To Pull or Not To Pull??? That is the question

[imgoingtodisney]

My son will be getting his perfect attendance award for 3rd grade tomorrow. He'll be missing 4 days in Oct so we made an extra effort to have him in school every day this year. Last year I asked him if he wanted to go to Canobie Lake Amusement park or have perfect attendance - well of course he picked the amusement park. When asked the same question this year he wants the perfect attendance. Way to go!!!!

 

[georgiapeach60]

Our first trip we went in the summer and didn't have to worry about it. This next time we are going in Feb. My youngest will be in 2nd grade and my middle son will be a junior in HS. We are going with my BIL's family. He is in pool repair and maintanance. He absolutely cannot go in the summer, it is his busiest time of year. I will let you know if in the end I feel it was a mistake to take them out. We have never done it before. They are both strong students and realize that there may be more work that they will have to do because of it so I hope it will work out all right.

 

[Tony M]

Pull'em out.
Not to miss the crowds, but to Learn about the world. Not just WDW, but anywhere the family can be together and learn about life outside the structure of school and your everyday surroundings would be beneficial.
HAVE FUN

 

[diskids2]

I used to feel very strongly about saying "Yes, pull them out." Now I feel that if the child is able to catch up and the teacher is willing to work with you it is ok. If the child normally has trouble keeping up with work or the teacher is really against it, I would probably keep my kids in school.

 

[kecall]

Unless you have major concerns about their adjusting socially or that they will be struggling in school, I say PULL them OUT!!! We have done this every September to go to Nags Head and have never had a problem. Granted, my daughter has schoolwork to take with her so she can keep up, but it's always been a great time....One suggestion...I always buy a little something for each of my daughter's classmates so when she returns, it's very easy for her to step right back into her friendships (considering that school has just gotten started and kids are just getting to know each other.) It doesn't have to be anything big...maybe a Disney pencil (which you could even buy before you leave home!)

 

[Terk-1]

I really appreciate all of your input on this topic. I know it is a tough one for those with families. We are planning on informing their teachers ahead of time and try to obtain the work before we leave that they may miss. With a 3-hour plane ride back and forth to WDW, this will give them time to work on what they missed and have it ready for when they return. Thanks again all!

 

[catwho]

We have 2 in school now and we take them out every year. With my dh's work schedule he can't take a summer vacation due to hurricane season. Besides we like it better at WDW during the winter and the rates are better. We always give the teachers plenty of advance notice that we are going on vacation so that they can decide what work needs to be made up. So far the teachers have been very understanding and the only work they have had to do was to send their classes postcards and to keep a daily journal. No make up work or tests.

The nice thing is that we treat all family vacations as learning adventures. Where else can a kid get so close to a gorilla that they can put their hand up to the wall seperating them? Or come nose to nose with a hippopotamus? Because of the way that we "do" Disney, our kids get to travel to Asia, Africa, Morrocco, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Norway, France, England, China, and study American History. They can also delve into their imaginations and learn about fantasy. My dh, being the engineer that he is, gives annual lessons in the dynamics of a roller coaster and why you don't fall out. This past trip he was telling the girls while in line and everyone around him was silent as they listened to his explaination.

Our kids have learned about their bodies, ecology, animal preservation, history of communication (which my youngest dd still talks about), space, and how fossil fuels come to be and they didn't sit through boring lectures to do it either. They have eaten foods from cultures that they had only read about in books (and found that it is tasty!) Seen people of all ethnic backgrounds, and not just the cast members either! WE were sitting on the monorail next to a woman from India and my oldest daughter asked me why she was wearing different clothes and why she had a dot on her forehead. The woman was kind enough to answer all my daughter's questions and even bestowed a blessing on her! (Which mom found tres cool!)

I could go on and on about what experiences my children have gained from a trip to an "amusement park" and I would be more than happy to if anyone wants to know how they can make their next trip to WDW a learning experience that a missed week of school could *never* make up for!

 

[susy]

I will be homeschooling my DS-no problem!

 

[pooh2001]

I am pulling the kids I thought for 6 days before Thanksgiving.
I was a bit worried - then I looked at the school calendar.

They will miss Wed, Thur, & Fri of the week before.
The Monday before Thanksgiving, they have off for Veterans Day.
The Tues & Wed before Thanksgiving they are dismissed at 11 AM for
parent/teacher conferences.
Not much school work will be done the 2 days just before Thanksgiving.

So the kids only will really miss 3 days. I will ask for the work for them to do.
I will miss the parent/teacher conference !
Oh well.


I don't feel so bad about them missing school. I bet other people will pull their
kids Thanksgiving week.

My kids go to private school - grades 1 & 4.

So- please check the school calendar - your kids may not miss as many days as you
originally thought !

 

[disneefamily]

I would never pull my daughter out of school to go to WDW!!!
It just happens that she is at a year round school, so there is no summer vacation.
Her vacation time is March, July and November. We live on the west coast and are not loaded so we can only go every other year to WDW. Always in November!!
Really, don't worry about it until the last couple years of high school. If you work with the teachers, and have a plan, the child can learn a lot at WDW!!

 

[mickeys#1fan]

We go through this debate every year when vacation planning.
Up until now, I've never supported this, but the other parents are
right on. At you kids' young ages, not too much harm can be done.
We've always asked for homework and class assignments in
advance of our trips. Our dd's teachers have always been accom-
odating.

Our debate is usually go at Thanksgiving, or go at Christmas.
Thanksgiving involves more days off for our dd, but crowds are
significantly thinner around that time, right up until Christmas.
It can make the trip much more enjoyable when you have the run
of the place - shorter lines, fewer logjams when getting around,
better parade viewing, etc.

Take them out and have a good time!

 

[LIZZY]

I teach 4th grade and have had children pulled out for Disney world. My personal feeling is that if the child has no trouble returning to school and catching up, there should be no problem. I feel that often times our children can gain more from a week alone with parents than any teacher can give them in a classroom. If you consider the kids and always put them first, it will take care of itself. Have a great time.

 

[pentex]

We do same as Jacket93, pull them out in early part of school year when review is on. Or we do when we know it's a slow week which one usually can predict after a couple of years in the same school.

I have no problem taking my kids out. They do well in school. If they were struggling at all, I wouldn't do it.

I also take some work down with us and give them about 1/2 day (sometimes more) work to keep them thinking.

 

[mom42860]

Go and have a great time! We are pulling DD 12 (7th grade) and DS 9 (5th grade) for a week in Sept. We have never done this before but due to DH job we cannot go in winter and felt this was the best time to get our $ worth. I was concerned about doing it the 1st week or 2 because DD will be going to a new school (but in same town). We worked around schedules to go the 3rd week- she will be there for orientation and learning new rules, etc. but not miss too much because of review. Your children are very young they will catch right up.

 

[Jacksmom99]

For younger children, if they do well in school, I would pull them out. Family time and vacations are very important too!!!!! As children get older, school work requires more attention to class discussions, so it may be more difficult for older students to miss classes. One thing that should be noted is the extra work required of the teacher to develop alternative assignments for the students being taken out for vacation. Sometimes it's not just as simple as copying some pages out of a book and answering questions. Maybe a little thank you gift from Disney would be in order for your children's teachers?? Just MHO

If I wasn't a teacher we would pull our DS out for vacations but would probably plan them around long weekends. Actually, that's what I'm doing with my personal days next year.

 

[Cindy6457]

Before I say anything else-----Pull them out. I am a Para-Educator for Special Education and even though they will be missing a lot of information during their time away (everyday is jam packed during these years), you can work with their teacher. Let their teacher know when you will be going and request some work sheets and grab some crayons, don't teach your child during vacation, play with them. Find out what part of the alphabet they will be working on and make a game of finding things that begin with that letter or sound. These are great items for your child to take back for show and tell. I could go on and on. Have a great time!

 

[LKS]

I don't do it and won't do it, but have no real problem if other people do. My mother was a teacher and we only one time took that half-day before Thanksgiving off to go on what she considered a very educational trip to Williamsburg, VA. She still feels strongly about this. I know my kids would be fine, but I will still plan all of our vacations around the school calendar. My kids are very proud of their perfect attendance and would rather go to school sick than mess it up. I have to KEEP them home when necessary. Anyway, we can have all these great experiences outside of the school year! It's not an either/or proposition for us.

 

[WDW2002]

I think a lot of it depends on the child and also the age/grade the child is in. If the child does well in school and is in elementry school, missing a few days would be "no biggie." As the child gets older and into middle school and high school, even missing ONE DAY can have a big impact, regardless if the child is a good student or not. Under NO circumstances should a struggling child be pulled out of school for any other reason then illness.

Now that said, I think there are somethings that are more important then school. Family time is very important. With my work schedule there is very limited time I can take off (usually only the last week of the month) as much as I would prefer to not take my kids out of school, it is virtually impossible to not.

Like the many others have said, talk to the teacher ahead of time and get the work that they will be missing. You child can do this work on the way down, during the evening (esp. if the parks close early), etc. My girls wouldn't think of getting out of their school work, in fact my oldest had to "beg" her teacher for her work. The teacher knew how important family time is and wanted us to have a good time w/o worrying about missed school work.

Christa

 

[karibear]

For our first trip to WDW we took our kids out of school (7th and 8th grade) a few days early for Fall Break. We discussed it with the principal before we made our plans, and he was all for it. He said he considered it a very 'education oriented' trip and his only objection was that he was not going along! With a principal like that is it any wonder our kids-who are now in college-still say Jr. High was the best time of their school 'lives'?

 

[susy]

dear kari bear (and others),
deb has some great educational activity ideas on her website. Your kids could really "wow" their principal and teachers with some special projects and journal entires from their vacation. Epcot and Animal Kingdom alone are just oozing with all kinds of learning experiences!!!!!!