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

[jojowentbyby]

I would never take my kids out of school for a trip to Disney World. The only reasons for missing school outside of illness/doctor's appts for my kids are for "once in a lifetime" opportunities such as a family wedding or if there is a death in the family.

School is important and that's something I want to stress to my kids - just like showing up for work will be when they are adults.

We have plenty of other times during the year to take our kids on vacation.

As for teachers taking vacation during the school year, I think that's negligent. If you decide to go into the ministry as a profession, you know you'll have to work on Christmas and Easter. Going into teaching, you also know that there are times when school is in session. It is completely unfair to all of the children in your class/classes to take time off during the school year - especially if you teach special needs children. A substitute just doesn't cut it, even if lesson plans are left. Those kids are depending upon you to be there and if they "can get along just fine without you", then IMO, perhaps you aren't that great of a teacher.

There are plenty of teachers in my family and I agree with this. If you get the summer months off and you can't squeeze in a vacation there is something wrong. What other job do you get a week off for spring break, a week or 2 off for christmas, a week off for presidents week and all summer. You throw in every single holiday and teachers have it pretty good as far as time off goes.

I homeschool (thank goodness) so I have the luxury of not having to notify people or schedule around the school. I do know people who are stuck going during the most crowded times because they have to meet the attendance requirements.

 

[jojowentbyby]

AMEN TO THAT MOM!!! (daisyduck123 is actually my mother, in case you couldn't tell.) In most other professions besides teaching, you get Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and other holidays off from work. Yet, in these professions, you are still allowed a certain other number of days which you can take leave from work. I bet at least half of you reading this right now, in the teaching profession or not, have used some of these days for vacations. People who say that teachers shouldn't be allowed to take days off for vacation have no right to single out and penalize teachers alone when people in other professions do this as well. By the way, my mom said she probably won't return to this thread because....she's too busy planning for tomorrow's lessons & then she will plan for our next DW trip (when she'll use her personal days)

Again thank goodness I homeschool and my child's education isn't in the hands of some one who had the entire summer off and is still more concerned with planning a vacation during the school year than keeping any kind of consistancy in the class room. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all could get the summer off + 3-4 weeks off during the year+ every holiday and still get vacation time. The teachers in my family use their personal days for things like death in the family or medical reasons.

 

[Cinderella94]

The teachers in my family use their personal days for things like death in the family or medical reasons.

death in the family -that's what teachers in our county get "family leave" for

medical reasons - that's what "sick leave" is for

personal leave is exactly what it means - personal leave..no questions asked

Wow....I can't believe we are still having this discussion. Teachers should be allowed time off just like people in other professions!
by the way...we get 2 days off at Easter (no other Spring Break) & only 2 at Thanksgiving. We don't have "Presidents' Week", only Presidents' Day. And in the summer, my mom (with a Master's degree)...has to take classes to keep her Advanced Certificate current. Enough said- I'm done.

 

[Teacher03]

Again thank goodness I homeschool and my child's education isn't in the hands of some one who had the entire summer off and is still more concerned with planning a vacation during the school year than keeping any kind of consistancy in the class room. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all could get the summer off + 3-4 weeks off during the year+ every holiday and still get vacation time. The teachers in my family use their personal days for things like death in the family or medical reasons.

I am the teacher that originally said I was going to take 3 personal days next year for a vacation. Everyone has a right to their opinion whether teachers should do it or not, but I don't think anyone has the right to question someone's professionalism or dedication to their students simply for that decision. I have found the majority of teachers I work with and my own children's teachers are extremely dedicated and teach because they love the job. I realize many think that teachers have it easy because they get days off throughout the year and also the summer off, but it has been pointed out that many teachers take classes throughout the summer or work a second job. (Actually, I was at school today at 7:00, ran math club after school until 3:30, went to my college class at 4:00, and finally made it home at 8:00. Does this sound familiar to all the teachers out there?) I personally have taught for 10 years, and I can count on one hand how many days I have missed work for illnesss, personal days, or whatever. (That's pretty good considering I have three kids who went throught the normal colds, stomach flu, etc!) The reason I am taking off work next year is because my oldest daughter is graduating from college and has accepted an internship 300 miles away. This is the only time she can get off, and it will be our last chance in a very long time to take a trip. However, there is a teacher in our school that takes one personal day each year for a fall camping trip with her extended family, and no one, parents, students, fellow teachers, or our principal deny her the right to do it. She is the first one to school everyday (but that one), and is often the last to leave in the evening.

Okay, this is the last time I will post on this subject! I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this topic.

 

[Banshee]

There are plenty of teachers in my family and I agree with this. If you get the summer months off and you can't squeeze in a vacation there is something wrong. What other job do you get a week off for spring break, a week or 2 off for christmas, a week off for presidents week and all summer. You throw in every single holiday and teachers have it pretty good as far as time off goes.

I homeschool (thank goodness) so I have the luxury of not having to notify people or schedule around the school. I do know people who are stuck going during the most crowded times because they have to meet the attendance requirements.

Not for nothing but are teachers not also "stuck" with going during the most busy times too? Considering they have the same schedule as the students. So yes they have it pretty good as far as time off from teaching goes. But not so good when they would have to vacation with the crowds and possibly not be able to afford it, since the busy times are the more expensive times.

 

[PrincessJasmine]

I would never take my kids out of school for a trip to Disney World. The only reasons for missing school outside of illness/doctor's appts for my kids are for "once in a lifetime" opportunities such as a family wedding or if there is a death in the family.

School is important and that's something I want to stress to my kids - just like showing up for work will be when they are adults.

We have plenty of other times during the year to take our kids on vacation.

As for teachers taking vacation during the school year, I think that's negligent. If you decide to go into the ministry as a profession, you know you'll have to work on Christmas and Easter. Going into teaching, you also know that there are times when school is in session. It is completely unfair to all of the children in your class/classes to take time off during the school year - especially if you teach special needs children. A substitute just doesn't cut it, even if lesson plans are left. Those kids are depending upon you to be there and if they "can get along just fine without you", then IMO, perhaps you aren't that great of a teacher.

I'm not a teacher yet, but I'm a teacher assistant to a wonderful group of toddlers. And guess what? I'm going to Disney in a little over two weeks! Teachers and assistants deserve vacation time like everyone else. We work hard (especially toddler teachers) and need a break just like everyone else.

 

[PrincessJasmine]

I sure do know many teachers and have many in my family - not that it's relevant.

Part of being a "professional" is meeting your professional responsibilities. When you decide to become a teacher, you have a responsibility to all of the children in your classroom. You also have more vacation weeks during the year than in any other "professional" job I can name and I am not considering vocations such as "NFL tight end". You have plenty of other opportunities in which to schedule your vacations without it impacting, not just your own children who you are taking out of school but the 10-150 children a year who are in your classes (depending upon the level at which you teach and the number of classes you teach and the number of students in each class).

Even a tight end has plenty of time in which he cannot take vacation time because he has to be on the job!

I consider it negligent to choose to take vacation time during the school year on the part of the teacher and leave the class with a substitute, no matter how "well thought out" or crafted your lesson plans may be. As a teacher, you set an example for your students and the example you are setting is that the children are not important to you and neither is their education. When you enter the field of education, you realize there are trade offs just as in other jobs.

That said, if my children were assigned to a teacher who chose to take leave simply to go to Disney World during the school year, my kids would be pulled from those classes so fast it wouldn't be funny and a formal complaint would be filed withthe principal of the school and the school administration. In fact, I have done just that in the past and if it happens again, I'd do the same.

Guess what? My school is year round. We're not considered a daycare, but a school. So, no. We don't have plenty of other opportunities to go on vacation. With that said, I'd love to see you try that 'formal complaint' thing at MY workplace. You'd be laughed out of there.

 

[DisneyDotty]

Throwing in my two cents...Where I taught high school, teachers were not allowed to use personal leave days for vacation. (How administrators found out, I'm not sure...) Thus, the only vacations allowable by contract were those taken when school was not in session. And yes, we knew the rules when we took the job, so no point in complaining!
As a teacher, I would have found it to be more work than it was worth to prepare sub plans so I could take a vacation. Better to visit WDW during school holidays!

 

[graygables]

However, money IS also a concern. But do you want your child's school to have LESS money? Do you want them to have fewer novel sets? few new items for the sports teams? less equipment for the science department? no new uniforms for the color guard? a smaller budget for the maintenance staff? When large numbers of people pull their children out, this is the reality.

An amazing thing happened in our local district this year. After the levy failed for the 5th or 6th time (can you tell the taxpayers were fed up?), they closed one elementary and consolodated it into new buildings the district had built last year. Nothing came crashing down and the world didn't come to an end. An even MORE amazing thing happened...the minute the school board cancelled all extra-curriculars, the parents formed a unified booster club and are funding all sports/band/etc privately! Just like it should have been done for YEARS!!! Guess what? The world STILL didn't come to an end! *Education* goes on in the buildings, funded by tax dollars. It's just amazing what you can do with less money when you have to. Kind of like real life.

As far as teachers taking vacations. BTDT and they are just as entitled to their personal days as anyone. It's in the contract. Y'know, the one negotiated by the state NEA folks? To me, it's very much like the spiel on the airplane...put your oxygen mask on first, then help the kids. In today's brick and mortar schools, "oxygen" for teachers depletes faster than it used to and they need more down time to reenergize. If you are a super-teacher and choose not to take any of your sick days, good for you, that's your choice, but there are those who may have less administrative support, more difficult students, or prepare fresh lesson plans every year and they need a little R&R every so often. Calling them "negligent" is just wrong.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

That was an interesting personal tag: Me, me, me, me, me.

Very telling.

 

[DisneyDreamingAubrey]

Take children anytime you can to Disney. Most of the important things in life are learned from life and family, not school. My manager's 8 year old daughter was killed in a car accident in January this year. She was going to take her to Disney on School vacation in April. I don't mean to sound depressing, but really think back to your own childhood and do you remember one specific day of school, or a special day with your family making memories. Don't underestimate the value of learning Family Values. Let your children be little, and don't feel bad about it.​

 

[antmaril]

Well, here in KY if you miss 3 days unexcused (the only excuses are sick or death in the family) you are truant, well this year if you miss 6 you can get hauled into court and fined, etc. It is crazy! IMHO, its all about money because the schools lose money if a child is not there, never understood that. Also, this year if your child is late for school or leaves early (unexcused) then it is counted just like an absence. I'm so mad about this. The state is now telling me how to parent. I realize there needs to be rules, but this is ridiculous!

Outrageous. They are YOUR children and YOU decide what is best for them. We took our son out of school for a few days for Disney trips until he got to middle school. At this point, it was difficult to miss classes and he didn't want to do it anymore. However, at the elementary school level, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment. Of course, you know what is best for your child. If a child is struggling in school and it is difficult for him/her to make up missed work, then I might not want to do it. My son was an excellent student and it was not a big deal. As a matter, all of his teachers encouraged our trips and
never had a problem with it.

Just my two cents, of course.

 

[debster812]

There are plenty of teachers in my family and I agree with this. If you get the summer months off and you can't squeeze in a vacation there is something wrong. What other job do you get a week off for spring break, a week or 2 off for christmas, a week off for presidents week and all summer. You throw in every single holiday and teachers have it pretty good as far as time off goes.

I homeschool (thank goodness) so I have the luxury of not having to notify people or schedule around the school. I do know people who are stuck going during the most crowded times because they have to meet the attendance requirements.

OK then, riddle me this: My DH has a job in a Union Shop, and they choose vacations in NOVEMBER, for the year to come. THey choose by seniority, and DH is just about middle of the pack. He has at least another 3 or 4 years before he'll get first crack at ANY vacation time during the summer. ANY. He generally misses out on the standard school vacation weeks as well. When are we, as a family supposed to vacation?

I'm not a teacher, but we do have a DS in 3rd grade, and this year, he is missing 2 days of school prior to Feb vacation. DH was actually able to score the Feb school vacation week, so we get to vacation as a family during a vacation week, but that does not usually happen.

 

[geordie ric]

I,m from England and the local education authority allow each child 10 days a school year to take during school term as private holidays.
It is really annoying when you look at the prices of holidays and see the increases for school holidays.
We are coming to WDW in Feb for 2 weeks and need to keep my daughter off school for 7 days but I am sure the experience she will get from WDW will remain with her for many years to come.She can always read a book on the plane.

 

[LoveTink05]

Not for nothing but are teachers not also "stuck" with going during the most busy times too? Considering they have the same schedule as the students. So yes they have it pretty good as far as time off from teaching goes. But not so good when they would have to vacation with the crowds and possibly not be able to afford it, since the busy times are the more expensive times.

My husband and I are both educators and our family only goes to WDW during school holidays or summer break. We have always been able to get discounts on our WDW resort rooms. (Except March--spring break--there are NO discounts during that time) One year, we were even able to get the GF for $199 per night. This year, we have the WL for $135 per night (for Christmas break). Yes, it is crowded, but we know WDW no other way...and we have a wonderful time! We rarely wait in line for rides because we use a "plan" for touring.

 

[skoi]

Perhaps I'm not entitled to an opinion because we homeschool our two (soon to be three once our adoption is complete) kids, but I have one. I don't think I'd take the kids out of school to go to Disney World, unless it was a once in long time opportunity for them. We're blessed that we can go there often, but to do this have given up many other expenses. I would take them out for a more exotic/educational vacation- like our upcoming trip to China for 18 days.

We've gone to Disney (either parks or cruise) every year since 2001. I rarely count any of the time we spend towards the required 900 hours of instruction I need to prove to the school district because I don't see it as a very "educational" experience. We only count things that can be directly tied to an objective or outcome-- like a trip to Mayan ruins or maybe (and this is stretching it for our 6th grader) a part of the time we would spend at AK.

Okay- I'm almost done,I promise- that said, after several run ins with the new assistant principal at the local school to which we have to report, I can understand parents getting majorly peeved at educators telling them what the MAY do with their children, as if the school has the ultimate authority over our children.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a libertarian wing nut, really. I'm just mad at this woman who knows nothing about me (MA in history and certified secondary ed teacher, former university instructor), my husband (MSW and works with developmentally delayed), and our kids' academic achievement, yet feels free to tell me I'm not capable of providing a sufficient education for a 7 and an 11 year old.

 

[skiwee1]

What's everyone's maximum that they will take their kids out for? Last year, our kids missed 3 days for Hawaii, and 4 days this year for WDW. We time it so we take off when the school already has days off. I think my max. would be 5 days. I noticed some posts where people are taking their kids out for 2-3 weeks. I wouldn't be comfortable with taking them out that long. Not bashing though, Just curious really

Jeni

I took DD out for 6 days for WDW two weeks ago. I am taking her out for 5 days the first week of December for WDW. She is in 1st grade. I don't ask permission either. I just write a note. Our schools also have that illegal absence thing but the principal can make them legal simply by approving them. DD's were approved but if they hadn't been I still would have taken her out.

 

[Bsgauld]

I'll be taking my ds10 out of school for 10 days and the school is fine with it. Yes they know we're going to WDW but they also know that there are extenuating circunstances. My husband is returning from an 18 month deployment. The planning of this trip has kept my dh and ds10 and ds5 focused on the "light at the end of the tunnel"

Yes school is important but family is more important. After all I was in school for 16 years but I've always been in a family.

 

[Downrivermama]

This is just my opinion. From the postings I have read on this subject on the board it seems that many people pull their kids out every year for a trip to WDW for 7-10 days. What is that teaching children about honoring obligations they will have when they are adults? I'm a single mom and have to work, my employer only gives me so many vacation days a year. When my dd was in daycare/pre-school we could come and go any time of the year. Now she is in 2nd grade and I tell her that her job is to be the best student she can and it is important to have good attendance. She won a perfect attendance award for 1st grade of which she is very proud.

I see taking her out of school for a vacation as frivolous JMHO. I feel it sends her the wrong signal. Her school right now has a week break in Oct and Feb in addition to Christmas and Easter, so we work within the confines of her schedule. When she goes to jr high she will not have Oct and Feb breaks and once again we will adjust.

In my work place I see so many young workers who have little or no work ethic. I think we learn our most important lessons from how our parents conduct(ed) themselves.

I think most people would agree that memories are not confined to just special family time or vacations, but to all experiences we have. I have some great memories of my school days and of family time together. Very few of my family memories are from vacations, but the every day interactions and little things that happen.

I think the lax attitude of some parents to just pull their kids out a school has lead to school districts enacting stricter truancy policies, not money.

To each his own, but it is amusing the number of people who post here to complain about schools who are trying to usurp their parental rights. Yes, I like to travel during the off-peak season, but that's life.

 

[Diznenut]

We are going to be in WDW the week after Thanksgiving and yes, we are taking our daughter out of school for it even though she will be out of school the prior week for fall break.

Why - because this is our first trip to WDW as a family and I don't want to spend it in lines fighting crowds and getting upset. Hubby hates crowds and that will be a sure fire end to our vacation. DD is an a/b student, with less than a dozen absences total since starting school 4 years ago. She's a model student and very responsible. In a nutshell, I know she can handle the responsiblity of doing her work ahead of time.

We used the school excuse note as a model from mousesavers. It points out all the educational things she can learn while there. Education doesnt always have to be a focused event - think of all the things your kids learn when you don't intend for them to know - out of the mouths of babes...

It all matters on what your child can handle. Some cannot be away from school for any length of time (my nephew is a prime example). As for the schools telling you when and where you can take your children - thats crazy. This is my child and I'm the one responsible for her until she reaches adulthood. Something tells me that she's not going to blame our trip to Disney at 8 years old for any problems she may have encounted growing up.

edited: And DH job involves management of an I.T. department for a major manufacturer. During holidays when the plants are closed is when they do all their upkeep on the computer systems. He cannot take time off so its either go during the summer or take her out of school. Since we live in the south anyway and know how impossible it is to breath outside in the summer, you can forget that idea.