Kids missing school for Disney trip

[crazy_for_the_dis]

Aliceacc, please don't be afraid to express your opinion. Many of us see, and share your same point of view. As kids get older, taking them out of school can hurt acedemics and many times will get kids kicked off sports teams, or at least be benched. I personally have not pulled my daughter out of school for vacation, and always plan it around summer vacation.

And I don't think you should be "questioned" on your own school district's policies. I think some things just strike a defensive cord in people on these boards since they try to rationalize that what they are doing is 100% right. I do agree that a child in K-1 missing a week of school is not the same as a child in middle school or high school. Some schools take a harder stance on this for a reason, because they believe it is in the best interest of their district and the education of the entire class. And, no one should blame the teachers for a policy!

The whole idea of a forum is an exchange of views and opinions.

 

[Stitchfans]

Since I can remember our school district always had Good Friday off but in '08 it looks like they won't Our Spring break starts on that following Monday. I had booked a trip (room only of course since it is so far off) thinking we had Good Friday off too. Needless to say DD will not be in school that day since I already paid for and booked our flight plus made a reservation for our room. One day shouldn't be that big of a deal.

 

[CEDmom]

Last fall we pulled DD out of 2nd grade for 3 days. Her teacher was great about it - I did let her know at the beginning of the school year. She just asked DD to write a daily journal entry as homework. We gave DD spending money and also had her keep track of what she bought and how much she had left as a math lesson.

In Dec we'll be taking her out for 3 days again and I hope her new teacher is just as cooperative.

In her school lots of kids miss days for family things and the school sees the importance of it.

 

[CEDmom]

Just my (bound to be unpopular) 2 cents:

I'm a high school math teacher.

A student who misses a week of my class is going to be LOST for quite some time upon returning.

I can't give him work to do ahead of time. Even if it weren't against school policy for unexcused absences, he wouldn't be able to do it-- math books are notoriously hard to read from. And upon his return I can't stop the class and bring him up to speed; he's going to have to get the notes and see me for several sessions of extra help. The same will be true for each of his other 6 classes.

Sorry, folks. We're dealing with the crowds and the higher prices and taking our kids to Disney over the summer. Yes, I value family time. But I think it's possible to value family time and still send my kids a message about the value I place on their education.

I'm glad that's what works best for your family. Our family values education and our DD's school - I volunteer a lot of hours there. Most teachers I know (including my mom) understand families taking time away from school and don't see it as a negative thing.

I also think most parents realize that doing this becomes near impossible past elementary school.