Taking SOn out of school For disney

[JPN4265]

I'll weigh in with my two cents worth.



Having said that, I do have a few suggestions/opinions concerning the educational opportunities of a trip to Disney.

First, I think how you handle his absence is an educational opportunity as important as any other. Being up-front with the school and the teacher is a lesson in ethics. Making up work in advance, being active in alternate lesson-plan-preparation, arranging for DS to provide his peers with a post-trip report (biography on Walt Disney, environmental lessons learned at AK, multiculturalism at Epcot, even business lessons in WDW's operation) are all ways to emphasize learning opportunities in non-scholastic settings.

Let's see taking the kid out of school to go on vacation, educational opportunity? Right.

 

[madcat]

my son goes to a year round school- his first day back was today as a matter of fact. we will be going the last week of september, they will be out for their first break then and wont have to go back until oct 9th. that is one advantage of that type of school system maybe you can tell the teacher as far ahead of time as possible and she can let you know what he will be missing. maybe you could take some of his work with you

 

[ssleblanc]

I am taking my two sons out of school for our trip in September. I had no choice in the timing. This started as a business trip for me - I have to be there for a conference at Coronado Srings, we've been promising the kids a Disney trip since before the hurricane last year. My company pays my hotel at Coronado for 3 nights, airfare, food for 4 days, travel expenses (hotel parking, luggage/skycap tips/etc) because it is a business trip. How could I NOT take advantage of this opportunity? I added 2 more nights hotel, will have to pay the kids food, my food for the extra 2 days, park tickets, and the extra 2 nights hotel, and the kids airfare. Still MUCH MUCH cheaper than I had planned for the spring or summer of 2007.

This will be the third year my kids are at their school (oldest in 2nd grade, been there since K, youngest in 1st grade and went there for Pre-k, and K). The Pre-K through 1st teachers all know me very well, as does the principal and office personnel. I'm on the board of the PTA and very involved with the school. They know us as very dedicated parents, and made a big deal of the fact that my youngest had perfect attendance through Pre-K and K (didn't miss a single day - how he did that without getting sick even one day is still beyond me - but it happened). Our school is much smaller than it was before the hurricane, and they have been VERY accomodating.

I am confident that they will understand, and they also know that we will do everything we can to make this an educational trip. My kids are both science NUTS (my husband is a science professor) and can't WAIT for all of the Epcot stuff. Knowing them the way I do, I really thing Energy, The Land, and the Living Seas in Epcot will be their favorite experiences at WDW (the things so many other people find boring).

I am confident that it won't be a problem with anyone at the school - and I plan to inform them on the first day of school (or before at a school PTA meeting) so that there is plenty of notice.

(I sure hope I'm not disappointed in this - I don't want my bubble burst by a nasty look from a teacher, but I really don't expect that since we know the teachers so well already).

 

[deekaypee]

I'll weigh in with my two cents worth.



Having said that, I do have a few suggestions/opinions concerning the educational opportunities of a trip to Disney.

First, I think how you handle his absence is an educational opportunity as important as any other. Being up-front with the school and the teacher is a lesson in ethics. Making up work in advance, being active in alternate lesson-plan-preparation, arranging for DS to provide his peers with a post-trip report (biography on Walt Disney, environmental lessons learned at AK, multiculturalism at Epcot, even business lessons in WDW's operation) are all ways to emphasize learning opportunities in non-scholastic settings.

Let's see taking the kid out of school to go on vacation, educational opportunity? Right.

Well, yeah. I actually believe that vacations can be educational, like most of life's experiences. Although I admit that your phrasing certainly mines the statement for all its humor, especially since many people think of education as taking place only in school settings and an educational vacation as an oxymoron.

 

[mlacreta]

Hi there. I think this may be an older post but I saw it and thought I would just share with you the we are also going to disney in september and will be taking our twins out of second grade for the first 2 weeks of school. You hear a lot of people say this is bad but really what we found last year with our school(maybe others are different) is that the first few weeks of school is spent reviewing and getting the kids into a routine so we don't think our boys will miss much of anything new. One is typical and the other is developmentally delayed and i think it took a few weeks before any of his school therepys even started. You can just ask the teacher ahead of time if anything new will be introduced so you can cover that but at our school they really don't expect the kids to master new lessons the first day so I don't think you should worry at all. Enjoy the time you have with your kids. Forget about having to make disney educational! Just have fun....you'll be glad you did!! I know we will!!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I was watching the news the other night, and they profiled this kid who had just graduated HS without having ever missed a day of school. Man, I felt sorry for him...

School is highly overrated by people as a measure of how successful someone will be. I graduated in the top 5% of my HS class, and the bottom quarter of my college class (engineering). I believe that learning is something that is available everywhere, and my wife and I constantly remove our kids from school if travel opportunites beckon.

My son has been to Disney during the school year several times. He tested in the top 1% of students in the country. We're going in January (and three weeks from now!)

The question is not "Should I..." but "How do I do this without impacting the work schedule?"

1.) Tell your school to prepare all of the work they will miss. After a day of running around, spend an hour. (yes, you can condense 7 hours of school into 1 hour of homework...)

2.) Make the trip "educational". Unless your kid is a stump, there are opportunities everywhere around Disney to "learn something". I have found that if you let the kids pick what is interesting to them, they want to learn.

3.) There are different things that school teaches you, but it's miserable at preparing kids for life. Whenever we travel, we encourage the kids to be outgoing, ask questions, and interact with people (since we're right there...). Social skills, adaptability to new environments, and learning "the rules" when they aren't written on the blackboard all trump times tables and outdated history lessons.

Here are a few examples of things we've done with our kids at Disney that I consider "educational":

1.) In EPCOT, there is an African Mask Carver named Andrew. We sat with him and watched him carve for a bit. Then my son told him how much he liked snakes, so Andrew carved him a snake. He let my daughter paint it. The whole time we were there, people came and went. We spent an hour. He told us about his village, toolmaking, the animals they carve...

2.) After dinner at the Floridian one night, we stopped and listened to the piano player in the lobby. My daughter danced. Yes, this is educational, since dance is something that people do long after they forget geometry. I'd like to see more arts available in the schools- and please bring back Shop!

3.) Replace Phys Ed with a day of walking around Disney and swimming- America has way too many fat kids and parents...

4.) Spend time with your kids- education is a parents responsibility, and the school is only a part of it. Best things my kids have ever learned came from me, not their schools...

Sorry for the ramble, but kids need to be kids first. As adults, we know what happens later!

Steve

EWR to MCO on 8/4!

If there were a standing ovation smiley, I'd be clickin' on it right now!! The thing that you said that caught my attention was about the kid going through school with perfect attendence. Every time I hear about a kid doing this, I always wonder why the big deal-he's really healthy and lucky not to miss any...I never saw that as a great accomplishment.

Your entire post is right on..

 

[daisyduck123]

The thing that you said that caught my attention was about the kid going through school with perfect attendence. Every time I hear about a kid doing this, I always wonder why the big deal-he's really healthy and lucky not to miss any...I never saw that as a great accomplishment.

Let me tell you (I'm a teacher), just because a kid gets perfect attendance, doesn't mean he's been perfectly healthy. Ohhhhh!!! The stories I could tell about sick kids coming to school!!!

IMO...it will be a great day if school ever do away with Perfect Attendance.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Let me tell you (I'm a teacher), just because a kid gets perfect attendance, doesn't mean he's been perfectly healthy. Ohhhhh!!! The stories I could tell about sick kids coming to school!!!

IMO...it will be a great day if school ever do away with Perfect Attendance.

I DO believe you!! I can only imagine these perfect attendance kids coming to school with .....well...I would rather not describe all the bugs they get...just to satisfy some parent's rather bizarre idea that perfect attendance is important...sounds more like an obsessive/compulsive disorder.

I mean is it really possible to go 13 years without being sick enough to stay home???

Your post made me laugh...one of the things I put in my Teacher's Care Package that I make at the beginning of the year is a can of LYSOL..and extra hand sanitizer!

 

[hmmchowell]

I'm taking my DD7 on a "YaYA" (just us girls!!) trip this October for a week. She will miss three days of school and will be a second grader. She's a great student and it will be at the end of the nine weeks when review has probably just been happening anyway. She won't miss that much and will be able to make it up or get it early before we go. Don't feel guilty. Home school kids only go to school 3 hrs a day usually in elementary school. A lot of public school these days is just busy work anyway. I say go on the trip and have a great time!!

 

[Pocohantasfan]

Let me tell you (I'm a teacher), just because a kid gets perfect attendance, doesn't mean he's been perfectly healthy. Ohhhhh!!! The stories I could tell about sick kids coming to school!!!

IMO...it will be a great day if school ever do away with Perfect Attendance.

My child only had perfect attendance one time, which was the last 9 weeks. The reason was b/c she caught pink eye from a child that brought it to school. The stomach flu b/c several kids at school had it and she got lice once too, along with several others b/c it was winter time and everyone hangs their coats on the same set of hooks. I know we can't help or know everything, but I think I would know not to send my child if he or she had an oozing, watery eye that he or she couldn't keep her hands off of or if my child got up throwing up. IMHO

 

[LBelle]

In Sept 2003 my husband and I took my 14 year old niece out of school. She missed a whole week of eighth grade. We had a wonderful time. We got to spend the next to the last week of my nieces life at WDW. She died the week after we got home with 2 friends on a four wheeler 3 days after her 15th birthday. We had the best time and have the best memories to last the rest of our lives.....not to mention the pictures. Life is too short to fret over the small stuff.

My heart goes out to you and your family. What a sad, yet touching, story.

The above post reminds me that you NEVER KNOW what can happen in life from one day to the next. Yes, education is VERY important but I believe there is NOTHING more important than taking time out of life to enjoy with your loved ones. WDW WILL still be here tomorrow, next week, next month and next year BUT some of us may not be!

I am happy that princessmomx3 will always carry the memory of that special week in WDW with her niece and will never have to face the "I wish we could have...."I should have...."I never got the chance to... mind torture.

For me, in the big scheme of things, I could care less that my kids miss a week or so of school. I could care less about messing up school funding. I only care that we are able to fill our photo albums with the memories of all the good times we get to spend together! Life IS too short!!

"sing with me, sing for the years, sing for the laughter, sing for the tears, sing with me,, if just for today, remember tomorrow the good lord could take you away"

Dream On
Aerosmith

 

[Pocohantasfan]

My heart goes out to you and your family. What a sad, yet touching, story.

The above post reminds me that you NEVER KNOW what can happen in life from one day to the next. Yes, education is VERY important but I believe there is NOTHING more important than taking time out of life to enjoy with your loved ones. WDW WILL still be here tomorrow, next week, next month and next year BUT some of us may not be!

I am happy that princessmomx3 will always carry the memory of that special week in WDW with her niece and will never have to face the "I wish we could have...."I should have...."I never got the chance to... mind torture.

For me, in the big scheme of things, I could care less that my kids miss a week or so of school. I could care less about messing up school funding. I only care that we are able to fill our photo albums with the memories of all the good times we get to spend together! Life IS too short!!

"sing with me, sing for the years, sing for the laughter, sing for the tears, sing with me,, if just for today, remember tomorrow the good lord could take you away"

Dream On
Aerosmith

Here, here. Well said.

 

[ssleblanc]

Let me tell you (I'm a teacher), just because a kid gets perfect attendance, doesn't mean he's been perfectly healthy. Ohhhhh!!! The stories I could tell about sick kids coming to school!!!

IMO...it will be a great day if school ever do away with Perfect Attendance.

I agree totally!! I will NOT send my kids to school sick and it sure bugs the heck out of me when other people do. I just lucked out with my youngest the last 2 years. Actually, not sure that I would call it lucky - his illnesses (does any kid go through a year without them??) came during Christmas vacation, spring break, and the summer (oh - and he was sick when our schools were still closed from hurricane Katrina, they missed 22 days at the beginning of the school year). For pre-K, I didn't even realize he'd had perfect attendance until they told me at the end of the year. It isn't something I strive for, but my kids also know school is important and can't stay home because they "don't feel like going" (or are tired because they stayed up past bedtime talking in their room after lights out).

My youngest (the "perfect attendance for 2 years") kid came home sick (REALLY sick) the last day of school - because someone else sent their kid to school sick for a week.

I also think that my kids get sick a little less now because they were in daycare from the time they were 3 months - and they got sick a LOT. They've got lots of antibodies floating around in their bodies.

 

[ssleblanc]

My heart goes out to you and your family. What a sad, yet touching, story.

The above post reminds me that you NEVER KNOW what can happen in life from one day to the next. Yes, education is VERY important but I believe there is NOTHING more important than taking time out of life to enjoy with your loved ones. WDW WILL still be here tomorrow, next week, next month and next year BUT some of us may not be!

I am happy that princessmomx3 will always carry the memory of that special week in WDW with her niece and will never have to face the "I wish we could have...."I should have...."I never got the chance to... mind torture.

For me, in the big scheme of things, I could care less that my kids miss a week or so of school. I could care less about messing up school funding. I only care that we are able to fill our photo albums with the memories of all the good times we get to spend together! Life IS too short!!

"sing with me, sing for the years, sing for the laughter, sing for the tears, sing with me,, if just for today, remember tomorrow the good lord could take you away"

Dream On
Aerosmith

What Pocohantasfan said ... very well said!!

 

[torinsmom]

I agree totally!! I will NOT send my kids to school sick and it sure bugs the heck out of me when other people do. I just lucked out with my youngest the last 2 years. Actually, not sure that I would call it lucky - his illnesses (does any kid go through a year without them??) came during Christmas vacation, spring break, and the summer (oh - and he was sick when our schools were still closed from hurricane Katrina, they missed 22 days at the beginning of the school year). For pre-K, I didn't even realize he'd had perfect attendance until they told me at the end of the year. It isn't something I strive for, but my kids also know school is important and can't stay home because they "don't feel like going" (or are tired because they stayed up past bedtime talking in their room after lights out).

My youngest (the "perfect attendance for 2 years") kid came home sick (REALLY sick) the last day of school - because someone else sent their kid to school sick for a week.

I also think that my kids get sick a little less now because they were in daycare from the time they were 3 months - and they got sick a LOT. They've got lots of antibodies floating around in their bodies.

Don't even get me started on parents sending their kids to school sick! Some of ours will be there an hour or so and we will look at them and KNOW they are not feeling well. Take the temp--yep 102, and then ask the question "Did you have medicine this morning?" Half the time, they say yes and it makes me so MAD! Not only should the poor kid be at home resting, but now the whole class is exposed to whatever they may have. We went through an epidemic of strep right before school went out and I am sure it started because someone didn't want to take a day off work b/c their child was feeling bad.

Marsha

 

[Wickedmom75]

I have to say I am really proud of this thread for not getting extremely nasty
Dh and I are taking our 4 kids to DW for 8 days in Spetember (yay free dining). We went last year and had a great time, our kids are 11. 10, 8, and 5 , The 2 oldest will be celebrating birthdays before we leave and the youngest will turn 6 on our 1st day( september is a really busy month for us ). Last year we went at the end of August due to DD11 starting 6th grade, but the other 3 did miss a week of school , the teachers were amazing no one gave them homework and I believe DD10 had to make up one test. This year when we go DD11 who will be in 7th grade will be missing 7 - 8 days , she goes to a regular calender year school and the others go to year round . She just barely passed 6th grade but we are still taking her out, this will only be our 3rd vacation and not by coincidence our 3rd trip to DW, but only the 2cnd time of having to take them out of school. I plan on letting her Teachers know the 1st day of school that we will be taking her out. Kids have to grow up so fast now and I want to hold on to their belief in Magic for as long as possible I never know what tomorrow will bring .

 

[ssleblanc]

Don't even get me started on parents sending their kids to school sick! Some of ours will be there an hour or so and we will look at them and KNOW they are not feeling well. Take the temp--yep 102, and then ask the question "Did you have medicine this morning?" Half the time, they say yes and it makes me so MAD! Not only should the poor kid be at home resting, but now the whole class is exposed to whatever they may have. We went through an epidemic of strep right before school went out and I am sure it started because someone didn't want to take a day off work b/c their child was feeling bad.

Marsha

I SOOOO know what you mean!! I have a friend who switched from using tylenol to advil with her kids so that it would last longer (she could give it to them in the morning and the fever would stay gone all day!!). THEY HAVE FEVER! The point isn't to keep the fever down long enough for them to make it through a school day un-noticed...it is to make them feel better while they stay home and rest. WHY send them to school so that the rest of the kids are exposed. GRRRRR ... at least I can comfort myself knowing my kids go to a different school, but I'm sure she isn't the only one doing this.

My company is GREAT about having to take off for sick kids. Sure I feel guilty, but I know that they understand. (Now, having said that - I came to work sick one day because I had huge pile on my desk - then went home because I was coughing so bad and the fever had reached over 103 ... yes, I knew I was sick and SHOULD have stayed home. Finally went to the doctor and had bronchitis. Then when others got the same thing - I felt HORRIBLE. I WON'T be doing that again. Why I have different standards for myself (and my poor co-workers) than I do for my kids ... that won't happen again).

 

[LuvOrlando]

I found out that my school district counts my kids as present as long as they are in for the 1st 15min of the day. As a result I often send my kids in (parent drop off) to exchange HW and get counted present and then pick the up from the Nurse ASAP( I rarely even go home and usually hang out in the office until they are done). Of course, teacher gets the heads up with a phone call and I don't send them in if they are REALLY ill, or have something contagious like Strep or Croupe.

 

[bags6490]

we take DD out of school every year for usually one trip sometimes two. We always try to do it on weeks that there is a teacher work day or minor holiday. We are always honest about where we are going. We have to do a letter to the school saying what we are doing and what educational benifits DD will get from trip. With EPCOT and AK that is never a problem. Last year we did a book about all the countries in world showcase, comlete with flags and the little country fact cards that you can get from te cast members. Year before that we did animal photos and facts from AK. DD always enjoys that kind of stuff anyway.

 

[Brian Noble]

Each year we take two "big" vacations: we go to Disney during the kids' mid-winter break (late Feb/early Mar), and take one trip to "somewhere" (usually the beach) during the summer.

It is true that the parks are more crowded, and the hotels more expensive, during our week than they are in, say mid-January. But, we've decided that this is just the price we pay for being parents. We aren't worried at all about missed work, but we do worry a little bit about sending our kids the message that you don't really have to go to school if something more interesting comes along. Given that both of our kids are the sort that don't mind taking shortcuts when they think it is okay, we think this is important.

If we absolutely couldn't vacation during school breaks, then we might choose to approach this differently. But, given that our kids have 15-16 weeks during the year when they aren't in school, it isn't hard at all for us to find *some* time that overlaps.