Do you take your kids out of school?
About This Page:

sneezy · 08-24-2001, 02:32 AM

Before I start this, I want to say that everyone has to make the best choice for their family. I don't feel there is a right or wrong answer, but I am curious what other families do. Here is what we've done.

In 1995, we went in November and I did pull my son out of first grade for a week. My daughter was not yet in school.

In Jan 2001, the kids missed three days of school. I choose a time when combined with Martin Luther King holiday and end of semester days off, they would not have to miss a whole week. They had to have their end of semester work in before we left anyway and they were not covering significant new material that week anyway. They were in the 4th and 6th grades.

Our next trip is scheduled for Dec 31 - Jan 8. My daughter, 5th grade, will miss two days of school and my son, 7th grade, will miss one day. For my son, it is the first day of the new semester, so I don't know if that is good or bad. I tried to minimize the number of days missed and avoid the times when they do the state and local testing and when they do the student count for funding. I also tried to avoid any time when I thought they might be doing the end of quarter testing. And this time I wanted to go before our AP expired. On the other hand, I'm not willing to go when it is hot, humid and crowded.

As the kids get older, I'm less willing to pull them out for a whole week, although I can understand how this is very dependant on the child. I remember missing a week when I was in 10th grade to go to Mexico on a church youth group mission. (And we did stop at Disneyland on the way from Oregon - my only visit there.) I was a good student, so didn't have any problems making up the work and I feel the experience was benefical. Although I'm sure my teachers were wondering as that year I also got the chicken pox and was out a while for that too.

If you have school age children, what do you do?

GoofyKids123 · 08-24-2001, 08:30 AM

This is the first year we've pulled our children out of school for a vacation. I seriously doubt that I will again. This is a touchy subject for me. I had a guidance counselor tell me just two days ago that when I take my children out of school for a family vacation, it sends the message that school isn't really important. Of course I disagree. To me, that's like saying if the President goes on vacation for a week, he's sending the message that the job of running the country isn't really important. She really got on my last nerve with that statement. I wasn't quite expecting it, so I didn't give her the piece of my mind that I had reserved for such comments. It is very important that we spend time together as a family. Any success a child has in school, or in any other endeavor relates back to a healthy family relationship. As Fortissimo stated in another thread, school work can be made up, but family time is something you can never regain once it's lost (or something to that effect). Please see subject "A Question for Teachers". In 7 years of school, my 6th grade daughter has missed a total of 3 days. Both of my sons (2nd & 3rd grades) have perfect attendance. So, you can see that missing school is a rarety in this household.

That's my .83 cents worth. [img]images/icons/blush.gif[/img]

spanky · 08-24-2001, 08:30 AM

Take a look at the posting by Teresa, "A Question for Teachers" There is a lot of good information there.

Hope it helps!

08-24-2001, 10:40 AM

When my DS was in first grade we pulled him out of school for the last three days to attend a family reunion in Seattle...they did not even add those three days to his permanant attendance record. Other than that he has never missed a single day, he is the only child I know who never gets sick during school days (only on days off!).
This year, the third week of school actually, he will be missing three days to accomodate our trip to WDW. It falls during the week of Rosh Hashana-pardon my bad spelling. School will be open Monday, which he will miss, closed Tues and Weds, and open Thurs and Fri, which he will miss. I don't feel bad about this at all, he is a good student, and has even been doing math and handwriting practice books all summer while the other neighborhood kids were out playing.
I think pulling your kids out of school is a personal decision, and should be based on the individual child.

**disneyknut** · 08-24-2001, 11:03 AM

Just my .02 here... we have always taken the kids out of school for trips & our school actually encorages it ... Our principal told me that 'outside activites' means a lot in a childs learning ..when they do the scholastic aptitude tests the social part of the test is outside activities & my sons always score in the 99.9%tile in that <G>
A few years ago when my middle son was in Kindergarten ( I can't beleive he's going into 2nd grade but that's another post <G> ) we had our Disney trip planned for months & then our school district changed the Scholastic aptitude tests for THAT week.. I was beside myself with worry wondering how that would affect my son but his teacher was the greatest.. she told me not to worry that she would give him the test privately before we left & did so..
Our school asks that the child do one 'educational' thing on the trip.. some of the things my sons have done...
Each one made an ABC scrapbook of things they saw in Disney ( A=animal kingdom etc) & wrote a little bit about it ..the scrapbooks were such a hit that the teachers kept them for a few weeks & displayed them around the school... I will probably be doing something similar this trip..
they have also kept journals of their trip & read it to the class when they came home.
One key is to tell the teacher as early as possible so that they can give homework etc.. My DH already told our school that we were going away in October & school doesn't even start for 5 days <G>
sorry for the long post but just wanted to add my opinion & how our school is..
..Ann

Janet 46 · 08-24-2001, 06:46 PM

My son is going into 2nd grade and I'll find out in 12 days how his teacher/school feels about it. He'll be missing 1 full day (Friday) and 3 half days when the teachers normally meet with the parents each afternoon for conferences. Then, Thurs and Friday are teachers convention days, so there is no school.

I don't know, I'm having mixed feelings about it. My son is a very good student and he rarely misses school, but at the same time, the schools do have a point.

I'll keep you posted on his school's response when I tell his teacher.

Sue W · 08-24-2001, 09:13 PM

My husband and I are both teachers and we are taking the kids out of school. It happens to be a week where they have off on Monday for Veterans day and then 3 half days of school for parent conferences. The only full day they miss is Friday. My husband spent last Christmas in the hospital, and after that scare this trip to spend time together is a much higher priority. (I hope I said that right.)

GoofyKids123 · 08-24-2001, 10:44 PM

Sue,

You said that beautifully! I like your breakdown of kids. Truth be told, my husband is also my 4th child. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

patty c. · 08-25-2001, 01:54 AM

We take our children out 2-3 times a year for family activities, although most are just a Fri. or a Mon. for a long weekend.

I don't think it sends a wrong message, as one guidance counselor suggested. On the contrary, it sends a strong positive message about the value of family time.

AKLRULZ · 08-25-2001, 08:20 AM

Wow - this is a GREAT topic, albeit a sensitive one. It's something we've done throughout our children's lives and will continue to do until they leave our home. The remark that the guidance counselor said about sending the wrong message to our children REALLY - I mean REALLY, REALLY irks me [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] . I am proud that you held your tounge - I probably would have gone off on her. My question is how does this send a wrong message when our work system permits time off for vacations as a benefit for employees?!? Hello?! My work load doesn't go away while I'm on vacation - it's still there when I get back.
As kids, my sister and I were routinely pulled from school for family vacations and holidays during certain times of the year. Both of us went on to obtain college educations and are extremely successful today in our careers. My wife, a former 1st grade school teacher before staying home with our kids, was also pulled from school for family vacations and holidays and she turned out just fine, too. Our parents worked with our schools to ensure that we didn't fall behind (how behind call you fall in one week anyway) and that all work was either made up on the front or back end of the trip, just as we do with our kids, who are 9,7, and 4. There are so many lessons to be learned outside of a classroom - even at Disney!

I value education (God knows I've got enough of it!), but we must remember that they are OUR kids - not the public school system's.

Thanks for letting me vent on this!

[img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[ 08-25-2001: Message edited by: Dadtojbj ]

**DebiDebiDebi** · 08-25-2001, 11:00 AM

I pulled them out in 1994, trip coinsided with Thanksgiving holiday, so not as much time was missed. Oldest DD teachers were very cool about it...(she was in Jr. High then), in fact, one just required her to bring as many pamphlets, brouchures, etc., as she could find...he plans his vacations buy getting kids to bring him information! Youngest DD teacher was way more unreasonable, sent a HUGE amount of homework and even required her to read 2 books while we were gone...yeah right! I thought it seemed extreme, and sure enough, I had a couple of gals that were teacher aides in the class say they thought she was way unfair in her assignments, even gave my DD more assignments than the rest of the class had to do. Funny thing about this teacher is that we know her personally, and she had taken her own kids out of school many times for travel...wonder what she would do if a teacher piled on the homework like she did? Anyway, we all helped with the homework, and no, believe it or not she did not get both books read...kinda hard to read while careening down Splash Mountain...! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

**Fortissimo** · 08-25-2001, 11:09 AM

My parents routinely pulled my sister and me out of school for swim meets. There were several weeks in a row we would miss school on Thursday afternoon and all day Friday.

In fact, this practice harmed my sister's education so badly, she was validictorian.

I say go ahead and take your child out of school for a WDW trip, or any trip for that matter.

There is tons of things the child will learn a WDW that they would never llearn ion the classroom.

[ 08-25-2001: Message edited by: Fortissimo ]

Beth L. · 08-25-2001, 06:09 PM

Our 9 y.o. DS will be in 3rd grade this yr & we're taking him out of school for 5 days in October. We told his new principle in June that we were going & I plan on telling his teacher as soon as he starts school. I thought that maybe keeping a short daily journal, doing the Epcot passport & hopefully makeup work will smooth the way with his teacher & help him keep up.

Along with this being our 1st vacation in 10 yr, we nearly lost my DH 2 yrs ago to a very rare form of non-hodgkins lymphoma & there is no way that I'm taking this special time away from my family. Like others have said family time can never be made up where as school work can. We have a very good school system here & I truely don't think there will be any problems. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Beth

47 days & we're on our way

Teresa · 08-25-2001, 09:03 PM

We have always taken our kids out. DD-18 cannot breathe in hot, humid weather, DDs-3&8 have asthma, and so we go on Vacations in the fall and winter.
Also, Beth, I know how you feel. DD-18 was seriously injured 11 yrs. ago and was not expected to survive the night, let alone this long. No Dr. can tell us how much longer to expect her to survive. So, each day with her is precious, and we really appreciate our other kids more. School will be ther next week. Some one in you r family may not be.

m_green · 08-25-2001, 09:18 PM

Our DD is in first grade this year, and she will miss 5 days the last week of Oct/first part of Nov. Wednesday is Halloween, so I don't worry much about her missing that day, and then there is no school on Friday.

I plan on talking with her teacher (who went to WDW in June) and letting her know what we are doing.

DH is a firefighter, and after 5 years has basically no seniority at the department. (A lot of the guys have 25-30 years) So, as a result, you can imagine his choice of vacation. It's not the best... summer- now that is a joke, hunting season is out... even weekends are hard to get. I work M-F, so that doesn't leave a lot of family trip time available.

I don't regret taking her out of school, and when DS gets to school, I won't regret taking him out either. I don't think we take them out too much, but we too value family time. One weekend a month doesn't cut it on that side.

I can understand the arguement that kids should be in school, but I think we all need to make our own decision, based on our family situation. My DH has a degree in education, so he can always help me work with the kids if they need it.

That's my 2 cents worth.