known him. He went to work Sunday morning and had a major heart attack and died instantly. We had a trip to US/WDW scheduled 6 weeks after his death and we decided to still go. It was a wonderful trip and much needed by our family, but I kept thinking about all the moments he could have shared with our 5 year old twins and I shed quite a few tears. We decided to take our twins for their 6th birthdays on a DCL in March 2004, but I just got a job at the school helping in the lunch room, so I can't take that much time off. We're now going to go over Veteran's Day, my kids will have 5 days off in a row, but we're going to take them out a few extra days and we're going to ask my MIL to go with us Veteran's Day as well as our next cruise Aug 2004. DH and I now feel that until our kids get into upper grades and missing could start being a problem we're going to take them out occasionally to enjoy some family time. And, we want to include our MIL, so it will now cost more $$ and going off season can make a huge difference.

 

[Pryncess'mom]

As a Kindergarten teacher in NJ, I say "take'em"!! Although it really depends on the grade levels. As many other posters have said, the older the student the more that is missed. If one of my students missed a week for vacation, I would catch them up when they came back (and this does happen all the time!) As a parent, the experience of travelling with your family is educational in and off itself. It not only teaches responsibility and organization, but the experience of different cultures, social groups and areas in general in very good. Both of my Ds (16 & 13) and DD (5) have learned numerable things while vacationing. 16 yo DS is a fount of trivia, most picked up while exploring some historical site!!

It all comes down to your personal feelings. You can read everyones opinion, but you have to make the final choice. Be a good partner with your child's teacher, support him/her and work together, and you should have few problems!!

Good luck!

Deb

 

[K and K's Mommy]

Before I was a SAHM, I taught second grade. Each year I usually had one student miss some days for a vacation. I never had trouble with it because I never had a parent who did not help their child make up their work. Luckily, I never had the experience of someone telling me only one day in advance!! It also seems that the families who went on vacation were families who valued education and had strong, capable students. I never had anyone miss more than 5 days. I think two weeks would be very long to miss and impossible to make-up everything.

Will I take my kids out? Yes, I think, but only through elementary school. Also, some of the money our state gives is based on attendance. Administrators often have no choice but to make it unexcused so as to discourage family vacations. With the budget crisis in our state, every dollar counts. There was even an incident last year where a student was unexcused when she sang for President Bush when he visited our city. This decision was later reversed but it shows the strong attendace policy some districts have.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

Yes.
We are going in November and he will miss 5 days of school. I have already talked to his teacher and let them be aware of it so he can get those assignments that he will miss ahead of time and be done with them so he won't have to do double work when we get back.

 

[clh2]

We will be taking our DD, 9, in 4th grade, out for 3 days along with the 2 days she gets off for teacher's convention, which will mean she'll miss the last week of October. While I do have some misgivings about this - I have gotten over this and no longer feel guilty.

When we told DD about this trip, we were very specific that we would be spending time getting the homework done. DD, didn't argue that at all.

DD's upcoming teacher is expecting in late October and will be out fer her maternity leave for some time. There already will be some sort of transition going on with a long-term sub. The 3-days she will be missing generally are for concluding the quarter's grading activities, i.e. the chapter tests. I am hoping she will be able to take some of them the week before we go.

We have not been on a major family vacation for 4 years. And except for the 3 days my daughter missed in K-5 for a vacation then (on the same teacher's convention week) she hasn't missed any other school since she started in 1999. Oh - except for the darned orthodontist appointments that the school secretary would mark her 1/2 day absent here and there when my DD would only be missing an hour of school. (GRRRRRR!)

And another thing - at least in our school district, the teachers get several personal days to use as part of their contract. Which, they always used up. I figure what's good for the teachers is good for the sutdents!

This trip to Disney is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. DH would NEVER go in the summer due to the heat. We would never be able to afford a Christmas or Easter trip to Disney.

 

[sm4987]

I have not done it yet, but I am looking at more of their holidays to consider taking them out of school. My son doesn't want to get out early for anything. He loves his school. However, I don't see a problem with it. I do notice that school districts are getting more strict about letting them go on vacation during the school time.

 

[Emy'sMom]

K & K's Mommy -

I remember the incident with the student getting an unexcused absence when she missed a day of school because she sang for the President.

I'm pretty sure that was Westfield-Washington schools. Well, lucky us, we are building a house in Westfield. Our DD is in First Grade and will transfer to Westfield-Washington schools when the house is completed in November. Luckily our WDW vacation is in October and DD will still be in our current school district (Pike Township) then - they don't care if students miss school for vacation ... well, within reason.

Once we move to the Westfield-Washington school district we will not be taking DD out of school since they consider all days missed for vacation as unexcused absences. What exactly happens when a student gets a few unexcused absences anyway??

Debbie

 

[ColetteN]

My DW handed me the laptop a few minutes ago and asked for my opinion. (wow! )

Being a middle school teacher (grades 6,7&8) for 11 years, having students leave for vacation has not been a big deal. Usually the students hand in their assignments before leave or the day they return. Our school has a vacation form that the students turn in two weeks before they go.

I'm heading to WL to run the marathon in January, and taking my DW and DD5. She is heading into kindergarden and will miss 3 - 4 days. Enjoy the time. (Even the teachers miss school every now and then for vacation.)

Pat

 

[ColetteN]

Just for info, I went to my DH's district website. Here are the rules they post about legal and illegal (excused/unexcused) absences:


Regular and punctual attendance at school is important to a successful school career. Absences fall into one of two
categories: LEGAL and ILLEGAL.
Legal absences include:
1. Student illness
2. Death of an immediate family member
3. Absences approved by the Administration, including appropriately approved vacations
Illegal absences include:
1. Truancy
2. Absence due to parental neglect
3. Illegal employment
4. Vacations not approved by the Administration
Students with legal absences may have the opportunity to complete any missed assignments upon returning to
school. Students with illegal absences are not permitted to make up work. Additional consequences such as
detentions, suspensions, and/or fines from the District Magistrate may occur.

Emy'sMom -
Maybe check local district websites to see what their policies are and what happens if a child has unexcused absences.

All that said - I feel a good education is not only achieved at school. A good education prepares you for life. There are some 'life' experiences that do not happen at school. and taking my children out for an occasional family vacation, as long as they can keep up with the work, will be beneficial.

Colette

 

[Emy'sMom]

Thanks Colette. I think I will call the school district to see what they say. I'm sure as with other rules exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis.

We don't plan on taking DD out of school every year for our vacations (summer in Disney is going to be the norm for awhile I think ) but it would be nice to know that it wouldn't be a big deal of she missed some days once in awhile.


Oh, by the way - I was born in Pittsburgh and lived in Oakdale until 1977 - then I lived in Beaver Falls until 1982. Been in Indiana ever since . . .

Debbie

 

[DisneyFanatik]

Our principal is very much for taking the children on family vacations even if it means missing a few days. Her feeling is that anything that promotes family unity and values is worth more than a few days of missed school. That being said, the last time I pulled DS out of school to go to WDW was in the second grade. He is going into sixth grade now. After third grade I decided that I would not pull him out anymore. They do SO much in the course of a day, let alone a week that I hate for him to have to make up all of that work. I also don't like having to take work with us since that tends to spoil the "magic".

 

[3MGIRLS]

I agree - Take Em out. I think that part of the problem is we all get up in thinking that the Public School system dictates what's right and wrong in regards to educating our children.

"Legal" in terms of absenteeism??? Give me a break. Spend time with them now -Take them to Disney - Spend an "education" day at Animal Kingson and/or Epcot and chances are they will have learned more in that time than the rest of the class did while they have been out.!!

Have fun and enjoy - A family trip will be cherished forever, while a perfect attendance award will mean less than the paper it's on in a year....