Teacher's advice on missing school

[photo_chick]

At both my kids schools they're on Edmodo. All of their assignments are posted there. It makes keeping up with school work when you're absent easy. Not that it really matters for us because we can't ever go during the school year. The school my daughter goes to only allows 4 absences a semester and no unexcused absences. A WDW trip is an unexcused absence in our school district. Before you plan that trip make sure you know the rules at both your school and your district. There are also laws in some states that prevent grade advancement if your student has too many absences.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

True that about the funding things but these parents we are hearing from aren't the problem I'm betting.

Actually, you'd be wrong. Even a kid who only misses 1 day all year will have an impact on funding. The "average" kid misses 3-4 days a year, so a family that pulls their children for a weeklong vacation is already "above average" even if there are no additional days off. There's a reason perfect attendance awards are made into such a big production.

Now, I'm not saying "don't go". I'm just saying that if your school is funded in this manner, it has an impact.

 

[LaLalovesWDW]

Great advice. Thank you!!

I've only taken my daughter out once this past December so we could get a better flight (2 days before Holiday vacation) and I felt SO bad for taking her out. I know I drove her teacher crazy trying to make sure she wasn't going to miss anything or get in trouble for missing 2 days.

 

[CalSea12]

Just want to say... These sorts of activities are awesome for young kids, and should be done every day, where ever you go, regardless of whether you're on vacation or not.

Even something as simple as a trip to the grocery store is an opportunity for reading (labels), writing (lists), and math (estimating prices, calculating tax, handling money).

If you make this a regular habit, it's highly unlikely you'll have to worry about your children's academic achievement in the elementary grades (and you'll know sooner than even their teachers if there's a learning issue).

I 100 percent agree with this, my DH is a teacher and stresses to parents how important their involvement is.

As for me my DD is almost 2.5 years old, and we always turn everything into a fun learning game. She has a blast and learns at the same time it is awesome

At 2 and 1/2 she knows her ABCs, colors, numbers, some simple addition, how to read small words such as "at" and "cat". I really believe parental involvement is so important.

 

[CalSea12]

I agree, the parent knows their child and their own situation best! Good luck with homeschooling, if you decide to go that route. There are many days I wish we had! Luckily we ended up in a small school with an educational philosophy that agrees with ours, and that respects our role as parents. GL!

Aww thank you!

I am specifically getting my elementary education degree to home school, lol I know I dont need it, but I feel I want to be the best prepared.

If I were to ever change my mind, I would want to find a school like yours, one that aligns closely with my philosophies. I personally feel a couple day break from school here or there is good for children and their stress levels, and also really good for family bonding. My parents took me out of school once to twice a year, every year and I was still an A/B student, just with a lot less stress.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

. The school my daughter goes to only allows 4 absences a semester and no unexcused absences. A WDW trip is an unexcused absence in our school district. Before you plan that trip make sure you know the rules at both your school and your district. There are also laws in some states that prevent grade advancement if your student has too many absences.

That sounds illegal and I don't think enforceable. As long as your child is there for the state mandated amount of days I don't think the school can impose their own quota.

 

[PJBottoms]

As a teacher and a mommy, I'd like to chime in. My district has a policy about teachers not providing packets. I teach in an affluent school where kids are vacationing ALOT during school. My problem is it used to be a couple of kids taking a couple days before or after the actual vacation days. This particular spring break 2 days before vacation I had 6 kids out and 2 more left early ( after lunch) the next day those 8 weren't there plus a couple more. I already heard from several that they will not be returning after the break for anywhere from 2 to 5 days. We already had 11 snow days and many 2 hour delays. We teachers are struggling to fit all that work in. Because so many parents are extending, it makes my job so much more difficult.

 

[photo_chick]

That sounds illegal and I don't think enforceable. As long as your child is there for the state mandated amount of days I don't think the school can impose their own quota.

They most certainly can if it's a magnet school. They have an a/b schedule (period 1-4 on one day, 5-8 on the other) so they're only in class half as many days as a "normal" school to start with, even though they're in class twice as long each day. If a student fails to maintain requirements they get sent back to the school they're zoned to attend. But as parents we know this when our kid goes through the audition process and you accept it because you want the opportunity for your child to attend the school. Missing a few days at this school can put a student very far behind.

 

[mousefan73]

Where I live you cannot take a kid out for vacation. If you do it's truancy and you can get fined. It's illegal. They even have police checking airports the few days before vacation starts to see if parents took kids out before. I live in Germany and that is the way it is. You can get exceptions for family things ( death, wedding etc...)

It is a pain for me and I would prefer to take my kids out when its cheaper and more convenient.

BUT I understand the other side.. When I add up all the school breaks ( almost 3 months plus) I see the school's side on this " you have all that time to plan a vacation" I dont get the arguement "Family time" is just as important as "school time" I do agree, but you have over 3 months to plan family time ( vacation)

Also I can see if this need for "vacation on my time" continues to grow, how are teachers suppose to plan.. ??? Our DS is in a class of 28 if every month or so a couple of kids were out for a week plus, How does the teacher keep things moving along?

I find it extra planning, stress. Especially for the PP who noted that the week before break and after so many students are missing.. So does she then make the week before and after "blow off" days so in essence the class is losing out of 3 weeks of PRODUCTIVE class??

Again,from my own selfish side I would love to be able to take my kids outs, but I do understand our rules...

 

[stm61]

That sounds illegal and I don't think enforceable. As long as your child is there for the state mandated amount of days I don't think the school can impose their own quota.

Entirely legal. I've had my kids in school in 4 different states (I was military) and they've always had a set number of absences. Unexcused absences are what they count, not excused ones with doctor's notes or funerals. They allow a certain number of parent notes for illness, but I don't remember what it is. Usually the number is 5 unexcused per semester for middle and high school. Elementary always allowed more days. One son almost didn't graduate because I'd sent a note saying he was out 3 days for his grandmother's out of state funeral. Three days before his high school graduation they informed us that he needed a copy of the obituary or he wouldn't graduate due to excessive absences (6 days). He was passing all his classes, they would have held him back for missing 1 extra day.

 

[juliebug1997]

That sounds illegal and I don't think enforceable. As long as your child is there for the state mandated amount of days I don't think the school can impose their own quota.

When the HS where I teach was on the block schedule (and when we go back to it next year), the students were only allowed five unexcused absences a year. You could be absent with a doctor's note as many times as you needed, but, after five unexcused absences, you could be denied credit. Now there are ways to make up the credit and there are other excused absences (field trips, funerals), so they are not completely heartless.

While it sounds illegal and most of the parents here are not allowing their children to miss school just to miss school, some schools are dealing with students who miss upwards of 80 days or more (during a 180 day school year); I think I was talking to one of our attendance clerks one day and she said that a student had missed like 120 days of school and we probably had about 40 days of school left to go in the year! They are trying to show kids and parents that attending school is important. We do counts at the beginning of every school year and that number is sent off to the State of Texas and they decide the amount of funding we will receive every day. For every student that has an unexcused absence on a given day, we get docked. That means that every district runs the risk of not being able to add teaching units that might be desperately needed for smaller class sizes, etc. I know it sounds stupid, but please know that your children's teachers, schools and local districts do not make the attendance policy, so don't rag on them for this. The state does (at least here in TX).

 

[gtpoohbear]

Another teacher here. I have to admit I roll my eyes a little when kids ask for all their work before they leave for 1-2 weeks. I get about 5% of it back, if I'm lucky. Personally, I wouldn't make my kids do HW on vacation anyway, what kind of break is that???

My biggest concern with extended absences isn't the quantity of work to make up, but the amount of missed instruction. They really need a lot of 1-on-1 tutoring afterwards to catch up, and most of the time they aren't willing to make the commitment. Doesn't mean they are doomed for the year, but there will be some gaps.

As a parent, I have no problem pulling my kids out for a day or two, but longer than that would require a really good reason. Fortunately, our state is not very strict about attendance. Our funding is tied to our attendance during the first week of October only, so as long as you don't miss that week, they don't question you at all.

 

[photo_chick]

When the HS where I teach was on the block schedule (and when we go back to it next year), the students were only allowed five unexcused absences a year. You could be absent with a doctor's note as many times as you needed, but, after five unexcused absences, you could be denied credit. Now there are ways to make up the credit and there are other excused absences (field trips, funerals), so they are not completely heartless.

While it sounds illegal and most of the parents here are not allowing their children to miss school just to miss school, some schools are dealing with students who miss upwards of 80 days or more (during a 180 day school year); I think I was talking to one of our attendance clerks one day and she said that a student had missed like 120 days of school and we probably had about 40 days of school left to go in the year! They are trying to show kids and parents that attending school is important. We do counts at the beginning of every school year and that number is sent off to the State of Texas and they decide the amount of funding we will receive every day. For every student that has an unexcused absence on a given day, we get docked. That means that every district runs the risk of not being able to add teaching units that might be desperately needed for smaller class sizes, etc. I know it sounds stupid, but please know that your children's teachers, schools and local districts do not make the attendance policy, so don't rag on them for this. The state does (at least here in TX).

I'm in Texas as well. Too many parents do not understand how our schools are funded and how much it really matters for every kid to be in their seat every day.

The state does set attendance standards but there is a lot of variation, even within a district, as to what is excused or unexcused. What was excused at the middle school my DD attended in 6th grade was not excused at the middle school she attended in 7th grade and both schools were in the same district. And where she's at this year for 8th grade is even stricter in some ways but much more lenient in others. Which is why I think it's so important to go talk to your school's attendance office and your child's teacher before making plans to pull them out.

 

[bumbershoot]

The variances have started to show up. We cannot make the mistake of thinking that the way it's done in OUR state, in our district even, is THE way it's done.

My children missed school for 5 days for Disney trip along with missing a few days for a death in the family and sickness throughout the whole school year and the next thing I know is I get a phone call from the police saying there are considered truant. I regret taking them to Disney now with all the trouble that it has caused. I thought because they are in the first grade five days would not make a big difference but I guess the teachers and the principal thought differently.I also had to sit down and explain why they missed the days they missed and now the teachers are holding them back in the first grade as a result.

(I'm assuming this was Texas, from everything I've read about TX school stuff)

They will be in 8th and 11th grades next year. They both chose the Panama Canal cruise for our next trip which means missing 11 days of school. ...

We did speak with our principal before booking the trip. He encouraged us to go, assured us the teachers would work with our kids on making up the missed work, and felt that the educational opportunities on our trip would far outweigh any missed time in the classroom.

11 days of school, the principal encouraged them to go.

The city policy is 10 consecutive missed days before there's any investigation/action, so I'm not worried about that, but hopefully her teacher is nice about it.

10 *consecutive* days. Not just 10 days!

Apparently in NJ 10 or more unexcused absences will get us reported to the court system....

10 UNexcused! Not 10 period.


So many variations!

As for missing days before standardized tests - if a child has to study for a standardized test, there is a bigger problem than missed school.

the 5th grade math is even harder when you try to teach them to do it backwards(common core)

Common Core is a set of standards, AND it seems to be a curriculum developed AFTER the standards were set up, but the curriculum itself is not necessary for the standards. Looks like the name of the math is Eureka Math, from commoncore.org, which is not the standards site.

The standards site is corestandards.org.

What is the Common Core?
State education chiefs and governors in 48 states came together to develop the Common Core, a set of clear college- and career-ready standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts/literacy and mathematics. Today, 44 states have voluntarily adopted and are working to implement the standards, which are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to take credit bearing introductory courses in two- or four-year college programs or enter the workforce.

Do the standards tell teachers what to teach?
Teachers know best about what works in the classroom. That is why these standards establish what students need to learn, but do not dictate how teachers should teach. Instead, schools and teachers decide how best to help students reach the standards.

In the later 70s my mom couldn't help me with my math because it was "the new math". Apparently it was different than how she learned it in the 50s. My aunt, just 2 years ahead, says that the way I was taught is just like how she was taught. Alas my mom is long gone so I can't ask her WHY.

When I first saw the agenda-filled "common core is stupid" memes, it was complicated to figure out (the one where the kid is supposed to figure out where the kid in the problem went wrong, and the dad wrote all over it and had a tantrum about how you just subtract it), but about 10 minutes into it I figured out what he had written and what was shown on the fresh page, and there it was, easy peasy. NOT how I was taught, not really how I think, but I worked it out. I'm currently trying to work out that way, trying to work out teaching my son Singapore (because it's how he thinks), and still doing math my OWN way. Singapore and the stuff shown in that meme aren't the way I think, but I've expanded my learning to figure it out. And it's all just adding. So I'm showing DS how to do it all. He might choose to go to school-school, and I want him to be able to show the work they want him to show, no matter HOW he does it (which is generally just in his head so far).

4) Our teachers (public and parochial) admitted it wasn't that time-consuming, as they already had their lesson plans.

That's what I've always wondered when I read of teachers having a problem with it. Don't they have them prepared already? If not, why not? Unless your curriculum changes every single year, why don't you just have it all prepared?


I'm also curious about the concept of not knowing how to do the work if you haven't had the lesson. Shouldn't the textbook HAVE the lesson? If it doesn't, doesn't that mean it's a pretty rotten textbook? I was in grad school before the textbooks couldn't be relied upon (or we didn't even have a textbook and it was soley lecture-based), with the exception of a Linear Algebra book and an Organic Chemistry book later in college. (and sadly both involved horrible professors, one of whom was tenured and didn't care and had extra credit questions about the Beatles, and the other one was a creep who had such a curve that my 50% tests were a B-, and he just wanted women to come to this office for extra tutoring)

I'm now using Singapore for math with DS, and I bought the teacher manual for this set of books, and it's USELESS. I won't be buying the teacher manual going forward. I read through the lesson in the Textbook, go through it with DS, then he does the Workbook. The teacher manual is just to tell you "do this page of the textbook and this page of the workbook together" and also has extra things to do if the kids aren't getting it.

Wow that was long.

I'm sorry to take this thread down a different lane.. but I really am bugged about this statement.... and feel the need to address this way of thinking, concerning children with learning disabilities. (I am strictly speaking of learning disabilities, not physical disabilities.)

I don't think the sentence was meant in a mean way, but in a recognition that if a child already has extra challenges, taking them out of the learning environment might not be best for them. I think it was an acknowledgment, not a put-down.



[

 

[bumbershoot]

All of this makes me wonder what the rules are with homeschooling? Once my daughter starts school I want to home school her, granted I still have 3 years before kindergarten, but I still wonder how strict it is?

Totally dependent on the state! WA you only have to report the student's existence to the school district once they are 8 (unless they had previously been in school). Then each year you have them evaluated in some way by someone currently licensed in education in the state, but those evaluations don't go anywhere but your own files. I imagine the existence of those files would come into question if you are already in trouble for something else; something else to use against you if they aren't there. Whereas my cousin in FL, when she was homeschooling her son for a year, had to evaluate AND send the results to the state. Very different!

 

[momtosam]

I am a unique teacher/Diser I think. In my school district trips are allowed with a preapproval form. I've never seen a preapproval rejected. My principal encourages the family time spent on vacations and usually writes some kind of message on the bottom of the form like, "That sounds amazing! Have fun." My kids attend school in my building. I will be pulling them out, including my dyslexic son (this has NEVER entered my mind as a reason not to take him) in May to go to Disney and taking the week off. There are no raised eyebrows about this. My school has an awesome "family first" philosophy, I guess. Also, just because I am teacher, it doesn't mean that my husband is able to travel freely in the summer. People often don't think about a teacher's spouse and his/her occupation.

As far as when my students travel, I try to provide them with all of the math worksheets they will miss. Our students have a monthly reading goal to meet, so it is up to them to keep reading on their trip. I also provide a journal to write about their trip. They then share this with the class when they return.

 

[wuzzy6]

All of this makes me wonder what the rules are with homeschooling? Once my daughter starts school I want to home school her, granted I still have 3 years before kindergarten, but I still wonder how strict it is?

It varies state-by-state. I am currently homeschooling our youngest daughter for her 8th grade year, and we live in FL. The requirements for our state are quite possibly completely different from yours... she is registered as a homeschool student with our county's school district - we keep a portfolio of her work throughout the year - etc... Definitely check with your state's Dept. of Education and go from there, especially if you want accurate information!

As for the original topic... in our district, pulling a child for a family vacation would result in an unexcused absence for each day they missed. A student would be considered truant after 5 unexcused absences within a calendar month, or after 10 unexcused absences within a 90-calendar-day period. As previously mentioned, it's incredibly varied from state-to-state, and it would be ridiculously irresponsible to not know your school district's attendance policy before pulling a child for vacation. I don't have any issues with pulling kids for ANY reason, just as long as it doesn't cause harm to the child!

 

[Angel Ariel]

That's what I've always wondered when I read of teachers having a problem with it. Don't they have them prepared already? If not, why not? Unless your curriculum changes every single year, why don't you just have it all prepared?

My curriculum - as defined as the skills the children are to be taught by the end of the year - doesn't generally change, no. The rate at which those skills are taught can vary a from year to year, however, depending on how quickly (or not) the different classes each year pick up on the concepts. Teachers are also being taught to differentiate their instruction more and more depending on the strengths of their students. So the approach I take to teach a concept one year might be different the next year if I have a class that would.not work well with that approach. Teachers are also required to constantly take professional development courses, where they learn different resources and ideas for their subject each year.

How I would structure a lesson plan now, the resources I would use, etc are SO much different than how I would have done all of that 3 years ago.

As for my lesson plans being "done" already - yes, I have a basic idea of what I want to be doing the next week, but the plans are fluid. If the class shows me they aren't ready to move on to the next concept like I had been planning, my lesson plan for the next week would get altered to include more review of the previous concept (since the next concept generally builds off the previous one).

Most teachers I know work on lesson plans every week. It's not like teachers lesson plan every week out over the summer and then just go through them like a robot throughout the year. Lesson plans have to be flexible, and there's a lot of working on then throughout the year.

I'm also curious about the concept of not knowing how to do the work if you haven't had the lesson. Shouldn't the textbook HAVE the lesson? If it doesn't, doesn't that mean it's a pretty rotten textbook?

I don't speak for all teachers, but I don't just use one textbook in my class. I create my own lesson plans from many different places. I don't just follow the lessons laid out in the teacher's manual, and thus no the student textbook would not have my lesson.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

When the HS where I teach was on the block schedule (and when we go back to it next year), the students were only allowed five unexcused absences a year. You could be absent with a doctor's note as many times as you needed, but, after five unexcused absences, you could be denied credit. Now there are ways to make up the credit and there are other excused absences (field trips, funerals), so they are not completely heartless.

While it sounds illegal and most of the parents here are not allowing their children to miss school just to miss school, some schools are dealing with students who miss upwards of 80 days or more (during a 180 day school year); I think I was talking to one of our attendance clerks one day and she said that a student had missed like 120 days of school and we probably had about 40 days of school left to go in the year! They are trying to show kids and parents that attending school is important. We do counts at the beginning of every school year and that number is sent off to the State of Texas and they decide the amount of funding we will receive every day. For every student that has an unexcused absence on a given day, we get docked. That means that every district runs the risk of not being able to add teaching units that might be desperately needed for smaller class sizes, etc. I know it sounds stupid, but please know that your children's teachers, schools and local districts do not make the attendance policy, so don't rag on them for this. The state does (at least here in TX).

Same is true of Missouri public schools. Every absence means less funding. Wealthy districts tend to be less strict because they get a much smaller portion of their funding from the state (some being nearly entirely locally funded). Most really need the $.

 

[Love Tink]

As for missing days before standardized tests - if a child has to study for a standardized test, there is a bigger problem than missed school.

So perfect to see something so judgmental (and ignorant) coming from you.

In many states (like mine), the end-of-the-year standardized testing is hugely important. Children start the testing in third grade and it continues through high school. The results hugely affect the schools (their funding, their accreditation and how they are categorized by the state) and also the teachers and the students.

It is not just a matter of how many kids (and how many kids of every race and every disability) PASS the test, but how many of them "Pass Advanced" and how many get perfect scores. So even the gifted students have to review and prepare for the tests - they are trying to get perfect or very high scores.

My oldest son had perfect scores on the math test in fourth and fifth grades...which qualified him for a pool of students selected to take an aptitude test...on which he did well enough that he got into a middle school math magnet program and he is now taking Pre-AP Geometry in seventh grade.

So...no. If a kid has to prepare for a standardized test, there isn't necessarily a "bigger problem," despite your condescension.