Missing school for WDW?

[MikeJ]

We're in the same boat as Blizzard. We've always taken the kids out of school, most recently this time last year for a cruise on the Magic (Can anyone say 'Hurricane Lili'? I knew you could.) However, this year DS started high school and we were reluctant to pull him out until he's had a chance to adjust, so we went the last week in August. Not too hot, and smaller crowds (compared to earlier in the summer) because many of the southern states start back to school in early August. It was an ideal time to go - for us, anyway.

- Mike

 

[Rebecca P.]

I take our children out of school regularly to travel and always have. Last year they were grade 6 extended french, grade 9 and 12. They each missed eight days per semester. Everyone caught up no problem.


Over the years I've had some resistance about taking the kids for trips however, I am always quick to point out that not everyone can holiday in the summer, Christmas and March Break. We are self employed and holiday when we are able.

One teacher in particular who gave my son such a hard time about having an extra week with March break had her daughter in my daughters class last year and took her out for the extra week !! Make up your mind!!

I could go on and on but you get the picture. My kids have been places and done things that most kids can only dream about, so if they get a B in science because we missed a unit instead of an A- well oh-well. A great teacher will use that child as a resource to teach the other kids. Last year my daugher did a presentation for the kids on Mexico complete with sand from the beach and pictures of the submarine Atlantis that the kids still talk about.

I'm getting way too old and cranky to let anyone make me feel guilty about spending time with my kids on vacation!

 

[pkitty]

Rebecca I agree completely...I am not that old but stuff like that does make me cranky!!!!!Early on in this thread I stated my feelings about time being precious and short...and that your time spent together is more valuable than a grade on any report card...I still maintain that my daughter will remember those experiences as long as she lives and think on them fondly long after I"ve gone and that's all that really matters to me!!!! I'am a visual merchandiser for a large company and don't have the luxury of travelling during school breaks either so I feel no remorse or guilt about yanking my DD (grade 5) out of school and heading off for a fun filled , sun filled vacation!!!! No guts, no glory ,no guilt.... that's my credoe!!!!

 

[jjohns]

Originally posted by Debbie

One caution for all, though. Please don't schedule those trips just prior/during the provincial tests. Have a fabulous time, and think of those not going!

What's the big deal about prior/during the provincial tests?

As I understand it, the tests have little/nothing to do with the child's marks for the year - they determine the school's ranking in the overall board and province. And, while the material in the test may closely align with the material in the class, I think I personally would be dissatisfied with a school that 'taught the test' for its curriculum (or used it as the overwhelming guide) rather than working on teaching the curriculum in a manner that works best for the 20 or 30 students that are actually in the room!

What am I missing???

TIA, Jeff

 

[Debbie]

Originally posted by jjohns
What's the big deal about prior/during the provincial tests?

As I understand it, the tests have little/nothing to do with the child's marks for the year - they determine the school's ranking in the overall board and province. And, while the material in the test may closely align with the material in the class, I think I personally would be dissatisfied with a school that 'taught the test' for its curriculum (or used it as the overwhelming guide) rather than working on teaching the curriculum in a manner that works best for the 20 or 30 students that are actually in the room!

What am I missing???

TIA, Jeff

Well, Jeff, you have it right when you say that the tests have little/nothing to do with a child's report card marks. However, as a teacher, I can tell you that, despite that, there IS a lot of stress over these tests by administration, teachers, students, and some parent/teacher groups. If your child is not present during the test, he is counted as a "Not enough information to assess" in the scheme of reporting. Kind of like getting a 0 and your school's scores are skewed and not accurate. Not a big deal in a large school. In mine, 1 kidlet really changes the percentages.

The few weeks prior are not "teaching to the test" (the test comes in about 1½ weeks before it is given), but review of how to write the thing. Are you aware that every "question" is scored in four different ways? The kids do need to practise the how of the test-even if they have been doing so all year long.

In my experience, teachers do teach the way that is best for their kids, but then along comes this week-long test with its own rules: no assisting the children by rewording the questions, no usual supports, no extra time, no reading it to them, no exemptions. It is so "not the norm" it is (imho) criminal. And the cost? Astromomical. But it is the law that your child write the test. If s/he were to return partway through the testing, s/he would be expected to get caught up. (not a useful use of my time, personally, but it must be done)

I would hate to accept that they are meaningless, though. If we do, then that would be millions of dollars that could be put towards smaller class sizes, special ed, educational assistants, field trips, textbooks, etc. The main purpose is not supposed to "rank" the schools (although it does ) The purpose is to gauge what is working and what is not in the curriculum. And that is a good thing. When I marked the grade 3 reading a few years back, I could easily see that teachers were doing a phenomenal job of teaching conventions, but that kids were not always able to explain the WHY of them. (You know, "Why does the author write crept in the story?)

BTW, I'm not against testing. I just think that the information could be garnered in a more humane and less expensive way. Heck, I can tell you now which grade threes will be level 4-3-2-1 in our school, with 96% accuracy. Last fall, I was asked how my grade ONES would fare in 2005.

While, the education system has put a lot of emphasis on the provincial tests, naturally, the final decision is yours. I can hardly wait until I get to go off-season!

 

[DSNY FN]

What school board do you work for Debbie if you don't mind my asking? I know in London our teachers went out on strike again against the school board stating it was for the kids I honestly don't understand that if it was for the kids they would have been in the classrooms teaching them. Anyhow this has not to much to do with the thread so I will not continue with it. I on the other hand will tae my children on vacation whenever I please no school or teacher will ever tell me I can't or make me feel guilty. My wife went to the school today to talk to my daughters 2nd grade teacher and ask about homework etc for her for while we are gone the teachers answer was this. I am to unorganized to worry about giving her any work to do while you are away so don't worry about it just have her write up what she did and bring in some post cards etc for the class to see that should work for me. So her teacher is in no way worried about the holiday and her missing school and it honestly should be that way with all schools and teachers.

 

[Debbie]

Originally posted by DSNY FN
I know in London our teachers went out on strike again against the school board stating it was for the kids I honestly don't understand that if it was for the kids they would have been in the classrooms teaching them.

Confused about that one, Darren. We haven't been on "strike" since I've worked for London in '89. The whole province did the protest for 2 weeks years ago to protest Bill 160 (another topic).

Generally, parents who can afford to take their children to WDW for 2 weeks are concerned and "relatively" affluent. PLEASE, I know how I scrimp and save to go-but at least I have the money to do that. And remember, I wrote: If I could, I would! When parents are concerned, active and a part of their child's learning, the children are often strong in the academics, and if not, their parents are right there to help them. So missing school at grade 2 or 4 or maybe even 7 may not have an adverse affect. With the expectations that need to be covered each year (hundreds!), children without parental support would falter. I teach in London, inner city. I've only had 2 children since '89 take time off school to go to WDW. One was weak and I felt that he needed the time with his grandparents. They came to me, and as partners, I allayed their fears and sent a printing book. The second was stronger, did a journal and brought back postcards. Appropriate for the second grader.

If I were in a different job with different vacation times, I would probably be taking my kids out of school, too, when it was cheaper, less crowded and less hot. Knowing me, I would not be taking them out after junior grades or at testing time, but that's just me.

To the original poster, go, have fun, make memories. Those are the most precious things that you can do.

 

[pkitty]

Hi Debbie,
Thanks for shedding some light on the grade 3 testing...it's interesting actually because when my daughter did the test she was one of those kids labelled as "not enough information to assess" and she was actually there!!!! I also could have told you that at the time seeing as she had been enrolled in the Oxford Learning Centre to the tune of $40/hour to upgrade her reading skills. She went from a JK level at the beginning of her grade 3 year to a Grade 2 level in 6 months only to have her teacher come back from maternity leave in May and call me at home to inform me that her reading skills were not at grade level...wow...explained the whole thing and lobbied to have her in remedial ever since. As I've stated previously(in the thread) she is in grade 5 now and still reading about a full grade behind however her teacher is helping her out during test time if she is struggling to comprehend something and without any review her lowest test mark has been a 75 so far and her highest 92.5 (on government oddly enough) so these signs are very encouraging...anyway getting back to the point...even when she was struggling I did not hesitate to remove her from school. The stress at 7 years of age that she was feeling was unbearable to watch, as a parent, despite all our efforts(tutoring etc) that's when she needed a break the most...so she took it. I knew she would fail at the grade 3 test and that's because she like many others in the province had up until that year fallen through the cracks. It's amazing to see all the resources thrown your way when your kid is the one in the classroom who wrecks the learning curve ( I don't beleive that she skewed the results either...she couldn't read despite having spent 8 hours a day every day for 5 years in school...and yes I am the parent but I will not accept all the blame...I'am not necessarily the one getting paid to teach her to read...I already have a fulltime job)!!!! Despite it all, good grades are fine and all but family time is ultimately in my opinion still the utmost in importance.Oh and I'am familiar with the area of London you teach in...I went to public school there for a few years myself(downtown)...I wasn't all that affluent and never got to go anywhere either...but now things are great. .....and my kid goes to Disney every year because she can....God only knows it's not easy to achieve those things in life that we all strive for but it is possible with some good luck and determination. My husband lived in a logging camp in BC with his family and is mildly dyslexic(no remedial help then either...they just told you you were stupid in those days- no provincial tests to skew and make it official!!!)....his grades never rose above a C...he is now a very successful adult with a very good career/income and constantly striving to do better....but he still carries a handheld spell checker in his briefcase at all times. If that's what happens when you have the spirit of determination that he has, then my daughter will likely be OK despite it all...in the meantime it's off to Disney and other foreign locals we go!!!!! Good(report card), bad (report card )or indifferent!!!

 

[Debbie]

Originally posted by pkitty Despite it all, good grades are fine and all but family time is ultimately in my opinion still the utmost in importance.

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And that's the bottom line. Making decisions that are right for our own family. Luckily, here in Canada, we still have that choice.

 

[DSNY FN]

Hey Debbie I appreciate what the teachers try to do for the kids I just think they sometimes try to be parent and teacher yes sometimes it must I am sure feel like you need to be. I also am sorry about the strike thing it was not that recent so my apologies mind you I do know a few teachers that didn't get a say in the whole process. So what did they do they went against their union and sent home letters for the parents and had the kids take class at their (the teachers) homes worked great and many parents really applauded and appreciated it. I like the new policies that Harris implemented with the testing and province wide curriculum etc it was a great idea. The class sizes have not really changed much since I was in school either we always had between 25 and 30 kids in our classes. Again this is a little off topic I am just glad we have not met with any resistance on the holiday thing yet it could get ugly hehehe.

 

[KLondon]

We've always taken the kids out of school for a week to 10 days during the school year (currently grades 3 and 6). We've never had a problem and we've always given a month's notice in case there's extra work to bring along. Every teacher we've had have (a) acknowledged the educational value in seeing the world and (b) asked if they could come with us!

The only problem we've EVER had is when my youngest (in grade 1 at the time) actually left his completed homework on the plane when we landed in London! Calls to the airline were unsucessful in tracking down his work unfortunately. However, his teacher laughed it off as THE best excuse she ever heard for incomplete homework.

A few Tips...

01. For every trip - especially the Disney Cruises - we offer to bring back any info and/or items that the teacher feels would have some purpose or interest to the class. To date, no teacher has taken us up on the offer, but they have all expressed their thanks.

02. We always make the kids keep a journal of our trips. It's nothing onerous - just a page per day with a few sentences outlining the highlight of the day and an accompanying picture. In most cases, the kids have shared/read their journal to the class as "payment" for taking time off.

 

[snarfieca]

We took our boy out of school when we went in Jan/Feb. It's cheaper & less crowded then than at school breaks.

His teachers had no problems with him going. We made sure it We made sure it wasn't during exam time.

Brenda
from MB