Tempted to pull DS out of school

[deltachi8]

Noah - none taken at all! No worries - i dont think your statement was ignorant at all - because I belive some with ADHD are learning disabled. Problem (one of them) with ADHD is that it is a very broad stamp put on children when it effects each child differently.

New2dw- just for the record, and no effense take n at all, i am a single father raising my son.

 

[newtowdw1]

Sorry, almost posted he/she, but got lazy. I noticed your from Tonawanda, NY. I grew up in that area, a little town called Medina. Since your in the snow belt I understand your desire to escape.

 

[firetaz]

Grrrr--sorry, but you hit on a nerve here. I used to teach high school and worked very hard every day to prepare lessons. It is impossible for students who miss school to "make up" with worksheets what they missed in the classroom. What are we teaching our kids when we pull them out? That a discount at Disney is more important than their education? That their teachers' time isn't as valuable as cheap airfare? That it's okay that they're now behind 'cause they got a great rate in a hotel? There are so many vacation days already during the school year--why do people insist on vacations while school is in session? Yes, time with the family is extremely important--again, that's why there are so many school holidays!
Okay, I will step down from my soapbox. Sorry for the lecture.

While my DW and I agree that teacher spend a great deal of time preparing for the lessons, we will ALWAYS pull our kids out of school for a WDW trip. See, my DW was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer ( meaning to will probably return even with chemotherapy and radiation) and family time is much more important than school time! They can always catch up. If my DW were to die, the family time is lost forever! So we spend an emphasis on family time. My kids don't struggle with their school work, in fact it seems that the teachers are sending home busy stuff that is not teaching or reinforcing any topic (i.e. word searches, coloring pictures, etc.). So we will ALWAYS pull them from school. Just a thought from someone who recently had their priorities restraightened.

 

[DisneyDotty]

Clearly your priorities are in order. I'm hoping the best for your family.

 

[DorotheaJN]

We have taken our Nephew who are 12 to Disneyland Paris in November. He had to miss 5 days of school. My Nephew is ADHD too, and can't deal with crowds at all. If he's to go, it has to be during the off season - and that means taking him out of school. He doesn't have a learning disability but does not function very well socially, he attends a special school with only 4 other kids in his class. The teachers fully understand the need for him to have some special time and they told us that his work and his social skills actually improved in the months following the trip.

I wouldn't say missing valuable school time is not bad, but for some it is the only way they can enjoy what the rest of us takes for granted

Helle

 

[HenDuck]

I used to think that I'd pull DS out of school up til about 3rd or 4th grade, but he has gone through one tough year of adjustment in preschool and now I think I'll have to wait and see.

I am hoping that the adjustment issue in part is due to his hearing problem caused by fluid in his ears (we're seeing an ENT tomorrow), but I think it's also caused by his "immaturity" and our failure as adults to instill discipline effectively and consistently at home.

I'm not saying any of these issues apply to the OP.

I'm just saying that every child is different and his or her parents probably know what's best for him or her.

If my DS adjusts better at his new school, I really don't see why he can't miss a few days of school every now and then.

Hugs to the OP and to all of us trying our best to love and raise our kids right!

 

[ILUVPOOH1]

I am taking my DS out of school in Dec for 5 days. Here's why.... !st I WILL NOT deal with summer heat and crowds. 2nd My son is asthmatic and does not deal well in hot, humid condtitions , 3rd The educational opportunities at WDW are astounding. WHere else are you exposed to so much in one place. The sciences, history, art, theatre, engineering, literature.....
Finally, family time is just as important as school time. anyone who says it isn't needs to check their priorities. Kids actually learn very little in schools these days (at least around here) And I was a teacher. I know the curriculum. Here, we teach for testing...but that's a whole other subject.
So I say go for it.

 

[DisneyDotty]

Isn't that sad? How much are we paying in taxes for our schools for our kids to be learning very little? And as a teacher, doesn't that bother you a lot?

 

[kdudley3]

Isn't that sad? How much are we paying in taxes for our schools for our kids to be learning very little? And as a teacher, doesn't that bother you a lot?

I feel the same way. My son in 3rd grade did the same math homework for the first semester. It was all single and double digit adding and subtracting. Most of the teachers in this school system seem to be nasty and rude (he is my 3rd child so I've witnesses the teachers for years).

We pay over 3k per year for taxes and we just passed a levy for 17 Mil for a new High School. I was just informed that they are now putting an income tax raise on the ballot.

To tell you the truth, I don't mind pulling my kids out. They are young and resilient. A few days missed doesn't mean the difference between being a doctor or not.

Family time is very important. My son (who I almost lost due to a bicycle accident...always wear helmets) will probably be out of my house and in college in 2 1/2 years. He'll probably start a family of his own. Which the memories of our family will probably guide his decisions for his own. I know it did for me.

 

[MELSMICE]

Many people will disagree with me. We DO pull our children out of school to go to WDW. While school is very important and we wholeheartedly support our children in all things school, there is more to the life of a family and their children than school. We will not be on this earth forever and your children will only be this age only once. If April works for you, I'd say go for it! Making family memories and gaining some real world experience (airports, traveling, new experiences, new scenery, people, handling being in a different place) is just as important as school learning.

I don't disagree with you! My DD are in 10th, 7th & 7th grades & we have pulled our kids out of school every year - in fact, we leave tomorrow morning for our annual 2-week trip & they will miss 4 days next week. In the past we have always had 2 weeks over Easter break, however, our school district changed our calendar to a split break this year My trip was already planned prior to their change in schedule & I am probably not going out on a limb in saying that other people already had trips planned also before the calendar came out.

I believe school is VERY important, however, I also believe that family time is extremely important too. My kids will only be with me for so long. Too soon they will be off on their own & not be able to vacation with us.

Also, even though we have been fortunate enough not to have to deal with this, I full agree with firetaz:

While my DW and I agree that teacher spend a great deal of time preparing for the lessons, we will ALWAYS pull our kids out of school for a WDW trip. See, my DW was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer ( meaning to will probably return even with chemotherapy and radiation) and family time is much more important than school time! They can always catch up. If my DW were to die, the family time is lost forever! So we spend an emphasis on family time. My kids don't struggle with their school work, in fact it seems that the teachers are sending home busy stuff that is not teaching or reinforcing any topic (i.e. word searches, coloring pictures, etc.). So we will ALWAYS pull them from school. Just a thought from someone who recently had their priorities restraightened.

I don't know what tomorrow holds for us, I can only do what I feel is best for my family today. If God decides to take me tomorrow then I will have no regrets that my children & family didn't have a great time with me while I was here!!! I highly doubt they'll think about the days of school they missed, but instead think about the good times we had together. JMO!!!

 

[deltachi8]

MELS- have a great trip - it will be nice to get out of this buffalo cold!

 

[MELSMICE]

MELS- have a great trip - it will be nice to get out of this buffalo cold!

We can't wait - BTW - I own in a dance studio in Tonawanda!!!!!

 

[pdchris]

Although I would not advise you since I do not have children with the same affliction, I agree with some others who posted, though. My son is 16 and I'm taking him out of school the first week of May. I think it's worthwhile. Like I said to a co-worker, "Ooo, he took a week off from school when he was 16, not he'll never get into Harvard!"
Also, my daughter works in the tourist industry and can never get time off in the summers. I'd like us all to go so I see no problem with taking him out of school for 1 week during the schoolyear.

 

[KAG Mom]

I didn't hesitate to take my children out of school to attend Disney when they were younger. We always went the last week of May and the first week of June. They missed maybe a total of five days. I didn't think twice about it. My oldest daughter is in college, so that is an impossiblity, my son is a senior and my youngest daughter is a freshman. Although I could take them out of a couple of days, I don't think I would take them out any longer than that. ( As a matter of fact, my daughter is there now for a cheerleading competition.)
Just a note...I am a third grade teacher, and it is very difficult for some children to miss class time. They can always make up paper work, but they can never get the actual "teaching" time back. I would ask the teacher his or her honest opinion.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[seanmci]

First of all let me say that it is nice to have this topic come up, with 4 pages of posts and it has stayed civil. This is a very informative and helpful topic when it stays civil.
This a very personal decision that must be made by each family, but the point of view expressed here I am sure are very helpful to some people inmaking the decision.

As for me, we took our 2nd grade son out of school for 6 days last May to go to Disney with my MIL. I felt like many here do: "You just don't know what life will bring so live it to the fullest". Very shortly after returning my MIL was diagnosed with a very seriouse type of pancreatic cancer. I don't know if my son will ever have another chance to experience Disney with his Grandma. So, was it worth it to me? No doubt about it. The only problem we had was I spilled my Bloody Mary on his homework packet on our morning flight to Orlando! Ooops!

 

[d4est]

Wow...very interesting and informative thread. As a teacher (11th grade HISTORY --sheesh, I hope my students remember something...) and a parent (DS7, 2nd grade), I have mixed feelings. Of course, my vacations are dictated by the school calendar, so we ALWAYS go in Feb.

I have to agree with those that have mentioned the missed "classtime" that, even with assignments and worksheets, cannot be made-up. I don't tend to get upset when a student misses a few days, but I have had a student or two miss 9+ days. That, IMHO, is too much.

In most cases, no one knows the child better than the parent. If you are confident that a few missed days will not be a "big deal" for your child, then go for it. I will add that, as a child progresses in school, missed days become more of an issue. This is due, mainly, to the higher standards (tests) that students are held accountable for.

Good luck with your decision and enjoy your family time!

 

[kcbean]

We are taking our 2nd grade son out for a week at the end of school. I was really torn even though I always thought I would do it. I am more adapt to doing it because he is not really challenged at school and I think he can make it up. Plus, a classroom is not the only place children learn. I even spoke to his teacher and she said "GO!". She didn't hesitate. She told me if would not miss much and family time was very important so do it.

I went back to school and our vacations don't match up so that helped the final decision but I still think without that I would do it. If you are taking your family at a time that the crowds are smaller and the prices are lower that benefits your family in so many ways. With smaller crowds you will have more time for everything.

Just my opinion!

 

[Donalds#1Fan]

I say go for it. Sometimes you just need a break for school. I am in the 11th grade and find that my mind will only focus on school school school and nothing else. I was sick for three days and found those three days to be the most refreshing. Once you get older it gets harder to miss and your mind becomes focused on making sure you don't miss, but that also becomes stressful. I say he deserves a vacation. Third grade is difficult but you also have the advantage of being able to help him get caught up. Once kids start hitting 7th and 8th grade...most parents seem to say that they can't help anymore. I say talk to his teacher, but I think it is a good idea. Everyone needs a break and having been in school for the whole year...its nice to have a break toward the end.

 

[drakethib]

Many people will disagree with me. We DO pull our children out of school to go to WDW. While school is very important and we wholeheartedly support our children in all things school, there is more to the life of a family and their children than school. We will not be on this earth forever and your children will only be this age only once. If April works for you, I'd say go for it! Making family memories and gaining some real world experience (airports, traveling, new experiences, new scenery, people, handling being in a different place) is just as important as school learning.

I suppose we could go in the summer and accomplish the same thing, but we tried that once for our first trip ever to WDW. The crowds and heat took away a lot of the magic for us, especially DH who we found out does not do well in heat. The kids had meltdowns because we were so hot even though we took breaks and went back to the hotel for the afternoons and left the parks early for night. This does not make for good family memories. We now usually go in April and it's just right for us. The parks aren't open as late, but they are less crowded so you can accomplish more in any given day than the summer. It's still warm enough to go back to your hotel to swim and take breaks from the parks. Do what you think is best for your family and don't feel guilty about it!

I totally agree with you.

The wife and I are expecting our first child in September and we have decided that we will pull our kids out of school when the time comes.

I would much rather hold “evening classes” in the hotel then have to fight the crowds and heat in the summertime. To me it is not a vacation when you are fighting crowds, burning up, and being miserable instead of enjoying the magic.

 

[elf]

My dd (7) does have a learning disability ADD, Dyslexia, Auditory processing problems and has a difficult time in school. We have been taking her out for the last four years. She always had problems in school but when LD really started to show itself in Kin. We asked to take her out. It was not a problem. Now each year I ask the teacher and work a plan and take some work or do school projects. We drive so have plenty of car time.
We've done math projects (simple things like adding and subtracting), diaries with pictures and writing for each day.
She learns so much during these vacations it's truly amazing. She fascinated by countries and cultures and knows more than everyone in class on those subjects. We do numbers and counting. We time ourselves on line and other places to learn time. She learned hello and or Thank you in a bunch of languages.

So at this point I don't feel bad, it takes 1 or 2 to adjust back to the rigid schedule in school.

But after I said all that, I'm not sure I would do it the week your planning on going it's going to be pretty crowded. May 5 is the start of the celebration, the whole last week in April is a spring break for many elementry schools.

Good luck whatever you decide.