Just read the December list...? about those missing school...

[simzac]

As a parent, I have to look at as to why my 2 boys are attending school, to prepare them for life as an adult after their school years. And as an adult, I do my utmost to always work on my scheduled days to work. Time off from work is what weekends and vacation time is for. Thus, I feel it is wrong to set an example for my boys that it is ok to take them out of school for a family vacation, even for only 1 day, when there are roughly 14 weeks a year when school is not in session. For example, we are going to WDW Jan 1-5 this coming year, school is back in session on Jan 6, and I will have them back in time to be in class that day.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

We took DS out almost every year in elementry school for a week to travel. We never had a problem and have wonderful trip memories. DS is in middle school this year and we are looking toward only taking trips that will not cause him to miss more than three days.We have several 3 day weeks in our year that do not fall during major travel times. I doubt that we will take school year trips any more once DS hits high school. I try to decide what is best for our family at that time. Our teachers have been wonderful and given little make up work and aways given any work before the trip. DS has always gone back to school 100% caught up on any work. His grades have never droped the quarter we were gone either. We belive that travel is one of the most educational offereings a child can take part in. I dread the year we can not longer go off season.

Jordans' mom

 

[bexareaglecheryl]

I know it's been awhile since all of you posted to his thread, but was doing a search and found it interesting.

We took our children out of school 2x before for our WDW trips. The first time they were in3nd grade/6th grade and the second time 4th and 7th grade. We planned those trips 4 months and 10 months in advance respectively so the teachers had plenty of notice. We are planning another trip where the kids will be out of school for the two days (Thurs and Fri) before Thanksgiving holidays. I've already informed all of the teachers that we've had a family trip planned with grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins for over 3 years now. My DS is now in 8th grade and my DD is in 11th. DS is in public school. DD switched to a private Christian school this year and during our selection interview we let the principal know that we had the trip planned and got her complete support. I've already emailed all of their teachers and informed them of our plans and asked them to do whatever they chose as far as having them do the work in advance or take the work on the trip or do it when they return. We will do whatever they ask.

There are so many stressors on family life today. All of the family members are pulled in so many different directions. There are weeks when it is hard to even sit down at the table and eat all together. Times set aside to be together and make family memories are harder to come by. Taking the children on trips to WDW only during school holidays and vacations is rougher for some. For instance, it's more expensive to travel then. Hot weather is harder on those of us who have health problems. The $$ may not be available or work issues may simmer hotter during the summer months (this is true for my husband.) My daughter will be in college soon and won't be as able to travel with us.

I want to be in charge of my family's decisions about what is truly best for us. If the children miss some instruction or work, then so be it. The benefits from those trips far outweigh and are much more memorable than those same days spent in the classroom. How much 'real' time is actually spent on teacher instruction during the school day anyway?

My DS's teachers in elementary schools were supportive of our trips and told us that they had never been because they refuse to go during the hot summer months. It wouldn't matter to me if they were unsupportive anyway, I'm way beyond seeking someone else's approval for what I chose to do wit in my own family. Thank God we don't live in an area such as some posters have described here where the BOE is so hard nosed and unrealistic. I guess my priorities are different. I would much rather my children be loving happy people who are close to me and DH and share happy memories than be all academics. My DS is sick quite a bit anyway and missed 20+days of school the last 2 years (95% with a dr's excuse) due to illness and still did fine.

Now, I don't want to make it hard on the teachers either. So, if my kids need extra help getting those assignments done then I give it to them and don't ask anymore from the already overworked teachers. I always bring back a gift and write a thank you note too!

I know I've droned on and on. Over the years there has been SO much debate on this topic. Everyone must truly decide for themselves and feel good about their choice. In the end, only you know.

Peace on earth and good will toward men, Cheryl

 

[Dogslider]

Though as a parent my husband and I both try to set many examples for our children. We have both occasionally have taken off work to attend one of their functions. Though we certainly think that being a responsible, dependable employee is important. We also believe that time spent with our family is important too and because of being such a responsible, dependable family year round that we more than deserve a week spent together relaxing, no matter what week of the year that is.

When I take of work for vacation, I have work to make up when I come back. So does my son. Our youngest is 13 and if he thought that missing school would be a too much of a hardship on him, then we wouldn't do so. If his grades and attendance was poor through the school year, again we wouldn't do so. But as long as things keep working for us and our school allows it, we will never visit Disney in summer months again.

It is all about what works for your family, but for anyone to think you are setting a horrible example by spending time together as a family, is just silly.

Pam

 

[goofy4tink]

Dogslider...I'm right there with you. I tend to get really tired of school boards dictating what types of vacations my family can take. Sad to say, I don't think that my dd, 5th grade, is missing so very much in school if she misses 5 days!!

We have a top-notch school system in my town. But, I feel that if our family is ready to help our dd make up her work and keep current with here studies when we go away. She has not yet had any trouble catching up when she returns.

Her father has taken time off from work on many occasions to attend her school functions. I am active as a volunteer in the schools. I think we set a fine example. In the big picture I don't think that missing a total of possible 60 over 12 years is so awful Of course, my dd doesn't miss very much school due to illness either. So we look at it as a wash!!!

Do whatever works for your family. What family A or family B does, in the long run, isn't going to matter to you. What's right for them, may not be right for you.

Just don't take your kids out of school and then cram 6 of you into the AllStars, using your mugs from 8 years ago at the CBR, while trying to convince the people at the gate that of course 3 of these kids are under 3!!!!

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

My DD is in 2nd Grade and will miss 3 days of school during our October trip. She's only missing 3 days because we are going during our school district's Fall Break.

My DH & I attended "Meet The Teacher" night the first week of school (mid-August) and told DD's teacher about our October trip then. She had no problem with it but since she is new to our district she wanted to talk to Administration before she told us how it would be handled; she didn't want to misinform us.

A few days later she e-mailed us that the absence would be unexcused (which we knew) but she would give DD the work she would miss in advance. DD can turn in the completed work when she gets back for full credit.

Our school used to not give credit for work made up for an unexcused absence but changed that policy in April.

Oh, and our school district is considering a change to a continuous school year which would include a 3-week break in October. We'd LOVE that since October is our favorite time to go to Disney!


Debbie

 

[threeboysmom]

Wow! You all have me concerned now! My oldest son is in school this year for the very first time (9th grade) - I've always homeschooled him previously. I have two vacations planned - a December one where he'll miss 4 days of school, and an April one where he'll miss 3 days of school. These were both planned before I knew I would be sending him to off to school instead of homeschooling through high school. Am I going to have a major problem with the school over this? I guess I'm having a hard time with the authority issue - I am the parent - shouldn't I be the one to make the decision whether I want my child to miss school or not? If I make the extra effort to work with my son, and he makes the extra effort to work hard and keep up with the assignments over vacation and not fall behind, why is it so frowned upon?

 

[helenk]

threeboysmom.
You may want to check with your school district as each is different. Our school allows for 5 unexcused absences in a year..

I've only taken my children out of school once for a full week and it was in the beginning of the school year One year I took my daughter out for 3 days. Even though we are the parents and feel that we know what is best for our children, the schools have guidelines that they must follow for their funding etc. Missing too much school can certainly be a problem for any child I suppose.

But bottom line check with your school to see what their policies are.

 

[goofy4tink]

You know, this whole 'unexcused' absence annoys me. (I know, who cares what annoys me!!) Last Dec my dd and I made a very last minute trip to WDW. My dh told us to get away for a bit. My mom had just died and my dd was really having some issues. She was really close to her Meme. Anyway, I'm sure that her 4 days of missed school would not have qualified as 'excused' absences. But, she really needed to do it. I guess I have a problem with the school system telling me basically how to deal with my child and her 'issues'. Do I expect the teacher to give us the work beforehand? No, but she can just put the work, as it's passed out to the class, in a pile and set it aside for dd to do when she gets back. If dd doesn't get it done, then she suffers. It is my job to see to it that my child gets the work done but I'm also responible for her mental well-being. The trip away served a wonderful purpose. She came back, still sad, but in a much better way. We were very lucky in that we had a teacher that did put work aside for us and didn't have a huge problem with dd's absence.

 

[Dogslider]

You know, this whole 'unexcused' absence annoys me.

Me too! In our school the new policy you can only miss 9 days in either excused or unexcused, so I am not seeing that it matters one way or the other. They have changed vacations as excused but they count towards the days anyhow so....
By the way incarceration has always been an excused absence, go figure!
Of course field trips to Kahunaville (resteraunt) or the zoo etc.. are deemed educational and important as are half days off to get your nails done for prom etc... and don't count.

Pam

 

[pgjam]

I agree w/you Dogslider. We have a senior, freshman & 7th grader & we also have a 1/2 day on prom days so the students can get ready for the big night - Not to mention the educational trips to museums & the zoo which consist of no pre-trip teaching - the kids on their own (w/chaperones of course) but no agenda & no post discussion after the trip. Fortunately our SB does not have any rules about trips or unexcused absent days. That said I grab the school calendar the minute it comes out & gear our short tips to DW around the in-service days or 1/2 days for conferences. Two years ago the kids had 1/2 day on Thursday, no school Friday & then Pres. week-end. We flew down on Wed. nite & had 5 days w/ the kids missing 1/2 day. Works for us.
pgjam

 

[Disney Spaz]

Hey I am both a Disney Spaz and a school teacher. There is a simple explaination for the rules about limited missed days. Where I am after 3 days you are notified of possible Loss of credit after that 2 more days are it, then you are denied credit unless you have a seroius issue that kept you from school and a vacation isn't it. The reason, ever heard that old saying a few bad apples ruin it for the rest of us. Basically it is a few bad parents whose children continually skip school and they write notes to cover up the kids behavior. Originally it was at the teachers descretion as to excusing the student but some of the paretns were becoming verbally abuse to teachers who refused to excuse excessive absences and in many counties around me the decision was made to take the responsability away from the teachers and create a county wide rule. I can tell you from experience that I have had students who never attended a full week of school their entire high school career and because mom or dad used threats and intimidation the students absences were excused. Again this is just a few bad apples who spoil it for the rest of the students. I would always suggest talking to your school principal about the absences, they are more likely to work with you if possible.
Now on the other side of the coin as a parent two years ago my 6th grade DS science teacher assigned a group project over Christmas break when we had two week ressies in WDW. Keep in mind she assigned this project 2 days before the break. I was livid not just for my son but for the other members of his group since they were given a group grade. I went to the school's principal twelve hours before we were to leave and he fixed it right away. So remeber they are the ones to approach about missing school.
Sorry about the long post I hope it explains a few things for those of you in MD

 

[seashoreCM]

I am not a parent but if I were, I would expect my kids to have no unexcused absences except for a dire emergency such as a medical problem.

I will know what the school calendar is and I have the responsibility to work family events around it.

One exception, if school makeup days for snowstorms, hurricanes, etc. wipe out scheduled vacation time (other than the first two weeks of summer where makeup days are common) and I already have a Disney vacation scheduled, I ccnsider it OK to pull kids from school to go on vacation. I will have tried to have the kids get ahead of studies during the days school was unexpectedly closed but will not expect the kids to do lots of school work during the Disney trip.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[wilderness01]

I am not a parent but if I were, I would expect my kids to have no unexcused absences except for a dire emergency such as a medical problem.

You will understand when you are a parent. If the child is doing well then it is up to the parents and what they feel comfortable with. There is plenty to learn on vacation and bonding family time is invaluable. Some parents can not take summer vacations and others just do not want to. I have seen teachers pull their own children out of school. I have already notified the school as to us pulling the kids out of school for a week in December. I was a little nervous about our 5th grader. Not because he doesn't do well, he does, is a straight A student and scores in the top 5% on his state tests, but because he is getting older and there is more work to miss. The teacher assured me for him it would be no problem and he is to go and have a great time. She said the week we picked was great and that it was a period where they wrap things up right before the holiday. I was so happy with her approach and so was our son. This will probably be his last year to do this as he is getting older, but again that is our choice. That said if any of our kids were ever struggling with ANY subject we would never take them out of school. School is a priority and the kids know that. A worse situation in MY opinion than taking a kid out of school to miss one week is the parent who forces their kid to be in so many extracurricular activities/sports and that kid is struggling at school and just not totally getting it. Missing one week of school could be made up, but distracting many hours ALL throughout the school year because of competitive sports/dance, etc. is much more careless in MY opinion.

 

[DrTomorrow]

I am a parent, and I don't understand, not at all - so you're not alone, seashoreCM.

[Parent credentials: one DS, now 24. Graduated Catholic HS w/highest honors, graduated Univ. of Mich with BS in Comp Sci, now living on his own, self-supporting - and still emotionally close to his mother and I.]

As a libertarian-minded person, I generally support the idea that a parent knows what's best for their child; but after reading this thread, I'm not so sure.

While I have no problem with a second grader missing a day or two, I think it's a lot more significant for a HS student to miss an entire week; in 5 days, concepts can be introduced and discussed in depth that will be the foundation for weeks of further instruction.

But what concerns me most are the justifications that some parents give for taking their child out of school. Perhaps I'm just too old-school (no pun intended), as I'm 43; perhaps my parents valued education and good attendance habits more than most. But when I see people taking their children out of school because: it's cheaper, it's easier, s/he's getting older , we need to form family memories , or because little Jimmy or Cindy was sad, I just marvel at the human mind's capability for rationalization. In my (tiny little ) mind, it's very clear: education is a necessity, a Disney trip is a luxury.

As I said, I'll support (to the death) a parent's right to decide what's best for their child, but I retain the right to politely disagree in a public forum. And please note: I am NOT trying to say anyone else is a bad parent, nor do I think that I will change anyone's mind on this issue - I intended no flames by this post. I just posted because someone said:

You will understand when you are a parent.

and I felt it important to point out that not all parents have the same opinion on this issue.

IMHO - YMMV

 

[zurgswife]

But what concerns me most are the justifications that some parents give for taking their child out of school. Perhaps I'm just too old-school (no pun intended), as I'm 43; perhaps my parents valued education and good attendance habits more than most. But when I see people taking their children out of school because: it's cheaper, it's easier, s/he's getting older , we need to form family memories , or because little Jimmy or Cindy was sad, I just marvel at the human mind's capability for rationalization. In my (tiny little ) mind, it's very clear: education is a necessity, a Disney trip is a luxury.

My justification is fairly simple...they are my kids....period

My parents valued education as did my DH's and as do we...but there are many ways to "teach" a child something....and it isn't always in a class room....

And spending time together is highest on my list....my kids make very good marks over all....and I don't think twice about making time for vacation during the school year....


and Education is a necessity...but my kids do quite a bit of learning at disney....so my necessity and luxury mix quite well...

 

[newtowdw1]

Originally posted by threeboysmom
Wow! You all have me concerned now! My oldest son is in school this year for the very first time (9th grade) - I've always homeschooled him previously. I have two vacations planned - a December one where he'll miss 4 days of school, and an April one where he'll miss 3 days of school. These were both planned before I knew I would be sending him to off to school instead of homeschooling through high school. Am I going to have a major problem with the school over this? I guess I'm having a hard time with the authority issue - I am the parent - shouldn't I be the one to make the decision whether I want my child to miss school or not? If I make the extra effort to work with my son, and he makes the extra effort to work hard and keep up with the assignments over vacation and not fall behind, why is it so frowned upon?

It is frowned upon, particularly in hs, because so much work cannot be made up outside of class. If the boy were in my class (Biology) he would potentially miss an entire unit and 2 labs in December. In April, probably 2 labs. We are not blocked, but in a six day cycle see the students 9 total instructional periods. We MOVE at the speed of light. And, as it is a wonderfully fun science, we do tons of hands-on experiments. I only lecture one day a week. The rest of the time is spent on group work, experimentation and projects. And we have an excellent rate of mastery.

I also teach AP Biology. Every year I have at least one student (senior) tell me apologetically that s/he was being compelled to go on the family vacation for at least 5 school days. Those kids' grades nose-dived. Not because I am cruel, in fact, I try to help. But let's be realistic. Middle of winter in New York= snow and wind. What else is there to do but study. Middle of winter in tropics= fun. NO STUDYING!!! These are the best kids in the school with excellent work habits. Let's give the kids a break, reduce their stress, and leave them in school during hs. During ms and elementary school, if you have an average kid, you probably don't need to be there every day. JMHO.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Originally posted by zurgswife
My justification is fairly simple...they are my kids....period

My parents valued education as did my DH's and as do we...but there are many ways to "teach" a child something....and it isn't always in a class room....

And spending time together is highest on my list....my kids make very good marks over all....and I don't think twice about making time for vacation during the school year....

and Education is a necessity...but my kids do quite a bit of learning at disney....so my necessity and luxury mix quite well...

That's a great answer, zurgswife - make sense (well, some if it; not sure if I agree that the most important thing in my son's life was spending time with me at WDW ::grin:: ).

One favor to ask: since it seems like a lot of parents here might be asked to frame their vacation request in terms of learning and education (and to satiate my curisoity ), could you please share some examples of child-relevant teaching/learning that goes on at WDW? And if you could, maybe exclude those fairly-expensive special behind.the.scenes tours that not everyone can afford. Perhaps such a list will help some parents deal with their teachers and administrations.

Thanks in advance.

 

[llggood]

I took my son out in Pre school for 5 days to go to Disney. Now we are going back and he is in 3rd grade. He also has 3 new brothers and sisters through adoption, one is in 3rd, one is in 5th and one is in 7th. We are going early December and I am nervous about taking the 7th grader out for 3 days. This will be the last time we do this and it really only the first time for my three new ones. I think once they hit middle school and you are dealing with so many teachers and subjects it is too risky. This is just what I feel works for me and my family.

 

[mikeymars]

Originally posted by Micca
We took our twin DDs to WDW several times during their public school education from grade school through to high school. It was never a big deal with the schools, and DDs are now in college.

Pray tell, WHAT colleges? Not to get on a soapbox, but when I hear childhood experiences shared amongst my Ivy League peers, I don't hear about people having been yanked out of primary/secondary school for vacations.