Need to write letter explaining educational value of WDW to take kids out of school

[DVCajun]

To whom are you referring? It looks like you are refering to me because you posted it right under mine and didn't quote anyone else, but I don't see how I was being "self-righteous" by sticking up for the OP? So I'm thinking maybe you were referring to all the people giving her a hard time?

Sorry. I certainly wasn't referring to you. I was referring to of the people who can't seem to resist making themselves look pious by criticizing others' .... fill in the blank. Many times it's parenting. Other times on this board it's something like the refillable mug issue. Ugh. I have to assume that when *they* were in school they were the playground snitch.

 

[eeyoremum]

I always pull my kids out of school for vacations. I always TRY to work vacations around long weekends and such, but they almost always end up missing a few days. Luckily my school system is very reasonable about this, and as long as the kids don't miss an exorbitant amount of days, they are fine with it.

The school system is there to serve me, I am not here to serve the needs of the school system. They are MY kids and *I* will make decisions for them based on what works best for everyone in our family. I do take my childrens' educations into account when I am making plans, but school schedules (and NCLB garbage regulations) will not be the end-all to my plans.
Flame away if you so desire, because I have been a mom for a long time, and my kids are smart and well-educated, AND we have a healthy family life, so I don't see any need to change how I do things.

Now, that said, I have always used this letter for letting schools know we will be gone. Everyone at the schools usually get a huge kick out of it and pass it around.

Wow no flames here. I made a similar comment on these boards once and told I was over bearing and too controlling of my children. From one post. Yikes.

 

[eeyoremum]

I guess I have no sense of humor since I have no clue what he was talking about either.

If that's what he "learned" at WDW, I think he would have been better served by watching videos of Monty Python, Peter Sellers, Eddie Izzard, or Jonathan Ross to name just a few pretty funny Brits.

To the OP--dd was lucky enough to attend two different high schools both of which allowed students to go on family vacations. I picked weeks with half days for parent/teacher conferences, etc. so she didn't miss as much. I just had to fill out a form and these were excused absences which did not jeopardize her GPA or keep her out of college. Call the school and ask them about the procedure.

I do agree that the letter is pretty silly--even for elementary students.

It is a reference to Doctor Who the longest running show in history. Created and made in Britain. Most British are familiar even if they don't watch the show. He was trying to have fun with them and play around on a slow day at Epcot and had no takers. Very unusual since we have done this in the past with great success.

 

[Disneydreamer5]

Sorry everyone. I never meant to start a flaming war.
I was only looking for some advice as to how to approach the subject of vacation to the schools.
I do have a DD who is only 11 so she will certainly have some educational value out of our trip. We also have both my parents joining us, which was just decided last week, so beyond spending time with each other my children now get a trip with Grandma 7 Grandpa that they will always remember and cherish.
I still remember all my trips to Disneyland with my grandparents and it's something I hold very dear to my heart.
Yes they are missing 5 days of school, yes they will have some work to make up and yes, they are missing some pratice and perhaps 1 game (soccer & field hockey) but in the grand sceme of things I think its going to be well worth it.
Again, sorry I started such a heated debate. That was not my intent at all.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

It is a reference to Doctor Who the longest running show in history. Created and made in Britain. Most British are familiar even if they don't watch the show. He was trying to have fun with them and play around on a slow day at Epcot and had no takers. Very unusual since we have done this in the past with great success.

It does sound unusual that they didn't get the reference, but that doesn't mean Brits don't have a sense of humor. Perhaps he just ran into some who don't watch much TV, or maybe he was the 17th American to ask them that and they were tired of it.

 

[hsmamato2]

OP....just send a letter stating your family will be away that week. You and I and a million other parents know already that a vacation/family/traveling experience to just about anywhere ranks VERY high on the 'living and learning' lists....but the school cares only about classroom hours logged, grade levels,and testing scores. Quantifying whether Disney is educational or not is ridiculous,the same way that saying sitting within the 4 walls of a classroom with 20 other kids trudging through an assigned book is the ONLY sort of education a teenager would benefit from.

 

[frtchr]

As a former HS teacher, I wouldn't have cared one bit why you took your kid out of school as long as he/she had the work made up when he/she returned to class. I wouldn't go into the whole "Disney is educational" thing with a high school. As other people have said, just inform the school that you will be taking your son out for a week.

 

[stella27]

It does sound unusual that they didn't get the reference, but that doesn't mean Brits don't have a sense of humor. Perhaps he just ran into some who don't watch much TV, or maybe he was the 17th American to ask them that and they were tired of it.

I thought that it was really, really generalizing to say that brits have no sense of humor because no one felt like joking around with her son.

 

[eeyoremum]

It does sound unusual that they didn't get the reference, but that doesn't mean Brits don't have a sense of humor. Perhaps he just ran into some who don't watch much TV, or maybe he was the 17th American to ask them that and they were tired of it.

Well I can I know we were not the 17th American to ask him because we are Canadian....lol. We are actually Scottish Canadian and he has a slight accent which always amuses me because it was my Grandfather that came from Scotland and passed away even before I was born. Sure don't know were the accent came from. It was just odd because usually they are so talkative and friendly and that day they were horrid.

 

[princessmom29]

OP....just send a letter stating your family will be away that week. You and I and a million other parents know already that a vacation/family/traveling experience to just about anywhere ranks VERY high on the 'living and learning' lists....but the school cares only about classroom hours logged, grade levels,and testing scores. Quantifying whether Disney is educational or not is ridiculous,the same way that saying sitting within the 4 walls of a classroom with 20 other kids trudging through an assigned book is the ONLY sort of education a teenager would benefit from.

Wow. Just Wow. This is TOTALLY not what school, at least in my classroom, is like!! Just ask my kids about the stuff we set on fire yesterday! I am all about lets get up and do something. We do at minimum one class period of hands on a week. Most weeks 2. We work in groups, we use models, we conduct inversigatinos into a particular concept. I have forund that using this approach, and NOT focusing on test scores ect is much more successful, and believe it or not my kids have higher standardized test score since I have adopted this approach. Not to mention that my day is much more plesant.

 

[marlynnp]

I think it's silly that people are being so critical here. Family time is precious, and as she explained, they have limited windows for travel due to commitments that (unlike high school) actually are non-negotiable, like paid employment. My parents took me out of school occasionally to travel to the Caribbean. They did it because money was tight and they couldn't afford school vacation weeks. I was a straight-A student and involved with several activities. My dad later became ill and passed away young, and those vacations are some of my most treasured memories. The only thing I missed about school was the chance to gab with my friends 24/7. These days, kids don't even have to miss out on that. Everywhere you look, family organizations are lamenting the loss of quality family time and communication, to the point of launching a celebrity PR campaign simply to encourage families to eat one dinner a week together. I applaud this mom for being so sensitive to her family's competing interests.

No one said family time wasn't precious. No one told her not to go.


Some questioned how her son would maintain his position on the football team. And pretty much everyone agrees that there is no educational value in a trip to WDW for a high schooler - they should have already learned those lessons.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

I think the point everyone is trying to make is, if you feel that strongly about family time being important (and who doesn't), don't make excuses. We're going on a family vacation, end of story. The scenario is like that of a child who is trying to get out of trouble by justifying something they know isn't correct. There is nothing your high school student will learn, in passing in Disney, that can be applied to his education. Just do it and forego the excuses. It will make you look silly and your son.

 

[NMAmy]

It is a reference to Doctor Who the longest running show in history. Created and made in Britain. Most British are familiar even if they don't watch the show. He was trying to have fun with them and play around on a slow day at Epcot and had no takers. Very unusual since we have done this in the past with great success.

DH is British and even watches the new version of Dr. Who occasionally but had no clue about the reference when I asked him.

If you've done it with great success in the past, then it's not really fair to say your son learned that Brits have no sense of humor. More like the few people he spoke with that day didn't get his reference.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

Well I can I know we were not the 17th American to ask him because we are Canadian....lol.

But Canada is part of North America, right?

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

The school system is there to serve me, I am not here to serve the needs of the school system. They are MY kids and *I* will make decisions for them based on what works best for everyone in our family. I do take my childrens' educations into account when I am making plans, but school schedules (and NCLB garbage regulations) will not be the end-all to my plans.


Now, that said, I have always used this letter for letting schools know we will be gone. Everyone at the schools usually get a huge kick out of it and pass it around.

You actually send the letter that everyone makes fun of? Wow - you are brave.
And the school system does not serve YOU - it serves your children by trying to educate them and instill in them a love for learning.

 

[clanwilson]

Many school systems have strict attendance policies, and that is why many people are forced to write the "educational" letters that some posters have mocked and/or fill out an EEO, Educational Enhancement Opportunity, form. I would much rather write a letter explaining any and all activities that will bring educational value to my child than have my child receive unexcused absences. (I'm a teacher by the way.)

 

[eeyoremum]

But Canada is part of North America, right?

Yes we are part of North America...actually the Great White North eh! but we still Canadian not American.

 

[LWatson]

Wow. Just Wow. This is TOTALLY not what school, at least in my classroom, is like!! Just ask my kids about the stuff we set on fire yesterday! I am all about lets get up and do something. We do at minimum one class period of hands on a week. Most weeks 2. We work in groups, we use models, we conduct inversigatinos into a particular concept. I have forund that using this approach, and NOT focusing on test scores ect is much more successful, and believe it or not my kids have higher standardized test score since I have adopted this approach. Not to mention that my day is much more plesant.

Wow I wish I had a teacher like you in school. School bored the heck out of me...even college bores me. I cant stand just "blah blah blah blah"....powerpoint..."blah blah blah blah." I'm a hands on learner. Probably would have done better than 3.5 if I had had a hands on teacher like you.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

Our school REQUIRED us to write a letter explaining the educational value of WDW.

I think the OP was looking for suggestions on what to write, not whether or not she should or should not take her son out of school. It sounds like she already has the okay from the school and coach. I'm surprised at some of the responses she has gotten.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Now, that said, I have always used this letter for letting schools know we will be gone. Everyone at the schools usually get a huge kick out of it and pass it around.

Of course, it's possible they pass it around and get a kick out of it because (a) the same letter is used year after year; (b) the same letter is used by various parents; (c) they're amused by the baloney factor.