Taking children out of school

[leighe]

I would never take my own children out of school just to avoid peak crowds or rates. I agree that sends the wrong message about priorities. I would not hesitate to take them out if we could not vacation any other time during the year, however. We are fortunate that DH's schedule is relatively flexible even though mine is not (I'm a teacher).

 

[barbmouse]

It is quite interesting to me that no one has yet mentioned the child's view. My dd was taken out for a week in grades K and 2 for Disney vacations. I'm a teacher and had no problem taking her out either. Since then we have traveled in the summer. My dd is a great student but would NOT want to miss a week of school at this point in her school career (8th). It is just way too much work in her opinion. I agree and am so proud that she has such an admirable work ethic at her young age.

 

[crazymomof4]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my school district's attendance policy!

Allows for one family vacation per school school year, up to 10 school days of EXCUSED absence!

We have gone to WDW twice in Sept/Oct. The teachers have been fine with it. One saw my anxiety over doing this the first time and kept saying, "Go! Have a great time. Don't worry about it! It will be fine" And it was!

I diligently help my kids do the missed work when we get home. One year, the kids grades were the BEST for the marking period that we went away.

Here is what I think is an important point, my kids are good students. If they had difficulty and their grades would be affected by the missed days, I would not do this.

 

[kribit]

I know, I thought a bit about rescheduling ours because of all this talk of "the letters" being sent out (I didn't know what the "letters" were). Now I'm in New England and I understand Georgia and the Carolinas have very strict attendance laws, but I didn't realize how bad they were. It just seems like Communist Russia to me.

 

[daisyduck123]

One year, the kids grades were the BEST for the marking period that we went away.

Last January, we pulled the kids out of school for 5 or 6 school days to go on a 9 day trip to WDW.

About a week after we returned, DD11 was awarded the Academic Achievement Award at her school's 7th grade Honor Roll assembly (only 3 students out of over 400 kids get this).

Hmmmm.....maybe WDW trips bring a little good luck too?

 

[crazymomof4]

Hmmmm.....maybe WDW trips bring a little good luck too?

I like to think it was my extra tutoring while they did the make up work.

Congrats to your DD on her academic achievement!

 

[dixipixi]

For years I have been against pulling my child out of school for vacation. We did once for 3 days, but that was to attend a wedding and he was in 1st grade. Since then, it has just been too difficult. His grades have not always been the best and I would not risk him failing something over a trip.

He's now in 8th grade and we recently changed schools. Our new school has a much better policy toward "family related" absences. These can be for births, weddings, vacations, etc. The parents just need to talk to the teachers and make sure their child makes up any work and tests they miss. They are allowed 5 "family days" per year. BTW, his grades are also drastically improving.

We are considering taking him out for the first time next year. He will actually only miss 2 or 3 days because we will take our trip over Mardi Gras holidays (they are already out Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday that week). He will only miss Thursday, Friday, and possibly Monday.

The reason we are doing this is because he is playing football. They have practice during the summer, games in the fall, and they return to practice in the late spring. Our choices for vacation time have become really limited.

 

[Over the Rainbow]

I have not read all the post, but our schools let the parents excuse 7 days with out a doctor visit with no problem and planned vacations are also excused as long as the school is informed ahead of time. After reading some of the post I think I'll stop whinning about the few things I don't like about the schools. We did take dd's out of school 2 years ago for a 10 day trip. The teachers did not even send any homework they said they would them them get caught up when they got back.

 

[Mainebound]

I'm a parent who is also an elementary teacher and I now see it from both sides.

In 2001 and 2003 when I was still a SAHM I took my boys out of school for a week to go to WDW. Both times the teachers were very gracious and wished us a fabulous trip. Both of our trips were in the Fall and my oldest son was in the 3rd grade during our 2003 trip. In Texas, we have the dreaded TAKS test and his teacher did tell me that if I was going to pull him out I was doing it at the best time possible (last week of September) because the TAKS testing didn't take place until Feb. and April. Both of my boys are high performing academically, so taking a week off of school does not hurt either of them.

I'm now back teaching 4th grade for the last two years and I've had students pulled out for vacations. Most of the students do fine and never miss a beat academically when they return. However, I've had a couple of low performing students miss 6-7 days of school for hunting trips, cruises, etc. and these students never seem to be able to recover from what they missed. This is especially true with math. If they are behind in math when they leave, they are even further behind when they return a week later. Our math curriculum moves quickly and builds from one lesson to the next and even missing a couple of days can be very difficult for a student who already struggles with math.

My attitude with parents is the same regardless of whether or not their student is a high, middle, or low performing student. They are the parent and it is their decision. Just like it was my decision in 2001 and 2003. I always wish them a wonderful trip and then tutor the student, if needed, when he/she returns.

At the same time, it is true that as teachers we worry when low performing students are pulled out at anytime for several days, but I still feel that it is the parent's right.

My neice's school district has a strict vacation policy. If a child is pulled out for a unexcused absence of any kind all makeup work can receive no higher than a grade of 70. As a parent and teacher, I feel this is wrong!

I share your sentiments exactly. You must be a wonderful teacher to have a perspective that takes everyone's needs into account!

We are lucky to have a relaxed school policy. DH and I are professors. We get a March break and that's it. So we take the kids out every year. If we ever perceive doing this will (a) be contrary to school rules, or (b) hurt our child academically, we will stop immediately.

BTW, we are staying at Windsor hill in March. Can't wait!

 

[Tam1067]

OK, I was really just reading this post because I'm bored, but for whatever crazy reason (boredom is fogging my brain I suppose), I'm going to risk a flame. I would never take my kid out of school for vacation, Disney or otherwise. My DD is a straight A student so it's not academics that bother me, it's the fact that there is a bigger lesson here, a lesson about priorities. School is important, and required, and school policy states that you can't miss more than 3 days in a row without a doctors note or it is unexcused. As a matter of fact, every year we shoot for perfect attendance. We don't always get it cause I won't send her sick, but it highlights the importance of education in our house.

If I cave on being in attendance now, what am I going to say to her when she's in HS and wants to take a three day trip to so and so to do such and such and 'you let me do it when you wanted to take me to Disney?' Not only that, if every parent were to take every kid out of school whenever they wanted for a vacation, it would completely wreak havoc on the school calendar. So if it's ok for me, why not for everyone else?

I know it's not easy or convinient, but so is the way with life.


That said, if you want to take your kid out of school for a week for vacation, I'm certainly not going to think any less of you, or get worked up about it, but I also don't think the kid should be able to make up all the work/get the same credit as the children who were in attendance.

Sorry....long...boring...opinionated....

Very well said!

 

[ksloane]

Thisis how I feel too so you're not alone.

OK, I was really just reading this post because I'm bored, but for whatever crazy reason (boredom is fogging my brain I suppose), I'm going to risk a flame. I would never take my kid out of school for vacation, Disney or otherwise. My DD is a straight A student so it's not academics that bother me, it's the fact that there is a bigger lesson here, a lesson about priorities. School is important, and required, and school policy states that you can't miss more than 3 days in a row without a doctors note or it is unexcused. As a matter of fact, every year we shoot for perfect attendance. We don't always get it cause I won't send her sick, but it highlights the importance of education in our house.

If I cave on being in attendance now, what am I going to say to her when she's in HS and wants to take a three day trip to so and so to do such and such and 'you let me do it when you wanted to take me to Disney?' Not only that, if every parent were to take every kid out of school whenever they wanted for a vacation, it would completely wreak havoc on the school calendar. So if it's ok for me, why not for everyone else?

I know it's not easy or convinient, but so is the way with life.


That said, if you want to take your kid out of school for a week for vacation, I'm certainly not going to think any less of you, or get worked up about it, but I also don't think the kid should be able to make up all the work/get the same credit as the children who were in attendance.

Sorry....long...boring...opinionated....

 

[ksloane]

double post

 

[crazymomof4]

We are lucky to have a relaxed school policy. DH and I are professors. We get a March break and that's it. So we take the kids out every year. If we ever perceive doing this will (a) be contrary to school rules, or (b) hurt our child academically, we will stop immediately.

Same here! I think even though there are many viewpoints on this, we all have the children's best interests at heart.

Today I have to write to DS's teacher and ask her what type of book (biography, general fiction, etc.) is assigned for the March book report. I want him to have a book picked out to take along so that he can begin reading it on our drive down and back.

 

[tikilyn]

We have strict school rules about absent's too! When I talked to the princpal about our family vacation and days my dd would miss he had a big cow. By the end of our meeting he told me to just withdrawl her from school and when we got back to just reenroll her.

Right now I am trying to talk dh into going back to Disney in Sept 07. If I can't dh to agree to go again I'll just withdrawl dd out of school for a week and a half for our vacation.

 

[Ilovefozzie]

I have no problems taking my kids, DS11 and DD6 out of school. In fact we are doing it in 43 days. We are taking off during Easter/Spring break week and they are losing only half the number of days they normally would.

DS is in 5th grade and his grades are excellent, DD is only in kindergarten. The teachers and the school system have NO problems with it. In fact every one of them have told us to have a great "Family" time.

Just because I'm taking them out, doesn't mean that school isn't important to us. LOL The idea is ridiculous! You should have been a fly on the wall at our Parent-Teacher Conferences last week. Education is number one to us. Our son always tests in at least the 99% for national standardized test, and is part of a national talent program. Taking him out for 3 or 4 days actually helps him re"juice" his brain for the rest of the year. (LOL-yeah yeah, I know re"juice" isn't a real word.)

We chose this time of the year for several reason, ALL of them family focused. Next year, when our DS starts Middle School the process might not work, and then we will look into other options.

 

[stargrazer]

I might feel differently if our school district encouraged that kind of stuff, but around here if you miss, you don't always get to make it up and the teachers/staff do NOT tell you have a good time, they tell you it is a big mistake and the child will be at a disadvantage...it will also count as unexcused. Start to rack up many of those and you will start having more teacher conferences and it will effect her future educational opportunites as well. As if that isn't enough, with several of her after school activities, if you miss more than three times, you are out. No exceptions unless you have a Dr. Note. My DD can't even miss her dance class after school on Friday for us to leave for the P&P Party early or else she risks losing her place in the class! Granted, this is an Arts Magnet, and there are excpetional expectations for the kids at this school, but attendance DOES count towards grades here.

I wasn't saying that school isn't important to anyone who takes time off, I WAS saying it is a way for us, in OUR home, to make sure DD understands that educational commitments come before anything else in our house. Other people have other ways of expressing their expectations, this is one of ours.

 

[maciec]

I will admit that I didn't read all of the posts in this thread. But I am going to share our experience with pulling dd out of school.

DH and I have jobs that do not allow us to take any days off of work from May 1st - September 23rd. We work completely opposite shifts so that one of us is always home with our kids. However, because of this choice our family doesn't get to spend much time together as a family and we don't get to take summer vacations. So that leaves us with school season.

We live in a resort town where everything here is seasonal. Our school board has realized that a lot of parents are in our predicament so they allow 5 days missed for "Family Harmony." Our school board believes in family and the importance of family and therefore they don't punish the student for missing school. When I discussed taking my dd out of kindergarden for 4 days her teacher (btw, was just name Teacher of the Year for the school) said "Have a great time! I wish I was going with you!" She suggested some things that would help dd continue learning while she was a WDW, but nothing outlandish. She said to take some books on the plane ride (since they were learning to read) and work on reading with her while we were there. SIMPLE and REALISTIC!

I know that she is just in kindergarden, but they do things that are very important. Ask me again 5 years down the road and I might have a different answer and perspective. Ask me 10 years down the road and I might have another answer and even different perspective.

The bottom line is you do what is right for you and your family. And only you know what is right for you and your family and your circumstances ~ not a bunch of strangers on a forum to judge.

 

[Mainebound]

The bottom line is you do what is right for you and your family. And only you know what is right for you and your family and your circumstances ~ not a bunch of strangers on a forum to judge.

AMEN!!!

 

[stargrazer]

The bottom line is you do what is right for you and your family. And only you know what is right for you and your family and your circumstances ~ not a bunch of strangers on a forum to judge.

OK, I'm going to go here for a minute....

I always find this response interesting. Someone obviously wanted to know what other people's opinions were or a thread would never get started! I agree that only you can decide what's right for your family, but just because someone else gives a different opinion doesn't mean they are JUDGING them. I always enjoy reading how other people do things, it doesn't mean I think less of them because it isn't MY way. My belief system says live and let live, but that doesn't mean I can't participate with an alternative view on a forum.

There was a time when people could have different belief systems and get along....nowadays if you have a different opinion, it's not PC/you're judging/being a troll/etc.

OK, back to regular programming...

 

[gogriz]

I thought I would share our families experience with taking my daughter out of school for family trips over the years. She is now 14 and in 9th grade. Until I was recently able to stay home, I have always worked in restaurants, typically in towns that are much busier during the traditional vacation times. I also worked nights and weekends. So not only is it hard to get those times off, they were the times when I made the most money. Vacation in February makes sense for our family.

We give the teachers plenty of advance notice and follow through on the make-up work. We don't think we trivialize her education by taking her out. I drive her to school early and pick her up late whenever necessary to make up things like tests and science labs. We have always kept a close eye on our daughter's school progress and she has always maintained exceptional grades. On our most recent trip she did her work on the plane and on airport layovers. We also try to take advantage of educational opportunities as they present themselves. She is a well rounded, well spoken, and well respected student. She is doing so well in her Spanish class that her teacher just gave her full credit for a quiz she missed because everyone else did so well on it and she knew she would have also.

That all being said, we made the decision that this is the last year that we will take her out during school. As she has entered the high school years she has begun honors courses and will also be starting the International Baccalauriete program as a junior. Because we make her ultimately responsible for her education, she has come to the decision (independant of us) that her attendance is critical in a way that it never was before.

I think that as a parent you have to weigh all the advantages and disadvantages and constantly re-evaluate the situation. I think it is sad that standardized testing has taken such a prominent position of importance in our school systems. I understand all the reasons behind it, I really do, and I don't know how to solve the problems either. I cannot even imagine the frustration that educators must feel.

But my two cents are that we did it with our daughter for years and she is a happy, successful, well rounded student.