Taking kids out of school.....

[LemurCat]

 

I think some people need to lighten up, seriously!

 

No, you're completely right. No kid ever died from missing a week of school. No kid ever tured into a drooling idiot. I just don't understand why people try to call it "a cultural experience" when you don't have enough time in the ports to actually experience the culture.

[karenh1127]

To each his own, but let me say that a year and a half ago a little 4th grader at my sons' school died of a brain tumor. He was diagnosed exactly one year prior to his passing. After getting to know this child very well and visiting him at his home just a week before his death, I will tell you that as a parent I vowed to always spend time with my kids, teaching them, traveling with them, and loving them. You just never know how long we truly have with our children. A school can never replace time with family. BTW....can you tell my kids went back to school today (7th grade) and I am just a bit weepy.:(

[carribeanpirate18]

These topics are always hot button issues on travel boards. The OP asked what someone else would do.

 

I would not take my child out of school for a vacation as we think it sets a bad example. We stress that school is important and its their "job" like Mom's and Dad's when we go to work. We feel that taking our son out of school during the school year is contradictory to the value that we are trying to instill. Right or wrong, thats what we do. Everyone else is different.

[carribeanpirate18]

"I just don't understand why people try to call it "a cultural experience" when you don't have enough time in the ports to actually experience the culture.

 

 

You mean all people living on Grand Turk dont sit around the pool at Margaritaville all day and drink? Jeez, I thought their culture was great because of that experience.......I also figured that everyone living in Freeport worked in a freight yard all day since that is all I saw from the ship. HOW CAN YOU SAY I DIDNT HAVE A CULTURAL EXPERIENCE??? SAY IT ISNT SO!!!!!!!!

 

Hope the sarcasm is coming through......

[chasinraynbowz]

These topics are always hot button issues on travel boards. The OP asked what someone else would do.

 

I would not take my child out of school for a vacation as we think it sets a bad example. We stress that school is important and its their "job" like Mom's and Dad's when we go to work. We feel that taking our son out of school during the school year is contradictory to the value that we are trying to instill. Right or wrong, thats what we do. Everyone else is different.

 

 

I agree completely. I was trying to find the right words, but you have done it so well, I don't need to... lol.

[1timecruiser]

No, you're completely right. No kid ever died from missing a week of school. No kid ever tured into a drooling idiot. I just don't understand why people try to call it "a cultural experience" when you don't have enough time in the ports to actually experience the culture.

 

It's amazing what can be perceived as a "cultural" experience to be honest. There are people that have never been outside of their small town/city, so familiarity with a different country could technically qualify to THEM as a cultural experience. I have been to Mexico, and though I didn't spend 2 weeks there, it was nice to see what I did manage to see. It looks to be a totally different way of life than one that I live, so that experience gave me some insight on the way those people live.

 

Outside of the Discovery channel, you don't get to see MAYAN RUINS or any of the things that are offered on the cruise. So,with that said, for some it may be a "cultural" experience. I don't discount what others say because to them, it may be what it is. I know that my trip is a VACATION, as I don't have any plans to do any sightseeing of the RUINS or anything else. I plan to lay on the beach (which is an experience for those that don't live near beaches and/or don't get an opportunity to travel to see these things), and enjoy what Mexico has to offer in October. Now for some of my family that have never cruised, or that have never been to another country, this will be a CULTURAL and LEARNING experience that life is different than what they see on a daily basis.

 

I won't rain on anyone's parade and argue with them, because any culture outside of one that you know can be an experience. IMHO :rolleyes:

[Cuizer2]

Sorry, but your anecdotal evidence isn't fact. Nice try though, and sounds like you ran into a nice family. You didn't experience a culture, you had an interaction in a hot tub.

 

1. You're free to agree with me or not, but you have yet to offer a bit of fact to refute my theory that 8 hours in a foreign port is not cultural exposure.

 

2. And if you're read my exchange with Kristi you'd find out that homeschoolers don't count because they're never *out* of school. Furthermore, Kristi agreed with me. So tell me again why you've decided I've just personally insulted you?

 

I have only answered for myself. I am not answering for anyone else, nor am I providing any wild unsupported theories. It is your theory, you must provide the evidence to back it up - something you have not done yet.

 

Home schoolers go on vacation just like everyone else. Just because someone doesn't home school does not mean they don't try to teach their children when the opportunity arises.

 

You believe you are right, yet you produce no supporting evidence. I believe you are wrong. You have the theory, you support it. I don't have a theory and thus I am under no obligation to produce facts. I speak for myself. Unlike you, I don't pretend to know how 2,000,000 other parents would respond. Since you claim to know, then you produce the supporting evidence.

[Cuizer2]

And quite frankly, I don't care if you support my theory or not, but if you're going to try to refute my theory, try offering something more than anecdotal evidence.

 

You ask for evidence, yet you produce none yourself. I have not offered any theory, and thus don't have to produce any evidence other than my own experience. Furthermore, just because you don't have time does not mean others don't. If you cannot manage your time, that is your problem, it does not mean others have the same short comings.

 

Produce the evidence that supports your theory or stop trying to pretend that you know how 2,000,000 other parents will respond.

[ginjer2911]

I have been wanting to respond to this thread, but unable do because of time. When I was in school my parents definitely stressed the value of an education. (I was the first woman in my extended family..cousins, aunt, uncles, etc to graduate from college and my brother was the second male to graduate from college..my uncle being the first.) But we would take off of school many times to do things. Most of these were vacations to visit family, but also in High School we were allowed to stay "off" a day of school as long as our grades were good and there wasn't a test that day.

 

We are both successful college graduates and do value education and working.

 

In a couple of weeks we will be taking a vacation with my dd whose first day of Kindergarten was today. While I totally forgot about Kindergarten when we booked this cruise I am not regretting about taking her out. I work weekends, dh works during the week and we hardly ever get to spend quality time as a family and that is exactly what I plan on doing for those five days.

 

And for those people that think going on a vacation doesn't expose you to that culture. Then my advice is to visit a local public bathroom and that will expose you to that culture. Dh and I went on a trip to Egypt and had to take a public bus across the country. During the night we stopped at a "rest stop"....that was a big cultural emersion. I am just soooo happy that it was dark and I really couldn't see how bad everything looked. (Imagine a hole in the ground with walls halfway up and you'll get the picture!)

[Seafor2]

We took our 6 year old out of school for a week last December while in 1st grade. Before I would make the decision I asked both her teacher and Principal their opinions. You would be amazed. Both of them looked at me and said, "If it was my child, I'd take them with me on the cruise." The teacher gave us her assignments early... although we gave her 2 months notice... and my daughter brought back souveniors and shared her trip with her classmates.

 

Now saying that, in 2 1/2 weeks my husband and I leave for another cruise. Notice I didn't say she was coming this time... I didn't think it would be good for her to miss another week of school this year. HOWEVER, my decision to take her out of school for a vacation will remain open. It depends on the place, the time and what she'd doing. Vacations are a bonding time for families. Plus, depending on the parents occupations sometimes Summer vacations aren't an option.

 

You know I don't know what the "correct" answer is. I know our children's education is important BUT I also know that I was quite miffed when the school sent me home a note last week demanding that parents monitor their children's television time AND that the children are either read to or read 30 minutes per day. Since when is it's the schools responsibility to police what happens in my home. Next thing I know the school will be telling me I can't read the Bible to my child. (I am not saying that I don't do these things, I'm just bugged that schools think it's their call to tell me what I can and cannot do with my children in my own home.)

 

I guess I should mention that my husband and I have two older daughters. One graduated high school last May, the other will be 25 in October. We didn't take them out of school for vacations, but we did take them on vacations. We've learned the 3rd time around to enjoy the moment. Time goes too fast.

[Shipshape7]

I just wanted to say that an experience can be enriching for a small child without being cross cultural. As someone pointed out, a day at the beach is something of an education for a child who does not live near the sea. When our kids were small we used to do all kinds of things with them because stimulation and varied experiences are good for their development and enhance their ability to learn. A child who has been to a real parade, for example, is much more able to relate to a picture book about a parade. Not everything has to be cross cultural or museum worthy to be worthwhile for young kids. The gray matter soaks up many things that an adult (particularly one who is not a parent) would not think of as "educational" per se.

 

I'm also noticing that those who are traveling with larger families or extended family groups are more likely to take a child out of school for vacation than those with one child. I certainly understand why in both instances. The more people involved, the more the difference in price will mount up and logistics become way more complicated. Everyone's situation is different. A family of 7, like ours, cannot make it all about any one person. We have to make compromises and do the best we can for the whole group. Our "kids" include working adults with new jobs and college students as well as the one in high school. If DH and I were a couple with one child and that one child was in high school our decision would be not to take him out but rather to pay the price difference. That price difference would be multiplied by 3, not 7 and we would not have any other kids' schedules to consider. My point is that even the same parents might make a different decision as circumstances change over the years.

[jaxcruiser23]

I see nothing wrong with taking kid's out of school for vacation that is a family bonding time.And if a teacher is going to get hyped up over just 5 or 4 day's out of the week of missing school just cause she or he has to do more work,then she or he shouldn't be teaching.

 

But in other word's me and my DW will be taking our 3 kid's,2 of which just started school today,on a cruise in october, and where going to be asking for there class work so they can do it on the cruise so they don't miss anything.They will be missing a week of school,and we don't see nothing wrong with it.

[Ave43]

Well, my little thread here has turned into something I didn't think it would! Lots of opinions here. I can also feel some tension, so let's everyone just agree to disagree, ok? We'll all be happy campers :)

 

I have taken a little bit of everyone's advice and we have decided to NOT take the kids out of school for our original trip in January, and go in June, a week after school ends. It will be more money, yes, but this gives us time to save up. While I don't think 4 days would have been a big deal, I don't want to make it hard on the kids or teachers. Who know's what would happen, so we're going to play it safe.

 

I feel very comfortable with this, and thank you all for helping me make it!

 

Love you guys!!!!

 

Ave

[mahwah]

I wouldn't take your kids out of school! My daughter is a junior now and I have only taken her out 1 or 2 days for a vacation. It is very hard to catch up and if your child is not in school, they aren't learning. Middle school gets tough to miss...you may not think 4 days is a lot, but it is. If you can go maybe the 1st or 2nd week of August for a cruise, the rates are cheaper. Good luck with your decision.:)

[hoop4321]

wow....such a volatile thread. So here is something to flame away at.:p

 

Obviously everyone wants to think that we are doing the best for our children. Speaking from someone who has paid for my son's education, and i am not talking of taxes, private school tuition every month from pre K through 4th, spending well over $30,000, and that is before the books, supplies, uniforms, support the school fundraisers....etc, i would say i take my son's education very seriously. To say that parents who take their kids out of school for a cruise is noneducational, while lauding the tireless, poor teachers who have all this extra work placed upon them is laughable. My kid is in gifted classes, straight A's, 2 years ahead of the normal curriculum. In these classes last year he had 1 dedicated teacher who did work every day and cared about her students. The rest were lazy, one teacher sat at her computer and read emails while fights broke out in her class. She did not break up any fights but said...y'all quiet down, with out looking up from her computer screen....this in the highest rated county for state test scores in florida. This same school said to the kids when the state test was being administered, that is was my son's class responsibility to do well on the FCAT to bring up the lower achieving students scores so the school can get an A rating. When you add in the pep rallies, the school fundraiser rallies, the weeks before any major holiday/school break where they did nothing but sit there and mess around so they can be counted as "here" so they can get their money for so many students being in school that day....public school is beyond ridiculous. If my kid wasn't so advanced in math....he would still be in private.

Every job, in every walk of life there are accommodations for everything under the sun. From burgers with no pickles, to the surgeon who was sued by Dana Carvey for not realizing his heart was actually on his right side and not his left. To have someone complain about accommodations that they are getting paid to make speaks of laziness.

Teachers unions are a plague on our society. They care more about fighting amongst themselves for an FCAT bonus, pointing fingers at who should and should not receive one, talking about their colleagues in front of students, i could go on and on. In private school we had great teachers and not so great teachers, but had far more that actually taught.

Lastly.....my son will be diving G Cayman, Roatan, and comparing the difference between the reef systems we have at home. He will see the ruins in Belize, snorkel Palancar Reef, and he will have a blast doing it. He will have an experience that he will remember, and will actually learn a few things.

[Islandbear]

GO FOR IT!!!!

We take our 10 & 8 year old out for the entire month of April to spend time together and travel. We have been doing it since they were born and ever since they have been in school.

 

They are both in the top of their class and we have benefited as a family from the time together.

 

The oldest is entering the sixth grade this year and we are cutting back to a week out of school in April before Easter break and one week in November. We consult with the teachers and principle and they are fine with it. Travel is the best education a child can have and time with the family is the best investment a parent can make.

[Shipshape7]

. . . I was quite miffed when the school sent me home a note last week demanding that parents monitor their children's television time AND that the children are either read to or read 30 minutes per day. Since when is it's the schools responsibility to police what happens in my home. Next thing I know the school will be telling me I can't read the Bible to my child. (I am not saying that I don't do these things, I'm just bugged that schools think it's their call to tell me what I can and cannot do with my children in my own home.)

 

I hear ya, lol! We used to have a principal that loved to expound on the "partnership" between home and school. The problem was that she seemed to assume she was the Senior Partner. Aside from her, what I've found causes this rather obnoxious attitude is more like well-meaning young things fresh out of teachers' college with a head full of good ideas but no clue yet about real children (they never have any themselves). They don't mean any harm but it sure is insulting nonetheless. We had one new teacher who kept sending home "family projects" with nary a thought that perhaps the rest of the family had other ideas about how they wanted to spend their free time together. We had another who expected the parents to teach work she had not "had a chance" to cover during the day. I told her that since she seemed to expect me to do her job I thought she might come over on Thursday afternoon and vacuum my house??? Okay, this is off-topic I know, but just wanted to let you know you did hit a nerve:D

[chris4189]

We are taking our kids out of school for 6 days, we can not afford to go in the high peak times.

 

The schools in our area have no problem letting students out to travel for school functions, at which sometimes they may miss as much as a week or more.

 

As far as the teacher being inconvienced, I am truly sorry, the schools dont seem to care to inconvience parents at every turn. They will have us come up and watch their class so they can have a teacher party, come on how about after school.

[Kwynot]

Interesting thread.

 

I'm taking my DS (10) out of school for a week in January, and did so the week b4 Christmas in '08. He is only in 5th grade, so it's still "elementary school". It is also the only time we can really afford to take the trip. I just hope the teachers work w/ us & give him any classwork to do b4 we leave. Last year wasn't a problem because they really don't do much going into the "winter break", so there was no catching up to do.

 

Believe me when he hits middle school, we will no longer be taking him out of school for 5 days. However, living in the northeast US, we also take our chances w/ winter storms, so it could be an interesting trip overall.

[mom2boys97]

We took our boys out last Nov but they only missed 3 days of school cause they had a holiday and a teacher work day. But there teachers were awesome not only did they give them class work to be done, they gave them a journal type books with ????'s about each port and ????'s about the ships facts and ?????'s they had to ask diffrent employees on the ship then when they were done they had to write a report and attach pics to it, this was not only a homework assigament for them but something fun for us as parents as well... All of there teachers were very helpful and loved their reports and pictures....

[Mrs. Chernabog]

GO FOR IT!!!!

 

We take our 10 & 8 year old out for the entire month of April to spend time together and travel. We have been doing it since they were born and ever since they have been in school.

 

They are both in the top of their class and we have benefited as a family from the time together.

 

The oldest is entering the sixth grade this year and we are cutting back to a week out of school in April before Easter break and one week in November. We consult with the teachers and principle and they are fine with it. Travel is the best education a child can have and time with the family is the best investment a parent can make.

 

We exactly "down east" are you? I'm in NC. :)

[trailercruiser]

These topics are always hot button issues on travel boards. The OP asked what someone else would do.

 

I would not take my child out of school for a vacation as we think it sets a bad example. We stress that school is important and its their "job" like Mom's and Dad's when we go to work. We feel that taking our son out of school during the school year is contradictory to the value that we are trying to instill. Right or wrong, thats what we do. Everyone else is different.

So I am sure you don't use your vacation weeks off from work as that would set a bad example as your children would ask" why are you off work" and you say" I decided to use this week to take off'. Maybe one should learn ones own culture before trying to learn another.

[salty dingo]

I'll say it again - if parents want to cruise during the school year in order to save money, they are totally missing the point of saving money.

 

You really should consider scrapping the idea of cruising with the kids in favor of going camping. You can get an air mattress and I have even seen people with portable a/c units for a tent. They are wusses, but the point is, if you want to save money, why even consider a cruise?

 

You will spend 10 x as much on the least expensive cruise with kids as you would if you went camping, and your kids wil have 10 x as much fun with you. Teach them to build a fire. Have fun telling stories. Go hiking. Go swimming in a pool that is capable of holding more than 3 people at a time. Etc, etc.

 

What do your want your kids to remember about your vacations when they grow up... luxurious meals and lots of smoking and drinking, or family time together and catching fireflies? Hint: the kids don't care for the fancy meals and the cruise lifestyle nearly as much as you do.

 

We love to cruise but have NEVER taken our kids (we have taken my parents, so they take their kids, lol.) We have talked about it, but it never seems to come to the top of the priority list. Probably never will.

 

We have a family vacation in the summer and do all the things you just can not do on a cruise, and the kids have wonderful memories. I have wonderful memories of my childhood vacations with my parents. And I did not take my first cruise until I was 35.

[Cuizer2]

I'll say it again - if parents want to cruise during the school year in order to save money, they are totally missing the point of saving money.

 

You really should consider scrapping the idea of cruising with the kids in favor of going camping. You can get an air mattress and I have even seen people with portable a/c units for a tent. They are wusses, but the point is, if you want to save money, why even consider a cruise?

 

You will spend 10 x as much on the least expensive cruise with kids as you would if you went camping, and your kids wil have 10 x as much fun with you. Teach them to build a fire. Have fun telling stories. Go hiking. Go swimming in a pool that is capable of holding more than 3 people at a time. Etc, etc.

 

What do your want your kids to remember about your vacations when they grow up... luxurious meals and lots of smoking and drinking, or family time together and catching fireflies? Hint: the kids don't care for the fancy meals and the cruise lifestyle nearly as much as you do.

 

We love to cruise but have NEVER taken our kids (we have taken my parents, so they take their kids, lol.) We have talked about it, but it never seems to come to the top of the priority list. Probably never will.

 

We have a family vacation in the summer and do all the things you just can not do on a cruise, and the kids have wonderful memories. I have wonderful memories of my childhood vacations with my parents. And I did not take my first cruise until I was 35.

 

A portable A/C unit for a tent? Someone is missing the point of camping.

 

At any rate, you have to remember, some people consider staying at the Holiday Inn to be "roughing it".

[Cuizer2]

wow....such a volatile thread. So here is something to flame away at.:p

 

Obviously everyone wants to think that we are doing the best for our children. Speaking from someone who has paid for my son's education, and i am not talking of taxes, private school tuition every month from pre K through 4th, spending well over $30,000, and that is before the books, supplies, uniforms, support the school fundraisers....etc, i would say i take my son's education very seriously. To say that parents who take their kids out of school for a cruise is noneducational, while lauding the tireless, poor teachers who have all this extra work placed upon them is laughable. My kid is in gifted classes, straight A's, 2 years ahead of the normal curriculum. In these classes last year he had 1 dedicated teacher who did work every day and cared about her students. The rest were lazy, one teacher sat at her computer and read emails while fights broke out in her class. She did not break up any fights but said...y'all quiet down, with out looking up from her computer screen....this in the highest rated county for state test scores in florida. This same school said to the kids when the state test was being administered, that is was my son's class responsibility to do well on the FCAT to bring up the lower achieving students scores so the school can get an A rating. When you add in the pep rallies, the school fundraiser rallies, the weeks before any major holiday/school break where they did nothing but sit there and mess around so they can be counted as "here" so they can get their money for so many students being in school that day....public school is beyond ridiculous. If my kid wasn't so advanced in math....he would still be in private.

Every job, in every walk of life there are accommodations for everything under the sun. From burgers with no pickles, to the surgeon who was sued by Dana Carvey for not realizing his heart was actually on his right side and not his left. To have someone complain about accommodations that they are getting paid to make speaks of laziness.

Teachers unions are a plague on our society. They care more about fighting amongst themselves for an FCAT bonus, pointing fingers at who should and should not receive one, talking about their colleagues in front of students, i could go on and on. In private school we had great teachers and not so great teachers, but had far more that actually taught.

Lastly.....my son will be diving G Cayman, Roatan, and comparing the difference between the reef systems we have at home. He will see the ruins in Belize, snorkel Palancar Reef, and he will have a blast doing it. He will have an experience that he will remember, and will actually learn a few things.

 

Wow, 90 minutes and no takers yet. Perhaps people just didn't notice your post. I suggest you post it again, using a larger font and a brighter color, like hot pink or bright orange.