Pulling the kids out of school..

[conNH]

Ok my 5 year old starts kindergarten on Aug.27th....
We leave for Disney Sept.12th-20th Why do I feel gulty?
I always said I would never go to WDW during School vacations!
I mean Why pay all that money to wait in line?
I plan on getting his work ahead of time and doing alittle at a time befor we leave... Does anyone feel the same way I do?

 

[twinmomto3boys]

I feel bad about taking my kids out of school too but because of my husband's work schedule summer and holidays are nearly impossible times to go. Plus if you go duing off season you get twice as much done in half the time for less money.

I think family time is just as important to children than school time - if not more. These memories will last a lifetime.

 

[cruelladephilly]

woa!! do not feel guilty just yet--you will have plenty more time for that--not until 5th grade or more would missing school be a problem (IMHO) as long as your child is doing well and all--I, for one, am a staunch believer that family time is more important than a week or so of school that leaves nothing missed--it's amazing how fast our children grow up==we all need to make more effort to gain back our family time and stop feeling guilty for taking some!! I would take my kids out in a second if I had to--I would be happy to arrange for any make-up work if necessary--there are so many important things to learn that are never taught in school!! HAVE FUN!!!

 

[Boo'sMom]

don't feel guilty. If the kids make up the work and the grades stay where they need to be.....why not enjoy it while you can?

JMHO

 

[Lisa3]

On our first trip my kids were 1st grade, kindergarten & pre-school and yes I felt guilty. I asked for "extra" projects and ensured the teachers that this would be an educational experience. I quickly learned do not ask for more than you are willing to do (LOL). Our last trip the kids were in 1st, 2nd, & 3rd. I simply laid it on the line (nicely) to the teachers that DH could not take off any other time and that family time is very important. I also ask for them to only give me the work they would miss since I was not going on vacation to spend every evening doing a project for school.

This Nov. we will be pulling our now 2nd, 3rd, & 4th graders out for 7 days. Again, we will do the work we miss. My kids know that missing school is not to be taken lightly and they rarely miss any other days beside our vacation. I do also have to say that they are very good students and I might not be so willing to take them out if they were stuggling. As far as Kindergarten you should not have a problem. Go, enjoy and build those memories that will stay with your child long after they finish school.

 

[cdrn1]

I did take my children out of school for family vacations. I always felt that there was plenty to learn outside of school as well as in, and that in the long run they would not be harmed. They are all grown, all are college grads with good jobs, and we have wonderful memories of those vacations. So, in short, no damage done and a happy close family.

 

[StrwLady]

I'm taking my son out of Kindergarten for 4 days. I wasn't feeling guilty as much as I was worried about how the teacher would react to our decision. I decided to mention it to her at the orientation and was pleasantly surprised at her reaction. She said she feels family vacations are learning opportunities. She will give him a disposable camera and would like him to bring in pictures, something from the trip and tell the class about his trip. She will give us homework for him but told us not to feel like we had to get it all done. She knows how busy vacations can be.

I think it's perfectly fine for a family to take a child(children) out for a week or so for a trip. The parents should be the ones to decided if its right for that child or not. If a child is struggling then sure maybe a week missed of school is a bad idea.

Take care

 

[NancyIL]

My kids missed a week of school 2 Thanksgivings ago, and they were in 6th, 9th, and 12th grades. Kindergarten is nothing!

 

[Starz723]

I have taken my son out of school for the past 4 years and will again do so this coming October.

He will be in the 6th grade. Im a bit leary right now at this grade. As long as their are no pertinent tests and he is doing "OK"..I take him out. If I see that he is struggling after this vacation, I will reconsider future trips during school. My son is hardly ever out after that during school..Fortunately, he does not get ill often.

I also inform the teacher at the very beginning of the term about my vacation plans. Sometimes, depending on the teacher, they will give him extra before we go away.

He has NEVER had a problem. We do all the make up homeworks and I ask the teacher what he missed so we can review it. My son has a mild learning disability, and I thought that taking him out would be very detrimental, but it has not shown itselt to be so. If it did, I wouldnt do it.

Im a single parent and I have such a wonderful relationship with my son. I want to enjoy being with him as long as I can before he starts to "not wanting to go out with mom". Our Disney vacations are the highlight of the year and have been for the past 6 years. We go either in October around Halloween or the first two weeks of December.

Dont feel guilty. Enjoy the lower crowds and nice weather. Unless your child has problem, they can easily make up the work.

 

[ryansmom]

No guilt about it here! Unfortunately we don't get to Disney as often as we would like so I don't spend any time feeling guilty for pulling the kids out of school. Disney World is not any ordinary vacation. It is quality time with the kids at the maximum and such an extraordinary experience. Enjoy it guilt free!!!!

 

[alaskantwinks]

I am glad to read these posts. Although we are taking our kids for a much longer time, (3 weeks) let me explain why...First of all, we live in Alaska, so getting out of the state is a BIG DEAL for us. It not only costs a lot more, but it takes twice as long to get there, and we don't have the choice to drive (we have to fly from our remote town). We haven't been out of state since 1999.

We have had a lot of major things happen in the last 4 years, first my uncle died in May 2001, my aunt in June 2001, my dad in July 2001 after a long battle with Alzheimer's, (there are 9 kids in the family, we all took turns taking care of him at home) and than another aunt got diagnosed with stomache cancer the same month, although thankfully, she's alive and well. A couple of months later, 9/11 happened, which of course saddened everyone.

About a year ago my husband's grandma (mom's mom) that lives in Missouri died, and this past May his grandpa (dad's dad) died. He was close to both of them, but we hadn't seen them since 1994, when we were last down there with our daughter who was 2 at the time, and is now 11. Sadly, they never got to see our son who is now 8. Now I really wish we could have gotten down there sooner. The trip we took in 1999 was to the West coast with my parents, our last trip with my dad. My point is, life is too short to worry about things. Take your trip and enjoy.

DH works a lot of "swing" shifts and doesn't have weekends off like I do, so we don't get to spend too much time together at home...We really need this trip to let off some steam and just be together as a family. My husband's mom is joining us too, which should be a lot of fun. The first five days we will be at Universal, the next 7 days at the Polynesian (FTP!) and the last 3 days in Orlando (will sort of ) will be on the Disney Wonder!! Than we fly to Missouri to visit with relatives before heading home. I plan on talking with my kids teachers as soon as school starts next week, and maybe they can integrate some of the homework into things like our visit to Epcot, etc. We are not going to let anyone make us feel guilty for needing some quality family time. We are all counting the days!!!

 

[cindyfan]

No offense....but....what kind of "work" can a Kindergartener miss????

IMHO....kindergarten was designed so that the children learn their "social" skills. There are still a lot of school districts that do not require any child to attend kindergarten.
The family life at this point is way more important than a week at kindergarten.

If it was high school and your child struggles with their classes, I would worry then...otherwise....Just enjoy the vacation.

My DD is in the 7th grade and I have been pulling out of class in Oct for the last few years. No big deal!! She will get her assignments ahead of time and we will have time set aside every day to do her work.

Stop worrying!!

 

[woody5]

I believe the work they miss in Kindergarten is no big deal. My only concern would be that your child is just starting school and learning the schedule and making new friends. He/she may have a hard time readjusting once you return. It is unfortunate that your trip wasn't just a little later so the child would be in more of the school routine. I know when my kids have missed alot of school at the beginning of the year due to illness they seem to feel left out once they return. Something to think about!

 

[Tigger Fans!]

Even at 5 years old there is TONS that you can learn at EPCOT! Besides....it's so important to spend time with your children. Just enjoy your trip -- guilt free!

TTFN!

 

[n2mm]

No guilt here. We are heading to WDW in Sept. for a short 6 night trip. Our grandson, 9 years old--a fourth grader, is going with us, along with his folks this time. I don't think anyone of us has any guilt. Maybe because when his mom and her sister and brother were younger, I took them out of school for a week every May. I guess it didn't hurt any of them. They graduated, got great jobs, bought homes and sometimes I think we are just a little closer from all of that bonding.

 

[Doc and Family]

PULL 'EM OUT!!!!!!!!

Especially at that young age. We pulled my son out last year, and will do so again this year. Education is critical, don't get me wrong; however, it is not the only thing in a child's life. Besides, think how cool he, as well as you, will be perceived by the other kids when they find out he missed school to go to WDW! Of course, the other parents will curse you, but, I think we can live with that.

Have a great trip!

 

[msteddom]

Originally posted by Starz723
As long as their are no pertinent tests and he is doing "OK"..I take him out. If I see that he is struggling after this vacation, I will reconsider future trips during school.

I really like this point that Starz made. I teach middle school, and I have no problem with parents taking their children on vacation, as long as everyone is aware what the child will be missing, and will be required to make up. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to have a child in my class who is really struggling (and the parents know this), then they miss school for a week to go to Hawaii. So my point, especially for parents of older children, is enjoy your vacation but make sure you know what will be missed in school and that all the work is made up. Have fun!


Melissa

 

[LoriZH]

Yes I have been wrestling with this one myself. This will be the first year I have to pull my boys out of school for vacation and I feel guilty. My daughter goes to private school and usually there is absolutely no problem they actually encourage family time. However, last year my daughter got lyme disease and she missed a lot of school due to hospital stays, inflamed joints, medications, etc. The boys caught strep twice and it was a NIGHTMARE as far as days missed at school so I am a little leary about pulling them out, but we will make up the time and hopefully everyone will be healthy this year and all my guilt will melt away when we see the castle live again! lol

 

[Rosered]

Do not feel guilty!!!

I had this problem last November. My DD was in kindergarten and I mentioned our vacation plans to her teacher on the very first day of school. Well she said she saw no problem with it although my daughter would miss 10 days of school. She was willing to give us makeup work and everything. She did tell me that I should speak to the principal since 10 days maybe considered extreme. The principal acted as though I was going to ruin the schools precious attendence record and even said I should discharge my daughter then reenroll her so the school would not have so many absences on record. I was practically in tears, i had been planning this trip for years and it was to be my DD first.

To make a long story short, I decided to go anyway after speaking with the guidance counselor who suggested I write a letter explaining the absences for the record.

It was the best decision I could have made. Whenever my daughter had to write a "story" in school she'd write about our trip and when asked to draw a picture of herself wearing a hat guess what type of hat she drew? Yes, mickey ears!!!

Our vacation helped my normally quite, shy DD have something to talk about and opened her imagination.

Enjoy your vacation and know you are giving your child an invaluable gift that just can't be taught in school.

 

[polkadotminnie]

I am a teacher and I pull my kids out each May for our vacation. No guilt here.Enjoy your trip!