To take kids out of school or not?

[CaliDisFan]

Hi,

This is my first post here, and it looks like this might be a great place for my question. My family is trying to put together our first trip to WDW for next year, and I am struggling with the decision of whether or not to take our two kids out of school for a week for this vacation. I was thinking that going the week after Thanksgiving would be a perfect time for a trip to WDW, what with reduced crowds, nice weather, etc. My only other options would be to plan the usual spring break/summer school vacation, but because this is our first trip to WDW, I'd like it to be a memorable experience for us all- and by that, I mean a good memory . This is likely to be the only trip my family will take to WDW while our kids are still kids living at home. My son will be in his senior year of high school if we went after Thanksgivng next year, and my daughter will be a h.s. freshman. We live in California, and I've always wanted to take them to WDW since they were toddlers. I feel this will be the only trip like this we'll take before my son is off to college.

Question is- have a lot of people reading this post taken their kids out of school for as long as a week to vacation at WDW to avoid the busier school holidays? If so, was there a LOT of guilt over it? Or just a little, lol? I'm truly torn on this issue- I can see pros and cons on both sides. Just hoping to hear from those of you who have done it, and how you felt about it before/afterwards, as well as from those who only go during the school holidays and found that those times were manageable enough not to warrant taking their kids out of school.

Thanks for any advice/and or opinions!

 

[Disneyfun2]

I don't see the problem with taking the kids out of school for this vacation. We are taking our kids out of school for 12 days in
September to go to DW. Just tell their teachers a week or two in advance so you can get their homework sent home. We are taking it with us so that they can get it done on the plane or when there is down time. We have one in 8th grade, 6th grade and 4th grade. Good luck and have fun. Don't worry about school they can make it up.

 

[AStarOnMars]

When I was in elementary school my parents took me out of school towards the end of the school year or holidays ... as the child liked it because I really didn't have to make up any "real" work ...

When I was in high school it was a different story ... I would freak out when there was a trip during school ... because I hated making up the work (I was a straight A student that never missed a homework assignment and came to school even when I was sick) ... Personally I hated trips during H. S. b/c some teachers made it more difficult then others about work... I say take them out which I am sure they won't mind but just make sure your senior won't be missing any senior events ...

I agree with Disneyfun2 about getting all the work in advance ... I would usually get it done before we went on vacation that way I wouldn't have to do anything when we arrived home

 

[Bete]

the child. We took our grandkids when they were 6, 7, and 14 in the year 2000. The fourteen year old had a terrible time in school after the trip. She had a hard time catching up on what she missed. We went at the end of September and stayed two weeks. She was a "B" student before the trip. Her grades faltered something horrible that year. I can't say for sure whether the trip was the major cause for the drop in grades or not but it probably did not help. I really think it's important to know if your child can handle it.

A week is not as bad but it's long enough. We had the assignments ahead but in her case it still was a very hard year for learning. This was their first, major trip and I felt it was a good life lesson and there is some education value at WDW like Epcot's World Showcase, for example. If I had to do it again, I think I would wait til close to the end of the school year, if it had to be during the school year.

In your case, your boy is a senior and that will not work very well for you. If your boy has taken his SAT test already in his junior year and did well with his scores then I wouldn't be as concerned. I would think about a compromise though like going with the Thanksgiving holiday and putting up with the crowds. It's a little awkward but if you leave Wednesday after school is out, 4 days would be free school days and then enjoy 3 days without the holiday crowd there for your week. Many leave on Sunday, so, that is a better day for less crowds, too.

I'm not trying to scare you or make you feel guilty. I'm just sharing a true experience with you. I felt we could accomplish so much more during a less crowded time and we went for it but I wouldn't do that again.

 

[parmtoo]

We took our kids out several times when they were younger. Now that our two DDs are in HS, we go in the summer.
It really depends on the kids, and your school district. When we were stationed in Ca., our district had VERY strict rules on students missing school. Talk to the school, then talk to the kids.

 

[poohlover]

WE also have taken kids out of school when they were younger...8th grade & under.

By the time my oldest got to HS she was NOT going to miss any time. She was in all acclerated classes & said it would just be TOO hard on her. She just graduated in June...

My now 16 yr old DD says missing a week wouldn't be terrible.

WE compromised & are taking them Thanksgiving week, thus they only miss 2 1/2 days of school.

ASk your kids if they feel missing a week will "hurt" them or not.

 

[EDANDKARI]

We are taking our kids out of school this October to go for 2 weeks. But we planned it around teacher convention time so they will only be missing 7 days of school instead of the full 10. So I would ask for a school calendar for next year and see if there are any non-school days around that time. I work in a school, and asked some of the other teachers about this and they all said the same thing, "It depends on the student, most can handle it, but if they are struggling now, they will be worse after." So if your kids do good in school I'm sure it will be just fine.

 

[n2mm]

Always did, never regreted it. Now my daughter takes her son out a week each year.

 

[knnrock]

I took my dd, 6 yrs, out last year for a week in November. At first I felt a little guilty until I got to Disney and saw all the other kids who were also out of school. She was only in first grade so missing a week really didn't hurt.

 

[antmaril]

We took our son out of school until he was in middle school. After that, it gets pretty hard for them to miss. My son will be a senior in the fall and I know he would not want to miss a week of school. The A.P. classes are killer and you just can't miss that much. We do have a family wedding in Florida in May next year. We will take him out for two days, but by then he will be one month from graduation and it won't matter any more.

I have always been of the opinion that to take them out for a trip to WDW is fine. You are the parents and you decide what is best for them. However, when they get into the higher grades, it is more difficult.

I know it's a tough decision, but you might want to just go with a summer trip. We've done it several times. Obviously, it's hot and crowded, but you will still have a great time - we always do. You start early, take a mid-day break and go back to the parks in the evening.

What about a winter break? We went this year during their February break and had a great time. Weather was cool. It can be crowded (if it's Presidents' Week), but not as bad as summer.

Good luck with your decision and enjoy your trip!

 

[disneysnowflake]

We are going to be taking our boys (grades 5 and 9) out of school for the first time this coming school year. Already my sister, who is a Kindergarten teacher, is upset about this.

I just told her that WE aren't as fortunate as she is to have the entire Summer off, plus have Thanksgiving vacation, Christmas vacation and Spring Break off. My husband works in construction where Summer is the busiest time of the year. He isn't permitted to use his vacation time during the Summer, and he's currently working 7 days a week until September.

 

[Geoff_M]

It's one of those "Your mileage may vary" situations, but generally I think it's safe to say that the older your kids are, the harder it is for them to miss school (unless they are either geniuses who pick anything up in a flash, or a "D" student that doesn't care in the first place). The last time we took our kids out the oldest was in 3rd grade and it was for about a week and a half. She overcame it, but she did have some problems catching up when we got back (she's an "almost all A" middle schooler now).

I'd also advise that you work with the teacher(s) when planning the dates. Make sure there are no important test dates, school state funding "head count" dates, important subjects being introduced, etc.

 

[DJR]

We have taken our DD, who is now 14 out of school several times to go to WDW. But now that she is going into HS, I don't think we will be doing it anymore. When we went for a week last May, she had a hard time getting any work from her teachers and had to work hard to catch up, and she is a 1st honors student.

Whatever you decide, have fun and good luck!

 

[ryley26]

I'll post the other side . my sister in law a school teacher hates it. we asked her thoughts she said parents assume when their kids go its no problem. they come back and are behind and have to catch up with the class. when there grades drop the parents wonder why. think about your child and how hard school is for them. my dd would be hard pressed to catch up in the 4 grade and she is a atraight a student.

 

[sartello]

We are taking my kids out of school in December for our trip. They'll miss at least four days and I haven't decided if they will go back on Friday or not. I'm not real worried about it. They are in Kindergarten and first grade, so I don't think they will miss as much.

I'm trying to incorporate some education in by spending a day learning about the countries in Epcot, then doing a project to share with their class when they get back.

I'm not sure we'll do this after middle school though. My kids are in private school and the curriculum gets really, really challenging in middle and upper school (6-12). That said, I don't like fighting the crowds either, so the spring break/christmas break and even summer break isn't a great option.

You can usually find a time during the school year where things are pretty slow. I know for my son last year, December was really slow leading up to christmas break. So, I won't feel guilty. They'll probably get more "education" with me on vacation than at school that week.

Shelly

 

[LisaNJ25]

I am planning a trip for the first week of December this year. They will miss 5 days. My 12 yo will be in 6th grade. My daughter will be in Kindergarten. I know this will be the last chance I have to do this for awhile. He is not the best student and I know once he hits middle school and than high school it will be much harder. Also the amount of unexcused days you missed also goes from 20 to 10.

I am pregnant eight now and due in 2 ½ weeks so unfortunately we were unable to do a family vacation this summer.

I am just going to make sure I work with him closer from the beginning of the year, watch he absences and his grades.

 

[CaliDisFan]

Thank you to everyone for all the very thoughtful replies. You all brought up great points on both sides of the issue, and I will be considering each one. I like the suggestion a couple of you made about going on the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, that way they'd only miss a few days during the following week instead of the whole week itself. That is definitely a good option and one I'll look check into. My son has always been a good student, but I don't know how hard senior classes would be for him to catch up on when he gets back. He starts his junior year this year, and I definitely wanted to wait till after this school year to do this vacation because from all I've heard, junior year is really the toughest one. My son had told me that senior years are "all electives anyway"- which could just be wishful thinking on his part .

Thanks again to everyone for giving me some very well thought-out responses!

 

[wdwobsessed]

I think the school systems are just getting ridiculous about family vacations not being excused. That is the policy in our school system and they can kiss my ... well you know.

I grew up in the same school system and I remember family trips where I was given work to do while on the trip so I wouldn't be behind, I also remember when I was younger being given an assisgnment like keeping a journal of the trip. This is a recent attitude with the school systems.

The school year is long enough anyway ...I think it's ridiculous. I mean this year my son did not get out of school until June 18th and they are having to go back August 23rd!! What ever happened to going back to school after Labor Day?

I plan on taking my DS's out of K and 3rd for the week before Christmas week. So many kids miss the few days leading up to Christmas I figure they will be there then and can catch up.

Family should come first, period. The first time I took him out in Kindergarten the front desk lady at the school sneared at me and said "Absences for vacation are unexcused" ... I looked back at her and said "Well if I were rich I could afford the on season rates, but I'm not so oh well." But I can be a little bit of a beetch at times... ya know?

As you can tell this is a BIG topic with me. I wish over all that the school systems would lighten up about a lot of things. Kids are pushed too hard and too fast these days. They need a break too!

Make the decision based on what is best for you. If your son feels OK about it I would go for it and just write letters to the teachers in advance asking for work ahead of time.

Good Luck!

WDWO

 

[4greatboys]

We do take ours out but since 3 are in high school its hard on them if they miss much time. Why not try to plan it close to a long weekend then let them miss 3 or 4 days, that way you could get a 7 day trip out of it but still not have them get to far behind.

 

[nrsldy]

I do not see anything wrong with taking your children out of school at there ages. We have taken our grandchildren out of school in the fall for trips. It is to hot and congested in the summer and during holiday time.
We are going the first week of DEC. kids out of school again.
Have a great trip!!!