I don't understand why its such a big deal to take your children out of school..

[lustergirl]

I took my sons out of school last month for 6 days. They informed their teachers and you know what? Their teachers told them to have a great time. Here in Buffalo you can miss 28 days a year before getting into trouble.

Lisa

 

[bdb7607]

We just took our 2 out of school for our October trip, no big deal, they got caught up very quickly

 

[Diz-Mommy]

DizMommy, I'm not sure how long ago that was, but HS has changed a lot since then. There is a tremendous amount of competition for colleges, and missing a week and a half these days ranges from problematic to downright academic suicide. Most HS wouldn't give excused absense for that length of time, which means any missed tests, assignments, etc. could have a huge impact on GPA.

Obviosly it's been at least 8 years ago. But I'm of the belief I choose how to raise my children, not the state, district or the school system. When my kids become school age, and we decide to go on a family vacation, my husband and I will be the ones whom decide if its appropriate to pull or children out of school. We will work with their school, and make sure they get all their home work in ahead of time. I just can't see going in the summer when its hot and miserable and standing in long lines. We love going in November/December and who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and go during a winter break.

My first trip with my Grandmother would have been ruined if we would have gone during the heat of summer and had to stand in never ending lines. I want my kids memories to be about the fun we had; not the boredom of long lines and being uncomfortable in the heat.

 

[WIcruizer]

I understand your reasons, they are the same reasons why we pulled our kids out. All I'm saying is that HS is different- or at least it is in most school districts. You say YOU control their education, not the schools or state. Well..that's not true if they go to public school. Youc can try to work it out, but ultimately it's up to them to decide if the student gets an excused absense or not. Same with curriculum and lots of other issues you can't control. I wish it were true, but we don't have complete control over our childrens' education.

 

[DisneyDotty]

The bottom line is money. Schools are funded by their attendance. It is broken down by the amount of students in school each day. If your child is not in school the school district loses money. Plain and simple. That is the only reason they have such strict attendance policys.

I respectfully disagree. I taught high school English for ten years. A lot of thought and work went into each day's lesson. What students missed in the classroom was not easily made up with a worksheet. So for me as a teacher, the bottom line was that the student who took a vacation during non-vacation days was going to miss something important. And I question the worthiness of any classroom where a child can miss five or more days and not "miss anything."
That said, I'm not condemning those who do pull kids out of school for vacation. I'm just saying that those kids will miss something (we hope!) and as parents we need to weigh whether the vacation time is worth that sacrifice.

 

[Downrivermama]

I'm just very amused that people post these type of topics and than get all upset when others express their opinions or ask others to help justify thier actions. It is obvious that the majority of posters on this thread feel it's ok to pull kids out during the school year for a vacation. I myself would never entertain the thought of pulling dd out of school for a vacation. I don't like long lines or hot weather either but you can't guarantee what memories your child will take away from an experience.

Children are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. I think deeds speak louder than words.

Let's just be respectful of everyone's opinions.

 

[daisyduck123]

I pull DD11 & DS7 out each year 5-6 days for a DW trip. I think it's great that some families choose to only go during holiday vacations. That just means shorter lines for the rest of us.

 

[lil.disney.princess]

We will be taking 4 of our 5 children out of school(we have a 3yr old who is not yet at proper school)when we go on our WDW holiday next year....they have started making a big deal about you not taking your children out of school during the term time for holidays and if you want to you have to fill a holiday form in requesting THEIR permission to take YOUR children on a family holiday.......we will soon be filling in our forms so that the school have plenty of advance notice

we simply cannot afford to take a family of 8 people-(3adults and 5children) on holiday during the school holidays as it is far too expensive to do so-if it is such a big deal with the governments etc then they should have the power to work with the holidays companies to lower prices during the school holidays then surely MORE familes wont have to take thier children out of school......but its not just the money factor it is also when you can actually get the time off from work that is a deciding factor in when you go away to a certain extent!!

If the school wants us to take our holidays during the school holidays rather than during term time then they are more than welcome to pay the difference between the 2 and we will go during the school holidays!!

 

[Diz-Mommy]

I'm just very amused that people post these type of topics and than get all upset when others express their opinions or ask others to help justify thier actions. It is obvious that the majority of posters on this thread feel it's ok to pull kids out during the school year for a vacation. I myself would never entertain the thought of pulling dd out of school for a vacation. I don't like long lines or hot weather either but you can't guarantee what memories your child will take away from an experience.

Children are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. I think deeds speak louder than words.

Let's just be respectful of everyone's opinions.

Nothing is black and white about this subject. I respect your choice to do what you want with your child. Deeds do speak volumes, and a deed such as taking time out for family is important to us. I don't think a week every other year to go on a fun vacation is going to keep my children from doing well in school nor do I think it will teach them bad work ethics. If we waited for all the "lights to turn green" to go on a vacation, we'd be stuck at home indefinatley.

 

[LoveTink05]

...if it is such a big deal with the governments etc then they should have the power to work with the holidays companies to lower prices during the school holidays then surely MORE familes wont have to take thier children out of school......but its not just the money factor it is also when you can actually get the time off from work that is a deciding factor in when you go away to a certain extent!!

If the school wants us to take our holidays during the school holidays rather than during term time then they are more than welcome to pay the difference between the 2 and we will go during the school holidays!!

You're kidding, right?

 

[Downrivermama]

Diz-Mommy I will just chalk this up to a generational thing since I graduated from HS the year you were born! LOL! I just like to do things by the book, that is how I was raised. I'm not happy with a lot of things I see with schools or society in general, but I try to work within the system. For those who complained that schools are only interested in your child's attendance for money that is not really true. But it does say something that a lot of districts are cracking down on days missed as there are always those that will abuse the system. (Just like anything else.) And the ones who abuse it make it worse for everyone else.

Yes you do pay more for prime vacation time than off-peak, but it's a free market and private companies can set there own standards and prices. When I do not have the money to take a vacation I don't go. No one has to take a vacation. It seems that some have unrealistic expectations when it comes to vacations.

 

[DisneyDotty]

When I do not have the money to take a vacation I don't go. No one has to take a vacation. It seems that some have unrealistic expectations when it comes to vacations.

Gotta agree with this one. Wise words.

 

[NotUrsula]

Lil.Disney.Princess is from the UK, and I suspect she isn't kidding.

The cost situation for UK parents is much more an issue than it is in the US, because the school schedule in the UK is nationally mandated. Almost every school in the entire country has their "holidays" at the same time. Most UK families vacation outside the country, and almost always take package vacations for their trips. It is not unheard of for UK tour operators to boost package prices as much as 500% during the nationwide school holidays, especially to destinations which are popular with families. As their trips often last for nearly a month at a time, that REALLY adds up. Her sentiment is not unusual, and the topic comes up in news stories quite often; the UK government has even accused the travel industry of illegal price-fixing on a few occasions.

Most UK schoolchildren do not have the long summer break that American students do; while it is their longest break, it is usually only about 6 weeks, not 12, so even travelling in summer does not do much to help their families avoid the peak holiday prices.

 

[LoveTink05]

When I do not have the money to take a vacation I don't go. No one has to take a vacation. It seems that some have unrealistic expectations when it comes to vacations.

I believe that is called the "entitlement" mentality. Time will be the judge for all of us. Hopefully--for our future's sake--we are ALL doing a good job raising (and educating) our children!

 

[LoveTink05]

Lil.Disney.Princess is from the UK, and I suspect she isn't kidding.

The cost situation for UK parents is much more an issue than it is in the US, because the school schedule in the UK is nationally mandated. Almost every school in the entire country has their "holidays" at the same time. Most UK families vacation outside the country, and almost always take package vacations for their trips. It is not unheard of for UK tour operators to boost package prices as much as 500% during the nationwide school holidays, especially to destinations which are popular with families. As their trips often last for nearly a month at a time, that REALLY adds up. Her sentiment is not unusual, and the topic comes up in news stories quite often; the UK government has even accused the travel industry of illegal price-fixing on a few occasions.

Most UK schoolchildren do not have the long summer break that American students do; while it is their longest break, it is usually only about 6 weeks, not 12, so even travelling in summer does not do much to help their families avoid the peak holiday prices.

Wow, thanks for the explanation!

 

[skiwee1]

Gotta agree with this one. Wise words.

Who said anything about going when it's cheaper? I don't care what I pay. My deciding factor is the weather. Having less crowds makes it a bonus for us!

 

[skiwee1]

I believe that is called the "entitlement" mentality. Time will be the judge for all of us. Hopefully--for our future's sake--we are ALL doing a good job raising (and educating) our children!

Entitlement is expecting something for nothing. I haven't seen one person on this thread speak of entitlement for anything. Seems like everyone actually pays for their vacations. Perhaps you are confused?

 

[DisneyDotty]

Who said anything about going when it's cheaper? I don't care what I pay. My deciding factor is the weather. Having less crowds makes it a bonus for us!

There has been some mention of the cost of going to WDW during peak times. But I guess I'm just agreeing with the bigger idea that suggests we all (myself included) feel "entitled" to vacation and therefore we will justify any sacrfice we have to make for our vacation time. And again, I know I have been guilty of this myself.

 

[skiwee1]

There has been some mention of the cost of going to WDW during peak times. But I guess I'm just agreeing with the bigger idea that suggests we all (myself included) feel "entitled" to vacation and therefore we will justify any sacrfice we have to make for our vacation time. And again, I know I have been guilty of this myself.

I guess I don't see it as an entitlement. There is nothing to be guilty of either. Why guilt? Do we have to feel guilty over everything we do? I know I was born in the early 60s and thank goodness my parents saw that family time was important too. I remember being pulled out of school in 1979 for my first trip to WDW. It was the first time my dad and I ever rode a coaster together! I have some of the greatest memories of that trip with my dad. Most of my family has died now including my dad who died at an early age. My mom is the only living relative I have left so we go away quite a bit with the grandkids and enjoy what time we have left together. I will never feel guilt about that.

 

[DisneyDotty]

I guess I don't see it as an entitlement. There is nothing to be guilty of either. Why guilt? Do we have to feel guilty over everything we do?

Clearly the post doesn't apply to you. Guess it's my good ol' Catholic guilt talking here.
Vacations with family are indeed priceless--we take vacations every summer with my folks, and I know my kids will treasure those moments forever, as will I.