To take kids out of school or not?

[LovesHauntedMansion]

I think that if you decide to take your children out of school get a school calendar first. Find out if it is possible to take a vacation by adding a few days before or after any school holidays or teacher's conferences. If those days are not possible, then find out the weeks of 6 or 9 weeks exams (whatever one your school district has). Make sure your children don't miss school the week of the exams or the week before. Next find out the policy about absentees. See if the vacation would be an excused or unexcused absence. In our district, when a student misses 3 or more consecutive days their name gets turned into the state if the absences are unexcused. Too many absences will get you a hearing with a bunch of "men or women in suits" including a juvenile officer. This is no matter how young a child is. I am a teacher & I have no problem with children missing a few days of school for Disney as long as I'm not yelled at if your child's grades go down.

 

[GeekChic]

Of course, each family has to decide themselves....my own experience was that my parents took us out of school to travel at least once a year, and teachers from middle school up made it harder for my siblings than it was for me. Though once my 3rd grade teacher sent so much extra homework that my mom had me do some of it and then said "enough, you didn't come to WDW to do homework" and sent me to the pool with my grandparents LOL.

Once after my parents had taken us to Puerto Rico for 2 weeks, one of my sister's teachers expected her to stay after school to make up "time owed" to her even though my sister had done all the work she'd assigned! My parents put an end to that nonsense real quick LOL.

Personally, I don't think a week out of school in general unless it's during a test period or something is going to hurt a kid in the long run.

Eventually, I was homeschooled so it didn't matter when we traveled (I graduated highschool at the age of 13 so I guess it didn't hurt me missing those weeks to go to WDW LOL

I homeschool my own child too so fortunately, we don't have to worry about this anymore! My daughter is going to be traveling most of the month of September this year (to FL with us then to AZ with her father/stepmom/brother) and she will take pictures and write reports about what she sees.

WDW can be educational too! Yeah...educational, that's it lol

In the end you have to know your child, look in your heart, and once you've made the decision, go with it and make it work for your family. Just don't decide to go and then spend the whole week worrying! That wouldn't be fun for anybody.

good luck and i hope you have a great trip!
geek

 

[CaliDisFan]

Thanks again for the additional responses! I've really been enjoying reading them all. I appreciate the input from the teachers on the board, too. It's been helpful to hear from both sides.

You've all been great!

 

[Kallison]

We have block scheduling -- could not miss that much in h.s.

We are thinking of 3 days in January -- oldest ds is in 8th grade. It will be tough for him I think. The other two are 5th and 6th, they shouldn't have a problem. Hey you only live once, if they can do it, then go for it. BTW the Senior should be set applying for colleges by then, I goofed off pretty much my entire Senior year.

 

[DISUNC]

CaliDisFan

The first week of December is the BEST time to go to WDW. Trust me. If your kids dont mind being out of school (and I dont know what kid wouldnt) GO FOR IT!

I never heard of any kid being left back because their parents had taken them out of school for a week to go to WDW!

If the teacher has a problem with this, bring them back a nice Disney Souviener!!!!

You & your Kids will remember that week in Disney for the rest of your lives.

Ask your children what they did in school last December!!!

 

[Laaady]

Last year we took the kids out of school the week of NJ Teachers Convention - they missed one full day and two half days. My younger, in 3rd grade missed absolutely nothing - the teacher planned a very light week. My "straight-A" sixth grader had much more stress - it took her about 2 weeks to feel back up to speed - but there was no difference in her grades - it was more her comfort level tha anything else.

This year we are taking them out for a full week, as my husband received a free trip along with a convention. I couldn't pass up a freebie, especially since the kids haven't been to WDW in four years! However, I am a little nervous about putting my older one in a stressful situation - this will definitely be the last year I take them out for more than a day. I personally know of hs students that go to school with fever - so worried they are of missing a day of school. Something is seriously out of balance here. I have taken my kids out of school on occassion - and my kids still know the priority we place on education - a very high one indeed. It has always been 1.God, 2. family, and 3.work and school.

 

[wilderness01]

This will be the last year we are taking the kids out for a week due to our oldest being in middle school next year. Our kids are straight A students as well but in our school once you hit 6th grade the teachers take it out on the kids if they are on vacation. It is the parent's decision so I think this is unfair to the kids. Our one middle school teacher made such a big deal out of taking the kids out of school at the beginning of the year open house that nobody dared do it. Guess who took ALL her kids out of school for a week during the winter to go to WDW? You guessed it, she did. What a hypocrite huh? The school was just buzzing about that when it happened and it certainly made her look like the idiot that she was being. We took the kids out last year and the teachers were great. We took them out the year before and they were not as great but decent. We took them out the year before for ONE DAY and they gave us heck! Do what you think is right for your child and you will be fine. In the future we will not take them out for a whole week. Maybe just two days on one end and a day on the other. I will call them in sick for that so I don't get any grief from the oldest child's teachers. I kind of feel sorry our oldest since he is already dreading being gone from school for a week this winter. I think there is far too much pressure on these kids at much too early an age.

 

[Connor&Cody'sMom]

We took our kids out of school twice for a week. The first time they were in 1st and 4th grades. This didn't cause any problems with school work. The second time they were in 3rd and 6th grades. My 6th grader had problems when we came back with math. They had learned a lot of new material and he had trouble getting back on track with it. The next time we go, they will be going into 6th and 9th grades. I think I will go during the the last week of August, because I know a lot of kids are back in school by then. Mine don't ever start back until after Labor Day.
Hope this helps.

 

[wendydarling826]

I am a third grade teacher. I often have students out of school for family trips to WDW and have always found that they catch up quickly when they return. I would encourage you to go at the time of year that works best for your family - the precious memories of time spent together on vacation can never be made up - school work can be. My only stipulation for students leaving for WDW is that they must give Mickey a hug for me and tell him I'll see him real soon (6 days and 2 hours to go!).
It might be harder for older kids to make up the missed work, but with planning for missed notes, etc. I still wouldn't hesitate to do it. Of course, if your children's teachers have not been touched by the magic, you might encounter a different point of view.

 

[stitchchick]

In my professional opinion, as a teacher, missing up to 3 or 4 days of school is fine for hard working, healthy kids, as that is how much time a kid misses for a sickness. Tacking the days onto a holiday break is preferred because it is so commonplace now. I agree with the advice of others to check the school calendar and make sure you don't miss any crucial events. Keep in mind, though, that if you child gets the flu or appendicitis or anything horrible, it may be devastating to him or her if you've already pulled your kid out to miss more that 3 or 4 days. It seems to happen to a kid in one of my classes every year.

 

[georgina]

I agree with that last post about health. Once the kids hit middle school and had 6 teachers to deal with, it gets a lot harder to miss classes. Took DD out of 7th grade for 2 days after Thanksgiving one year because I wanted to do Disney with Christmas decorations, and that turned out to be the only 2 days she missed in her 3 years at the school! Some kids miss several days because of illness, and somehow manage to make up that work. Mine have always been very healthy. Now she's entering HS and taking 4 honors classes, I wouldn't take her out for vacation.

 

[punkin]

A bright child should be able to make up a week of school with no problem. School is so repetetive and there is so much review of the same material over and over that one week is simply not an issue in my opinion. I have an 11 year old going into 7th grade this year and if I can swing it financially, I'll definately take her out to go on vacation.

My mother always took me out of school-all thru high school. It was really no big deal.

 

[CaliDisFan]

I am a third grade teacher. I often have students out of school for family trips to WDW and have always found that they catch up quickly when they return. I would encourage you to go at the time of year that works best for your family - the precious memories of time spent together on vacation can never be made up - school work can be. My only stipulation for students leaving for WDW is that they must give Mickey a hug for me and tell him I'll see him real soon (6 days and 2 hours to go!).

Wendydarling, how would you like to come teach high school at my son's school next year?

 

[wanna-b-Tink]

My DS was in Kindergarten last year. We took him out of school the week after Thanksgiving. Thanks to the snow, he only missed 4 days of school. However, I told the teacher on his first day of school, and also was good friends with the principal, who would have otherwise given him unexcused absences.

I was surprised that his teacher did not give him his work ahead of time, which is what I had requested. Instead he had to make up everything, which was hard on both of us.

So this year when looking at when to schedule, I took into account the new principal (who I do not know) and the strict teacher he will have. We are going during fall break this year. He will miss 3 days of school. I will be talking to his teacher about the trip this coming Monday so she can be prepared.

According to the school handbook, vacations are unexcused absences, and can cause you to be visited by a truant officer.

I know my son being in Kindergarten is very different than older students, but I can say from personal experience that my parents pulled me out of school all the time to go to Disney. My first trip was in 1973 (I was 3), and we went regularly in the winter months, missing school if need be. Because my dad's job was really dependent on good weather, we had to vacation during the cold months.



One night at Hoop Dee Doo a couple of years ago, we met a couple who had their granddaughter with them. She was keeping a journal as her homework assignment. What a great idea I thought! Because Disney World is really educational! I plan to suggest this to my son's teacher when I talk to her Monday. I also really hope she will give us his work at least a week ahead of our trip.

 

[aprilgail2]

Honestly I dont care what the school or teachers say...I am taking my daughter out of school for a week this year and will continue to do so for as many years as I see fit. Every year we took my godson out of school and had a wonderful time doing things and going places, he died when he was 14 and I don't have to sit here saying, gee I wish we had more time to do this or that..I KNOW that we did the best we could with the amount of time we had and I very glad... I have no regrets about the time he missed in school. You NEVER know what the future brings...enjoy family time and your loved ones while you have them, they may not always be there when summer vacation or school vacations roll around.

 

[fiveforall]

I teach seventh and eighth graders. Each year, I usually have two or three students who are absent due to vacations. While I totally agree that family time is so important, it is very hard on middle and high school kids to miss several days of school and not get behind in their learning. I try my best to gather work ahead of time for vacationing students, but like a previous poster stated, the kids are still missing group work, discussions, explanations, etc.

That being said, if you have a strong student and are willing to accept that he or she might have a dip in grades after the trip, then go for it. I'd rather my child have a B and lasting memories of a wonderful time with my family, than an A and just memories of school!

 

[Jordan's MOM]

We took DS out almost every year during elementry school for trips. He is now in middle school and they have block scheduals even there. We agree that we might do up to 3 days out and plan around a non holiday long week-end. (work days etc.) I just don't see us trying even this in high school. I would be very concerned with a senior missing a week. What if he ended up sick and missed a great deal of school later? Yes, I hate to give up my winter trips to WDW but when I think that is best for my family I will do it. I would try to choose a week that they are out a few days anyway. I would however avoid thanksging, easter etc, as the crowds are so bad. Good luck deciding what is best for your family.


Jordans' mom

 

[eeyore kelly]

I'd rather my child have a B and lasting memories of a wonderful time with my family, than an A and just memories of school!

ITA!!!!!!!

 

[GeekChic]

Our kids are straight A students as well but in our school once you hit 6th grade the teachers take it out on the kids if they are on vacation. It is the parent's decision so I think this is unfair to the kids. Our one middle school teacher made such a big deal out of taking the kids out of school at the beginning of the year open house that nobody dared do it. Guess who took ALL her kids out of school for a week during the winter to go to WDW? You guessed it, she did. What a hypocrite huh?

OMG!!!What a jerk! I hate when kids are punished for decisions their parents make, that's not right.

Wendydarling, GOOD FOR YOU! I wish we could clone you so all schools could have teachers like you!

Aprilgail, your story broke my heart and it bears repeating: school is not life! It is important but it isn't everything! You do not know what tomorrow will bring. Thank you for sharing your story here! (hug)

My dad and my MIL both had (sudden and without any warning) severe health crisis' 10 days apart in 2001, we very nearly lost them both. My husband and I both had parents in ICU in 2 different states at the same time and we literally flew from one hospital to another. It was unreal.

Since then, both thankfully recovered against all odds. We have taken trips to WDW since then I will treasure always; and so will DD. Next month for the first time since these health events we'll have both grandparents down there with us, and if DD were in public school I would not hesistate to pull her out. For a week in WDW with grandparents from different states? You bet I would!

Life is too short. You have to do what you can, when you can.

all this talk of things that some (not all!) teachers put the kids through reminds me why I homeschool. I cannot believe anyone would make a child in kindergarten make up work! That seems really, really extreme to me.

this thread is so fascinating!

geek

 

[tinkerb]

umm...I should feel kinda bad about posting this, but as a parent (FIRST) and a teacher (second), I recommend taking your child with you........... and do NOT feel quilty at all about it.....no matter what your school system, teacher, or standardized tests says about it go for it......I take my kids out every fall for a week.......and still do (they are now 23 and 21) and they are doing FINE....one will be a speech pathologist, the other starts law school...... so there.....parents do not last forever and the time you get to spend with them.....on there own before they start their OWN families is precious....don't waste it........... it comes TOO fast......