school and cruising

[asdf]

[quote name='mr. godfredo']You can bash the ADA system all you want, but I didn't come up with it. All I know is that I am trying to work within the framework of the law to educate children. You can wave your political flag anywhere you wish, but keep it away from me and my school which is grossly underfunded. I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but perhaps you should be angered with those who make the laws rather then those who are working for the greater good. It is absolutely ignorant to shoot the messenger in this situation and that is what your comments have done![/QUOTE]

OK, then the rules are WRONG. Perhaps parents, teachers and administrators have to work together to change them -- the bureaucrats always want to take the easy way out and judge performance by some arbitrary set of numbers rather than what is best for the kid in question.

There is no SINGLE right answer – some kids can handle being out of school, others will struggle if they miss classes. There is no EASY answer – penalizing a school strictly based upon attendance numbers is short sighted (and lazy).

[yarlenna]

Back when I taught it was VERY hard to "make up" work for children who missed a whole week of work. I taught science and the labs were not possible to save. My classes were full and, because of budget, there were no “extras”. The “kids” had to share everything. They shared things like rats, lamb hearts, and frogs. With over 135 children to teach, grade, help and deal with problems, time was also an issue. Don’t get me wrong. I loved teaching. It was almost magical to see them grow and learn. I just hate to see children shortchanged on their education.

[HollyGoheavy]

I'm not able to take vacation when my children are out of school since that's my busiest time at work-PTO just isn't approved unless it's an emergency. My children are 5 and 17, a senior in HS and in kindergarten this year. We are taking them out for 3 days this month for a long weekend cruise, they'll miss Thursday, Friday and Monday. I don't see it any differently than the 5 days we will miss when going to NYC in February with my daughter's musical theatre class. That trip is organized and sponsored by the school and if they're ok with her missing time for something like that, then they have to be ok with her missing time to visit another country.

[werpooles]

We will be taking our 12 year old out of school the week before Thanksgiving for our cruise. Not only that, with Veteran's Day and a teacher in service day on the 10th and 11th, he will have 3 days of school the week before we leave, and only 2 1/2 days the week we come back, so that's 5 days of school in 3 weeks!

He was home sick last week for 4 days with a cold and double ear infections. I got his homework from school every day, and when he went back to school on Friday, the teachers told him that he was ahead of the class!

He is by no means a straight A student, he has a learning disability, and reads at a 4th grade level.........but like an earlier poster said, what better learning opportunity (especially for someone like him) than to see another county, and more so, have the chance to meet and talk with people from the countries that he has just fininshed learning about. As his parents, we plan to have him talk with the staff on board and then chart on a world map, where they live, and by talking to them, find out one thing about their country, or a custom they have.

[czechmate001]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=-2][COLOR=#444444][COLOR=#444444][FONT=Verdana]The bottom line is its fine. A side note, Ryleigh is only in 2nd grade, I would not let her miss a week of school in HS and will think carefully about it when she goes to middle school. I removed my principals name because I do not know if he is comfortable with me posting his response on a message board.[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=-2][COLOR=#444444][COLOR=#444444][FONT=Verdana]Dear Mr. :[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=+0][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]

[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=-2][COLOR=#444444][COLOR=#444444][FONT=Verdana] We will be taking Ryleigh on a family cruise December 14-21, 2008. I have spoken with Mrs. Mitchell and she is willing to assign an independent study project for her. Additionally, Ryleigh is prepared to make up any work missed over the winter break. I am hoping that you will be able to grant permission for the study. [/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=+0][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]



[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=-2][COLOR=#444444][COLOR=#444444][FONT=Verdana] We have planned excursions that will allow Ryleigh to see the local countryside, and a visit to the Mayan Ruins while in Belize. In addition, she will also be visiting a school in Honduras. Science and marine life will be explored in the Grand Caymen Islands. Finally, there will even be a little math as we talk about money conversions.[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=+0][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]

[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=-2][COLOR=#444444][COLOR=#444444][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=+0][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]

[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=-2][COLOR=#444444][COLOR=#444444][FONT=Verdana]While we are aware that the district does not necessarily excuse or condone family vacations, we feel that the opportunity to visit foreign countries and to observe the local people is a supplement to her education. We would have preferred to book the trip over the scheduled winter break, but to do so was cost prohibitive. [/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=+0][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]



[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=-2][COLOR=#444444][COLOR=#444444][FONT=Verdana]Respectfully, [/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=+0][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]

[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=+0][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=#444444]Sue[/COLOR][/FONT]





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I have no problem with this. Family vacations can be very educational.

Principal
Garden Elementary[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[mactrio]

Well we were trying to get a December cruise going for our family, but Brevard County Public School officials (Port Canaveral is in our county), said that they will have to be in school up to December 23rd, to make up the hurricane does we lost. What kinda school system requires students to be there the day before christmas eve?? There goes all the planning (but who says they are going on those days!)

 

We are very lucky this year with hurricane makeup days, we have 3 extra days built in, we are losing 2 teacher in-service days and we have to go to school on election day, and we go to school an extra 5 minutes every day anyway, so we had enough time. I'm in St. Mary Parish (Morgan City/Patterson) in Louisiana.

We were so scared that they would take some of our Mardi Gras holiday (5 full school days) but they didn't. We're booked on the Spirit 2/22/09 - 3/1/09.

As for missing those days; you know they will not be doing very much school work on Dec 23rd; I'd pull my kids out and go on vacation; have them write a report on what they learned and maybe earn some extra credit. Ask for school work/homework ahead of time and they can do it over the rest of the holidays.

Good luck!!

[MrsPete]

... then have that student never do it (which was my experience). I'm sure everyone who posts on CC makes sure their kids do the make-up work, but the "pull kids out of school" question always make me groan because of the parents and students I've actually had to work with.

I'll back this up! I'd estimate that AT MOST 10% of my students actually make up the work that their parents request -- and half of those students do just the easy worksheets, leaving the more thought-provoking material unfinished. Even among good students, here is an "academic cost" to taking your child out of school.

 

Consider the math: My class is 90 days long. Five days is a pretty big chunk of time in a 90 day period. Kids are in school 180 days; that leaves 185 free for family time -- it's not a bad ratio.

 

When you really can't get time off, or if you have to weigh that against your savings and your family time against the time missed, but don't kid yourself that there's no consequence for a student to miss a whole week of school. This is especially true for high school students. School isn't the same place we attended years ago. Technology, legislation, a changing world economy, and other factors have made it more stressful.

I am a Navy brat and let me tell you I don't remember much about what was taught in school, but I can remember a lot about the countries I saw and the people I met.

The things you learned in school are integrated into your life -- reading, math, geography, etc. They don't stand out in your memory as unique items; that doesn't mean they don't exist. For example, I don't remember learning the multiplication tables, but I'm glad they're in my brain. On the other hand, vacation memories aren't integrated into our minds in the same way, and they stand out.

Going waverunning and climbing Dunn's River don't qualify as education! (We have done both - great fun as a family, but not a replacement for school). This is just my humble opinion. YMMV

You make a good point. People can talk about the value of visiting other countries, etc. . . . but the truth is that on a cruise most people don't delve very far into the cultures of other countries. Beaches, shopping, and food aren't all that educational!

Im taking my kids out for exams! But that's ok because its only a 3 day week and they have 3 weeks to make up the exams. Plus, the school didnt think; Why put exams on thanksgiving break?

That's actually a sensible choice; the student won't miss any instruction. Be prepared, of course, to be prepared to meet the school's exam make-up policy.

I also believe that parents should have the right to take their children out of school if that is their choice.

Two separate issues:

Do you have the right to do it?

Is it a good idea in the long run?

[CanadianTwosome]

I'll back this up! I'd estimate that AT MOST 10% of my students actually make up the work that their parents request -- and half of those students do just the easy worksheets, leaving the more thought-provoking material unfinished. Even among good students, here is an "academic cost" to taking your child out of school.

 

Consider the math: My class is 90 days long. Five days is a pretty big chunk of time in a 90 day period. Kids are in school 180 days; that leaves 185 free for family time -- it's not a bad ratio.

 

When you really can't get time off, or if you have to weigh that against your savings and your family time against the time missed, but don't kid yourself that there's no consequence for a student to miss a whole week of school. This is especially true for high school students. School isn't the same place we attended years ago. Technology, legislation, a changing world economy, and other factors have made it more stressful. The things you learned in school are integrated into your life -- reading, math, geography, etc. They don't stand out in your memory as unique items; that doesn't mean they don't exist. For example, I don't remember learning the multiplication tables, but I'm glad they're in my brain. On the other hand, vacation memories aren't integrated into our minds in the same way, and they stand out. You make a good point. People can talk about the value of visiting other countries, etc. . . . but the truth is that on a cruise most people don't delve very far into the cultures of other countries. Beaches, shopping, and food aren't all that educational!That's actually a sensible choice; the student won't miss any instruction. Be prepared, of course, to be prepared to meet the school's exam make-up policy.

Two separate issues:

Do you have the right to do it?

Is it a good idea in the long run?

 

Do I have the right to make choices for MY child? YES; unquestionably, unequivocably, undeniably, and without a shred of doubt, I do.

 

Like many people, I believe you place far too much importance on five days of school - or even ten. As for the 185 vs 180 comparison, 104 days of the year are weekends, separated by weekdays, so that narrows down the choices quite a bit. It sure looked good on paper though. :) I don't actually think 5 out of 90 is a particularly big chunk, either... it's not even 6%. Try leaving 6% as a tip sometime and see how 'valuable' people consider that 'chunk'. You see, I know math, too, and while I agree that I did not learn my multiplication tables while on vacation, I am absolutely certain that I didn't learn them from a teacher, either. I learned my multiplication tables, like ALL math fundamentals, by rote. Interestingly, that's something I feel is sorely lacking from school these days. Instead of having kids do math drills, they hand them calculators. I have my daughter do math drills every day, even when we're on holiday. I suppose that's one reason she's ahead of her classmates. She also reads every day. Do you have any idea how many functionally illiterate people there are in and out of the school system? Again, kids don't learn to read AT school; they learn by READING. My daughter was able to understand the basic concepts of fractions at 4, and was reading at 3... before she started school, so I know for a fact that she didn't learn either in a classroom. Geography... huh? You want to tell me that kids don't learn geography by travelling? I don't know about 'your' school, but when I was in school, we definitely did NOT take geography every day (meaning missing five days did not mean missing five days of geography), nor did I retain any of it the way I did what I learned while travelling. Please don't misunderstand me; I think school is an invaluable tool in the learning process - it's just not the ONLY tool.

 

As for beaches, shopping and food not being educational, with an attitude like that, I'm very glad I'm not trusting you to educate my child. I hope her teachers see educational value in more than just the 'regular' curriculum. Beaches are fascinating if you're interested in science, geology, or biology. Shopping is an opportunity to observe different cultures and use math skills to calculate costs and totals, or change currency. Food is another example of culture, often reflecting the climate and food sources typical of a particular area, as well as seeing how the people who developed there have learned to use what they had access to in order to supply their bodies with complex proteins, minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients.

 

Is it a good idea in the long run? HELL YES. I speak from personal experience when I say that I learned lessons while travelling that I carry with me to this day. I'm not talking about knowing how blue the water is in the Caribbean, I'm talking about things like understanding what 'capitalism' means. I learned that in Venezuela by asking questions and having my mother answer them. Mind you, understanding WHY the water in the Caribbean is so blue is also valuable knowledge in my opinion. :)

 

Your opinion is YOURS; mine is MINE. I value education highly, which is why I take EVERY opportunity to help my child learn. I consider my husband and myself to be not only our daughter's parents, but also her primary educators. You are a complete stranger who does not know me or my daughter; how can you possibly know what is or isn't good for her? So again, yes, I absolutely have the right to make this choice for my child. Do you have the right to question it?

[MrsPete]

Do I have the right to make choices for MY child? YES; unquestionably, unequivocably, undeniably, and without a shred of doubt, I do.

And if you'll notice the quote to which I was responding, you'll see that I was reinforcing the idea that parents certainly have the right; however, the question of whether it's a good idea in the long run is a separate issue and one that's rather clouded by personal circumstances and opinion.

Like many people, I believe you place far too much importance on five days of school - or even ten.

16 years in the classroom tells me that missing five days out of a semester makes a difference in the child's classroom performance. If you as a parent judge that it's worthwhile, fine; but you can't pretend that it doesn't make a difference. For a good student, that difference might be slight, but it's going to be there.

Again, kids don't learn to read AT school; they learn by READING. My daughter was able to understand the basic concepts of fractions at 4, and was reading at 3... before she started school, so I know for a fact that she didn't learn either in a classroom.

Yes, many, if not most, children of internet users read and complete complex math at very young ages; in real life, these children are few and far between. It's a simple fact that most children do not read before they enter the classroom, and their parents don't even consider teach them math at home. After all, most parents don't monitor whether their children do their make-up work after a vacation.

As for beaches, shopping and food not being educational, with an attitude like that, I'm very glad I'm not trusting you to educate my child. I hope her teachers see educational value in more than just the 'regular' curriculum. Beaches are fascinating if you're interested in science, geology, or biology. Shopping is an opportunity to observe different cultures and use math skills to calculate costs and totals, or change currency.

When you're on the beach, what percentage of children would you estimate are studying the fascinating opportunities that exist there vs. what percentage are splashing in the waves or playing in the sand? Sure, play is educational, especially for the youngest children, but since most of our children have been to beaches time after time -- I could not begin to tell you how many beach trips my children have had in thier lives -- you can't argue that a beach stop is a particularly unique educational opportunity. The question isn't, "Can the beach be educational?" The question is, "Is one more beach trip worth missing a science lab, a guest speaker in history, and the reading of a play in English?"

 

Similar arguments can be made for shopping and dining: How many cruisers venture past the touristy shops and restaurants by the pier? After all, a good number won't even venture past the cruise ship's limited ship's excursions for fear of missing the boat -- literally. Sure, if you search them out, educational opportunities exist in every travel experience, but if you're being honest about it, how much of the cruise time is spent in educational pursuits?

 

The vast majority of cruisers see their vacation as one thing only: relaxation time. You can make an argument for pulling kids out for family time, but the educational value is questionable.

 

I'm also glad I'm not educating your child! My classes are already full to capacity because I'm one of those teachers whom parents request by name. 16 years in the same school earns the best teachers that type of reputation. And these parents are judging me on more than one internet post.

Is it a good idea in the long run? HELL YES. I speak from personal experience when I say that I learned lessons while travelling that I carry with me to this day.

Sure, I remember lots of great things about traveling as a child. I also remember classroom experiences. My children won't be sacraficing one for the other; not when it's so easy to fit in both.

[CanadianTwosome]

And if you'll notice the quote to which I was responding, you'll see that I was reinforcing the idea that parents certainly have the right; however, the question of whether it's a good idea in the long run is a separate issue and one that's rather clouded by personal circumstances and opinion.16 years in the classroom tells me that missing five days out of a semester makes a difference in the child's classroom performance. If you as a parent judge that it's worthwhile, fine; but you can't pretend that it doesn't make a difference. For a good student, that difference might be slight, but it's going to be there. Yes, many, if not most, children of internet users read and complete complex math at very young ages; in real life, these children are few and far between. It's a simple fact that most children do not read before they enter the classroom, and their parents don't even consider teach them math at home. After all, most parents don't monitor whether their children do their make-up work after a vacation. When you're on the beach, what percentage of children would you estimate are studying the fascinating opportunities that exist there vs. what percentage are splashing in the waves or playing in the sand? Sure, play is educational, especially for the youngest children, but since most of our children have been to beaches time after time -- I could not begin to tell you how many beach trips my children have had in thier lives -- you can't argue that a beach stop is a particularly unique educational opportunity. The question isn't, "Can the beach be educational?" The question is, "Is one more beach trip worth missing a science lab, a guest speaker in history, and the reading of a play in English?"

 

Similar arguments can be made for shopping and dining: How many cruisers venture past the touristy shops and restaurants by the pier? After all, a good number won't even venture past the cruise ship's limited ship's excursions for fear of missing the boat -- literally. Sure, if you search them out, educational opportunities exist in every travel experience, but if you're being honest about it, how much of the cruise time is spent in educational pursuits?

 

The vast majority of cruisers see their vacation as one thing only: relaxation time. You can make an argument for pulling kids out for family time, but the educational value is questionable.

 

I'm also glad I'm not educating your child! My classes are already full to capacity because I'm one of those teachers whom parents request by name. 16 years in the same school earns the best teachers that type of reputation. And these parents are judging me on more than one internet post. Sure, I remember lots of great things about traveling as a child. I also remember classroom experiences. My children won't be sacraficing one for the other; not when it's so easy to fit in both.

 

First, I'd like to start by thanking you for responding to my post sanely and reasonably. :)

 

The point of my post was not to say that you are wrong, simply to point out that your opinion and the things that you were describing do not, in my opinion, apply to me and my daughter. (and therefore, logically, not to everyone) My opinion on the question itself (whether kids should be taken out of school) is that nobody can answer it for a child they don't know.

 

Now I'd like to answer some of your points in this post. No, I don't pretend that missing school doesn't make a difference - for some children. Telling me outright that I 'can't' have an opinion different from yours is meaningless. I absolutely can believe (not pretend) that for some children, missing some school will not have a negative impact on them. Of course, that may not be the same as 'not making a difference'. I'm sure that had my niece missed a week with her grade 9 algebra teacher, it would have made a big difference - I wouldn't have had to correct the teacher's mistakes in her notebook before showing her what she was supposed to be learning. To me, the important thing is that the child does not miss out on any learning concepts, not where and from whom she learns those concepts.

 

It's true that many children do not learn to read before they start school... and unfortunately many don't learn to read while they're at school. My point was not when a child learns to read, but how. A teacher can explain phonetics until she's blue in the face, but if a child does not practice reading, they will not learn how. The same goes for math fundamentals. Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division cannot be 'told' to someone; they have to practice them over and over to retain the knowledge. The lack of attention some parents pay to their child's learning experience is shameful, but that doesn't mean that there aren't many of us who are diligent. I disagree that it has that much to do with being internet users though... I suppose it doesn't hurt, but I also read at 3, and there definitely wasn't a computer in sight! I'm actually inclined to believe it has more to do with getting your child AWAY from the internet, among other things, and introducing them to hardcopy books. :)

 

I think what you said about the beach makes sense... but absolutely does not apply to my child. On our upcoming cruise, she will be visiting her first 'real' beach. We live on the landlocked prairie, and of all the waterfronts she's been to (even some we call 'beach' here), she's never experienced an actual, sandy beach like those in the Caribbean. I look forward to the day I will be able to show her black sand in Hawaii as well. Perhaps your children would be as interested and gain as much from visiting a farm. You might think we've seen a lot of grass here on the prairie as well, but last year in Florida, we learned about the specific type of grass that Disney plants because of its ability to thrive there. :)

 

Again, while many people view cruising as nothing more than fun time, I wasn't trying to suggest that ALL parents were like we are. The thing is, though, that children also learn from play, and even without venturing further than the 'touristy' spots, learning opportunities are still abundant. My daughter and I were out tonight here at home and I saw a sign with a spelling error on it (it's my curse; I see them everywhere). I asked my daughter if she could point out what was wrong with the sign and she found the mistake. :) In that moment I reinforced not only her spelling, but the importance of proofreading and double checking before you show your work to the public... or hand in an assignment or a business report.

 

I don't consider missing a few days of class a sacrifice. As I said earlier, it's the education I'm concerned with, not where or from whom that education comes. It may be easy for you to do travel when your children are out of school - in fact, I would guess that as a teacher, your schedule fits really well with theirs. :) That is not the case with most people who cruise or otherwise travel during the school year. You used math as an example earlier... what do you think the odds are of 100% of parents who want to travel getting time off during prescheduled school breaks? It's simply not possible.

 

As I'm drawing on my experience, I should also point out that I missed six consecutive weeks of school when I was in grade 7 due to illness. Obviously I had a different life experience during that time than my classmates, but as far as my education and lifelong learning experience, I do not believe it impacted me negatively. Not only did I pass that year, I went on to place within the top 10% in Canada in the Waterloo math contest three years running, won academic achievement awards in high school, and proficiency scholarships at the university level. I'm sure you can understand why it's unlikely that anyone can convince me that missing five days would be so detrimental that I should not take the opportunity to give my daughter what I consider invaluable life experience.

 

So, as I was saying, my point was not that you are wrong. I agree with everything you've said, in fact. I just don't believe it applies to all children any more than what I've said does. I'm talking about my experiences, my parenting style, and my child. I'm not so arrogant as to think that I'm the only parent who contributes as much to their child's education as I do, but I'm also not so naive as to think that there aren't children for whom missing one day of school would be devastating. For me and my child, however, the answer is yes, it's an excellent idea, especially in the long run - at least at this particular moment; next year might be different. I'm confident that the choice you've made for your children is right for you and for them, but I simply do not believe that you can apply your reasoning to MY child, or children in general. There are just too many factors involved in the decision that are based on not only the individuals themselves, but their abilities, perspectives, experiences, and opinions. :)

[6rugrats]

Wasn't there a many, many page thread on this exact same topic a while back?

 

To the OP - what do you care what anyone else thinks? It's your child and you know what's best for them.

[GeekyMom]

Our 14 year old is a High school Freshman in an All Girls College prep school here in Maryland and initially when I planned the cruise I let her decide and since she is also a new Cheerleader and was having to go on a Mandatory Dance marathon with her music class, I was ok with her decision to stay behind. (Yes, she's a good student, which helps).

 

Then today I thought how incomplete it will be without her! I spoke to DH and told him since it was my birthday cruise, I would like my oldest daughter to share this trip with me and the rest of the family, especially since she is oldest and can appreciate it the most of our kids.

 

Here is the rub, I hate to look like I don't value her education, but this is a trip of a life time, and it's costing us a very pretty penny. Although I've already arranged for her to stay behind with friends. I think I really want her to go instead.

 

I just spoke with her and she said that she mentioned it was my BD on Nov. 22nd, the day of the Dance-a-thon (fund raiser) the week or so to her teacher and she said it would be ok. I plan to e-mail all of her teachers to our plans and let them know that Gabby will be out and to request any missed assignments be given to her to complete on her vacation. Being that this cruise is over Thanksgiving, how much work will really be done anyway.

 

In the end, I agree with the parents that say that life is for living. School is important, but its school, not her whole life or her family. Education really is in the details. ;)

 

-- Decisions, decisions.

[DavidO]

Here in Texas the school districts are very strict on not letting you take your kids out for vacations. We have taken them out for 1-2 days related to vacations but not more than that as you can get in trouble.

 

School, like most things it seems, really comes down to money unfortunately. That is part of why the school districts get so upset about families taking kids out for a week. While they do care about the kids education, they also get paid each day from the state (at least here in Texas) based on the attendance numbers for that day.

 

David

[Conrycol]

The debate goes on... and on... and on...

 

I think our daughter has missed school for every vacation we've been able to take with her. Sometimes it was a day, sometimes longer. Last year my husband and I were actually both able to get a whole week off right at the end of August and I thought I'd finally done it... but it turned out I was looking at the wrong school calendar so she still ended up missing the first day of school. :p Last year for our 8 day cruise in January, she missed 8 school days of grade 4. She'll be missing 7 school days of grade 5 in January 2009.

 

We do not take missing school lightly, but it's the only time of the year when both my husband and I can get the time off, so that's when we go. I don't mind a bit that it happens to fall on my birthday! :) People make such a big deal out of the fact that the school year includes breaks - but I don't recall anyone from any school board checking MY schedule before they set any of the dates, so I'm not terribly surprised that the three of us don't have perfectly aligned calendars. Will we do it again next year? I can't answer that right now. I haven't seen my daughter's performance at her current academic level yet. So far, grade 5 appears to be somewhat unchallenging for her, so we'll see. She knows that if her grades fall for any reason, or if any academic issues arise, she will not be allowed to miss classes to travel.

 

When deciding whether or not a child should be allowed to miss school for travel, there are many things to consider. First of all, if you're in the US, you have to find out if they even can miss school... a week of travel, educational or not, is not worth being held back a year if that's your school district's policy. Your child's academic performance and experience must also be considered. Are they doing well? How hard do they have to work to get the marks they do? How much time do they have to put in outside of class time to maintain their grades? What kind of workload do they have and will they have to take work along on the trip? If they do, will they do it? Are you willing to take time out of your vacation to ensure they do and help them if necessary? Are they capable of catching up on anything they miss?

 

I think there are more questions to ask, depending on your situation, but that's a start. For us, so far we've been able to answer all of those questions and feel confident taking our child out of school. When we start thinking about next year, we'll ask them again before we book anything... and again before we hit the cancellation date (it will come up in October for our January trip). Something that also works in our favour is that both of us are individually qualified to home school our daughter if we chose to do so. We both have experience with teaching, lecturing, and tutoring as well, so we have no expectations of any of our daughter's teachers spending any extra time to help her catch up. We consider that our responsibility and are fully prepared to spend whatever time we need to ensure that she is up to speed.

 

Sorry to be so long winded, but I just don't think there's a simple answer to the question. :)

 

Canadian twosome u say it better than anyone on this board. I will continue to take my children out of school for a family vacation. This February they will be going with my mother (88 years old, my father passed away two years ago), two brothers, 3 sisters and assorted families of those siblings. What they gain by being with their extended family is priceless, no matter what they miss in school. They will remember these trips for the rest of their lives, as I have with trips when I was young. You can miss some time from school and make it up, you can't always make up missed time with family!!!

[Onessa]

There are parents/students who just don't care about their education. These parents and students will not fess up to their responsibilities. To the teacher (Mrs Pete?) who states that most of the kids don't do the make up work or only do part of it --

• The students and parents who are likely to blow off the make up work when they take vacation are likely to blow off their regular homework as well. They just won't care!
  
• The kids whose vaction consists of one beach after another without any attempt to experience any of the local attractions or culture are the kids who are staring vacantly at the clock and who will forget EVERYTHING five minutes after they take the test.
  
• There are parents who pull their kids out of school for two weeks to live with grandma while the parents take a 10 day cruise

Face it - those parents, those kids aren't going to get value from from ANY experience! It doesn't matter when they vacation -- they've already checked out!

 

The parent who is even contimplating "should we or shouldn't we" typically is the parent who will make certain the kids get their make up work done. They are the parent who will go out of their way to make living a learning experience.

 

My dearest friend is in hospice - I stayed up last night with her as she struggles to hold on to each last minute of her life. Her 11YO son will soon be without his mother. The times when she and her husband chose to remove her son from school so that they could enjoy themselves between her chemo treatments are worth 1000000 minutes in any classroom. He has never known his mother when she wasn't fighting this -- every moment over the past 10 years has been precious to his mother, his father, their family and their friends. Make every moment of your life count. Live your life and not just a by-stander. If you believe that this is what is right for YOUR family -- go for it!

[FluffyN]

I feel guilty that my DD is missing 5 days of preschool for a cruise! I don't think I'd take her out of "real" school for a vacation unless it was a special circumstance. I remember how awful it was to miss even a day of school when I was sick. I wouldn't want that stress hanging over my kids' heads while they are supposed to be enjoying vacation!

[spaceflower77]

Well we were trying to get a December cruise going for our family, but Brevard County Public School officials (Port Canaveral is in our county), said that they will have to be in school up to December 23rd, to make up the hurricane does we lost. What kinda school system requires students to be there the day before christmas eve?? There goes all the planning (but who says they are going on those days!)

That's absurd, I agree... a LOT of poeple leave town/state (and apparently country) :) for Christmas. I wouldn't think twice about pulling my kids out of school to go on a vacation... what better way to get a fantastic education than SEEING the world instead of just reading about it. I would coordinate with the teachers, certainly, and bring any homework with you that you can. Designate some time in a quiet area on the ship to do it. Frankly, I'd have rather done my homework with an ocean view and a yummy frozen drink (alcoholic in college, non earlier on) anytime.

 

Do not hesitate to miss a few school days to go on a fantastic vacation. The vacation is going to do so much more for your family. We are the only country I know of (who can afford to) who work as much as we do and celebrate life and family so rarely. ENJOY!!!

[CanadianTwosome]

Canadian twosome u say it better than anyone on this board. I will continue to take my children out of school for a family vacation. This February they will be going with my mother (88 years old, my father passed away two years ago), two brothers, 3 sisters and assorted families of those siblings. What they gain by being with their extended family is priceless, no matter what they miss in school. They will remember these trips for the rest of their lives, as I have with trips when I was young. You can miss some time from school and make it up, you can't always make up missed time with family!!!

 

Thank you very much, Conrycol. :)

 

I think Onessa has made some excellent points as well.

 

Sadly, I just had a reminder about time myself. A friend of mine had a heart attack last week and died. He was 43. He will never go on a cruise - or on any other vacation - with his kids. There was no diagnosis to remind anyone that they should try to find time to see him before he was gone, he was just gone. My mother and I have had discussions about that sort of thing, since my dad dropped dead from a heart attack as well, and we've never been able to come up with a definitive idea of which is 'better' - losing someone suddenly or having time to 'say goodbye' (but possibly watching someone you love suffer). In the end, they both have the same result. What we do agree on is that spending time together NOW is much better than wishing we had when it's too late.

 

My mom, at 77, is going to be along with us in January. She's considering taking a spinnaker ride when we go on a day sail in Cozumel. :eek: I have no doubt that my daughter will carry memories of this trip with her Grandma for the rest of her life.:)

[kimmimom]

we do find a happy medium. We go Martin Luther King week where Mon is a holiday and they have Tues and Wed as teacher work days, so they actually only miss 2 school days. The rates are higher than if we went the week before or the week after, but less than if we went over spring break or summer.

 

My oldest is in high school this year (9th grade) so this is a trial to see if we will continue to vacation in Jan (we have pretty much every year) since she is now in high school. My other kids are 4th grade and K. My oldest is an excellent student (we are talking 96-98 in all her classes including honors English and honors science). My 4th grader is a solid A/B student only b/c she does not want to apply herself as much as my oldest. My youngest is only in K but is ahead of where she needs to be. They all behave very well at school, do their work and the teachers have never minded providing them work while they are gone (also I am very involved in the school in many ways so that helps).

 

The inlaws are going on this cruise in Jan (FIL is 87 with congestive heart failure and MIL is 75, they have been married 51 yrs, so who knows when it wil be our last trip with them).

 

So we are going and the kids have never felt guilt about missing a couple days of school. But again, I probably would not let them miss a week, I would work around a week that has at least a holiday or a teacher work day or two built in.

[celle]

My dearest friend is in hospice - I stayed up last night with her as she struggles to hold on to each last minute of her life. Her 11YO son will soon be without his mother. The times when she and her husband chose to remove her son from school so that they could enjoy themselves between her chemo treatments are worth 1000000 minutes in any classroom. He has never known his mother when she wasn't fighting this -- every moment over the past 10 years has been precious to his mother, his father, their family and their friends. Make every moment of your life count. Live your life and not just a by-stander. If you believe that this is what is right for YOUR family -- go for it!

 

I am sorry to hear about your friend.

 

This may be off topic, but here goes.....

 

Maybe things are different here in New Zealand, where school funding is not linked to school attendance. I just wanted to tell what happened when a dear friend of ours was dying of a brain tumour.

 

M. was told that his condition was terminal. He had 2 sons, both teenagers in High School. He was on the Board of the school.

 

When he told the Principal of the boys' school about his illness, this is the response he received:

"Your time with your sons is important and cannot ever be replaced. Take your boys and do everything with them that you want to do. I will excuse their absence from school, however long it needs to be. If they need to repeat a school year, then so be it. It is more important that they spend time with you now."

 

So, the boys were with their father (and mother) as long as they all needed to be together. As it happened, neither of them did need to repeat a school year, and both of them have now gone on to university.

 

What that family really appreciated was the sensible and sympathetic attitude of that school Principal.

 

Sorry for going off-topic - I know it didn't have much to do with taking children out of school for holidays, but I just thought that someone might be interested in the different attitude to school attendance in another country - not to say that missing school for trivial reasons is tolerated here either!

[SelectSys]

Here in Texas the school districts are very strict on not letting you take your kids out for vacations. We have taken them out for 1-2 days related to vacations but not more than that as you can get in trouble.

 

School, like most things it seems, really comes down to money unfortunately. That is part of why the school districts get so upset about families taking kids out for a week. While they do care about the kids education, they also get paid each day from the state (at least here in Texas) based on the attendance numbers for that day.

 

David

 

Absolutely, follow the money and you'll find the real reason. When our kids went to private school they were very accomodating in managing school absences. Now that they attend public schools that collect money based on daily attendance - any absence, even for illness, is not dealt with in a sympathetic manner.

 

...

 

This may be off topic, but here goes.....

 

Maybe things are different here in New Zealand, where school funding is not linked to school attendance. ... Sorry for going off-topic - I know it didn't have much to do with taking children out of school for holidays, but I just thought that someone might be interested in the different attitude to school attendance in another country - not to say that missing school for trivial reasons is tolerated here either!

 

That's OK, it is useful to see the difference. We spend more money per child in the US and get less results.

[spaceflower77]

"I never let school interfere with my education"

quote by Mark Twain

 

leave it to mark twain to nail it... that is my point exactly. of course you can do it... you just have to be smart about it. make a plan with the teachers. they have internet access as well, have her e mail as much as possible back to the teachers -- i've taught... it's hard having a student out and making up all that work and it's hard having to grade a weeks worth later. e mail and some modified assignments would make this so doable... talk to her teachers and suggest that. this is so worth it!!! if she's dedicated enough to keep up with her studies, this will not be a problem. i would have jumped at this during ANY period of my schooling, and i was always a good student. i'll bet there are people on board (maybe in the youth programs) who could help her with her assignments if she runs into a problem, too. you might want to check with camp staff. also, there won't be much she doesn't understand and her teachers should be happy to work with her when she gets back if she can't figure it out onboard... which i doubt :) GOOD LUCK!

[cruisinfamilee]

I am a school teacher, and I just have to give my opinion. I am taking my 2 sons out of school to go on a cruise. They are only missing 3 1/2 days of school (We are cruising the week of Halloween, and since we live in Nevada, the students get the 31st of October off for Nevada Day, and the last 1/2 of the school day on the 30th is just Halloween parties and costume parades) and as a parent and teacher, I am completely ok with it. I talked to my childrens teachers' the very beginning of the school year, so everything was pre-arranged. Because I was up front with the teachers, both teachers were completely ok with it, and both my kids are going to have "travel journals" that they are going to write in, and receive extra credit for!

 

Bottom line is...be up front with your child's teacher, and if that teacher is a good teacher, they will work with you, so your childs' grade don't suffer.

[GeekyMom]

I am a school teacher, and I just have to give my opinion. I talked to my childrens teachers' the very beginning of the school year, so everything was pre-arranged. Because I was up front with the teachers, both teachers were completely ok with it, and both my kids are going to have "travel journals" that they are going to write in, and receive extra credit for!

 

Bottom line is...be up front with your child's teacher, and if that teacher is a good teacher, they will work with you, so your childs' grade don't suffer.

Thank you for giving your opinion as a teacher. I still have not e-mailed my teen's teachers about our Nov. 21st 8 night cruise. She is a new freshman and I guess I was procrastinating, because she has 7 teachers in high school that I need to speak with :eek:. She will miss a total of 4 days because of the weekend and Thanksgiving holiday.

 

I do think calling the teachers first (then e-mailing them) may be a better and more personal idea. I also like the idea of a travel journal, two of our younger school aged kids will be also going.

 

Enjoy your cruise! :)

[quincytoo]

Canadian twosome u say it better than anyone on this board. I will continue to take my children out of school for a family vacation. This February they will be going with my mother (88 years old, my father passed away two years ago), two brothers, 3 sisters and assorted families of those siblings. What they gain by being with their extended family is priceless, no matter what they miss in school. They will remember these trips for the rest of their lives, as I have with trips when I was young. You can miss some time from school and make it up, you can't always make up missed time with family!!!

 

I so agree! We are leaving for a two week holiday and cruise this Thursday :)

 

We have pulled our children out of school for a week for the last 18 years, and our 20 year old was on the honour roll and now is in University, missing a week of school each year never interferred with his studies nor does it with our youngest, we make sure all the work is done, often times they come back ahead of the class.

 

Have repeatly spoken to all of our 16 year old son's teachers thus have all of his schoolwork lined up and waiting to go :)

 

Just got off the phone from talking to the VP of his school and she said, "Go have a great time with your son and husband, school will be here when you get back" :)

 

Excuse the typos I just took a cough/cold med. LOL can you believe I am getting sick two days before we leave?? Last year second day into our vacation I came down with a bad bout of pneumonia.... interesting to see what I get this time LOL :cool: