177 Children - Is That A Lot!

[Kissara22]

I know I will be flamed for what I think, but who cares.

 

When you take your kids out of school for a vacation, they are truant, end of story. You think you can justify it by thinking it is educational. You must be delusional. You are not taking your kids on vacation for them, you are taking them for YOU. I have two children and I would have never entertained the thought of taking them out of school for a vacation.

 

Thats my opinion and I am sticking to it.

 

 

Indeed you should be flamed, ..are you kidding?? Some parents actually take the time with their kids out of school to teach them things instead of depending soley on the state to do that for them. It's the parents perogative. You judge too soon, ...the OP said the kids were going to be catching up on actually schoolwork during the cruise. How do you know they're not going to be studying the fish species, oceanography, water responsibilty and safety with their parents, hardly a waste of time. Again, some parents might not be able to afford to take a vacation such as this during the school breaks and summer vacation because the prices are higher. Some parents I'm sure can only get a certain time of year off of work to enjoy life. Saying the parents should be arrested ...unbelievable.

[WeBeGone]

As an elementary teacher and principal for 30 years, I think it's great when families consider travel to be educational, because it is. Whenever a parent requested homework because the child would be traveling, it was my pleasure to not only round up the necessary work but to include "extra credit" ideas to make the travel experience more meaningful. When the student returned to class the other classmates were treated to a travelogue that enriched all our lives. I think deerby27 should lighten up and I commend the OP for realizing that not all education takes place in a school.

[Dreamer333]

Great comments, WeBeGone... its great to know that there are open-minded teachers/principals like you out there!!

 

Yes, that "you must be delusional" comment (from deerby) was WAY over the top!

[kryos]

Indeed you should be flamed, ..are you kidding?? Some parents actually take the time with their kids out of school to teach them things instead of depending soley on the state to do that for them. It's the parents perogative. You judge too soon, ...the OP said the kids were going to be catching up on actually schoolwork during the cruise. How do you know they're not going to be studying the fish species, oceanography, water responsibilty and safety with their parents, hardly a waste of time.

May I respectfully suggest that the parents teach them these things during school vacations?

 

I agree that parents should not depend upon the state to spoonfeed an education to their children. The parents must be proactive too. But, at least to me, school is a lot more than just sitting in the classroom. It is an opportunity to interact with others, to learn how to work with others, to participate in a variety of activities, and to participate in a host of group activities that teach young people the skills they will need when one day they are in the work world having to be a team player with both people they like and don't like. The skills they develop in the classroom today will serve to help them become the successful leaders (and, yes, even the followers) of tomorrow.

 

Because there is so much going on at school ... at least at a good school ... I still don't think it's a good idea to pull kids out for family vacations, no matter how educational those vacations may be. Sure, if school were a 12-month a year endeavor, with no appreciable school breaks, that would be different. But with close to three months a year off, between summers and other school breaks for holidays, I just can't see the need to take children on vacations (be they cruises or otherwise) during the school year. Why not just schedule those things at times when school is shut down anyway?

 

If you could be sure that a one-week vacation would be all your kid would miss from school in a given year, that would be one thing. But what's to say your child won't get seriously ill or suffer an injury that requires him to miss a substantial amount of time? What's to say there won't be some sort of family tragedy that requires him to miss a couple of weeks in a given year? Even with the normal short-term family emergencies and childhood illnesses, you can run up a substantial number of missed days from school. I would hate to add a family vacation into the mix.

 

I would certainly not say such parents who pull their kids out of school for the yearly family vacation should be "arrested." Nor would I say they are bad parents. All I am saying is that I just don't think it's a good idea nor do I think it is necessary.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Kissara22]

Rita, ..a very well stated post. Another opinion that's appreciated. I myself am very lucky that my children do very well in school so taking them out for a week, especially with extra credit homework, is hardly depriving them of an education. Then again I'm speaking about children still in grade school. We also institute a lot of educational games while we travel regardless of time of year, ..whether it's summer or fall. The "delusional" post indeed got me a tad irked. :D

[TexEm]

Have a great trip and anniversary with your kids!! There's so many reasons to do it, as always it's your decision as their parents. I think it's very sweet that you want them with you on your anniversary. Up until a few years ago, schools here in Ft. Worth had a week long Fall Break (mid-October), but now it's only a few days if at all. Year round schools in the area still have a break in the fall.

 

We took our kids out of school in 1st grade (2 boys) for their aunt's wedding in St. Croix--the principal and staff thought it was a great idea and it was an excused absence. Now, this many years later, with one a senior at a very college-oriented high school, it would be difficult to take him out during school--if he misses even a day, he can fall behind. The school does allow quite a bit of leeway, but it's difficult for the student to catch up.

 

As for the CB, we were on her last July. Princess said they had a limit on kids (two of our family members couldn't join us because they had kids in the age group that had already been maxed out). I couldn't tell once we got on board that they had a limit at all, easily way over the 600 we had been told (but that includes babies to teens). And there was quite a bit of running around--the worst behavior seemed to be by the young teens. Didn't see them in the aft pool, though.

 

I was on the Prinsendam a few weeks ago, and there were no kids at all (I was the "kid" and I'm in my 50s). So 177 seems like too many for the Prinsendam and very few for the CB.

 

Let us know how it turns out.

 

Mary

[mill231]

I am a teacher and a parent. I feel that traveling is very very educational. We live in the center of the U.S. and I have to confess that before I started teaching I did take my children out of school for a trip to Washington D.C. We visited museums, National monuments, The White House (before 9-11) the national cemetery etc. My children learned a ton. We made scrap books and their teachers allowed them to share them with their classes. My husband had to go to D.C. for work, so our room and his ticket were paid for. We wouldn't have been able to afford to go and do this otherwise, so it was during the school year or not at all.

 

However, the teacher side of me says that your child can't make up the lectures and labs that they miss while they are gone. I have had some children really struggle to catch back up when they return. Parents, please use your heads. If you can go during school break, please do so. I do understand that this anniversary is a big deal with the renewing of the vows and all, but could you do that when it isn't the actual date of your anniversary? If this is a one time deal it isn't so bad, but I do hate to see people making a habit out of taking children out of school. The Caribbean is just as educational in the summer time, and lets face it, some trips are much more educational than others. As a teacher I always have kids give a report of what they saw and learned when they return from a trip so that I can help make the experience as educational as possible.

We are a little better off now than we were back then so we travel around the U.S. in our van quite a bit in the summer. As a parent, every time we travel we follow our route on the map and try to include educational things such as museums. We try to eat at places that showcase the local foods and traditions. We always talk about the lakes, rivers, etc. as we pass by them. My childrens' teachers often tell me that they can tell that my kids have traveled and learned a lot about our Country from their travels. So if you must travel during the school year, please try to make it as educational as possible.

[Catnip]

That is a small number of kids!! I would be happy with that small number! On one spring cruise 3 years ago, there were 850+ kids on board!! Of course, most were well-behaved, it was the 25-30 unruly, bratty kids that gave them all a bad name........:(

 

Girlsnightout,

I would debate you on the educational value of a caribbean cruise...but I still wish you a very happy anniversary and hope you and your family have a great time...it certainly is less expensive to cruise in October vs. say, Presidents week or spring break, (which is what we normally do, I won't take my kids out of school), so I think the biggest benefit is fiscal rather than educational.

 

Kudos to you! We seem to agree on this one! Amazing, huh? ;) :rolleyes:

[kryos]

I am a teacher and a parent. I feel that traveling is very very educational. We live in the center of the U.S. and I have to confess that before I started teaching I did take my children out of school for a trip to Washington D.C. We visited museums, National monuments, The White House (before 9-11) the national cemetery etc. My children learned a ton. We made scrap books and their teachers allowed them to share them with their classes. My husband had to go to D.C. for work, so our room and his ticket were paid for. We wouldn't have been able to afford to go and do this otherwise, so it was during the school year or not at all.

I think this sort of trip ... and the circumstances in which you took it (go when your husband had a business trip or not at all) is far different than taking the kids on a Caribbean cruise.

 

Unless that cruise is also part of a business trip ... and the whole family's fare is being paid by an employer ... then why not just do the cruise when the kids are off from school? That's all I am questioning. There are a whole three months in a calendar year that kids are not attending classes, and much of that time they are bored out of their minds anyway. Why not schedule the cruise then, plan some educational activities during it, and actually enrich the childrens' lives with "extra" learning over and above what they are getting from school.

 

I can't remember the specifics, but a friend of mine took her kids to WDW over a holiday break a few years back. Neat thing was that they signed the kids up for some special activity where the kids got to explore the "behind the scenes" areas of the park, accompanied by a guide who explained all the inside workings of the place. This was like a whole day affair and it was not cheap. Apparently, Disney also offers some activity whereby if you are a certified open water diver (SCUBA) you can swim with the fish in some aquarium they have there ... feeding them or whatever? I too had no idea they offered this stuff ... I didn't even know they had an aquarium since I haven't been to WDW since the time when EPCOT was still on the drawing board! :)

 

But, considering that this parent provided such an educational experience for her kids on what otherwise would have been just a normal family vacation to a theme park, and considering that this experience did not come at the expense of the kids' regular school activities ... I think it was truly enriching and something those kids will remember for many years to come. Same with your trip to Washington. Such a trip steeped in history and culture is a far cry from just going on a cruise. I still think the latter should be done when school is not in session.

 

Just my humble opinion ... be it as right or wrong as it may be ...

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[mill231]

I agree totally!