Taking kids out of school ?

[legion3]

Wow public schools have become pow camps.
Gulags with task masters


Yes I would pull my kids out of school but currently they are quite young and they both go to private school. Given what I pay them
i would not be interested in any lectures on the kids education needs vs the kids family time needs. I darn sure wouldn't take it from a public school system.


A warrant for the parents for kids missing school...give me a break.

So public school administrators are fascist, I always here they are socialists...so which is it...or is there really no difference?

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The public school system in the US under no child left behind was sponsored by Ted Kennedy and signed into law by George W. Bush. It was meant to ensure that all kids were attending school- and that parents that didn't send their kids to school were considered to be breaking the law. The unintended consequences were that normal parents who do send their kids to school aren't permitted (in most instances) to take their kids out of school for vacations.

I do have my gripes with the public school system but at the end of the day- I do appreciate that teachers need to be respected by parents and some of the comments here make me understand why their job is so tough.

[Ramrac]

Originally Posted by dsrdsrdsr

Family time is vastly more important than school time, IMO.

The question is, how to balance family time and school time, taking into account other factors (especially money). I would not agree with missing school every year just to save money - though if an opportunity comes up for a once-in-a-childhood sort of holiday, then go for it. But if there are other factors - such as for example one parent works in the UK tourist industry, which basically lasts only 2 months plus Easter now that school holidays have been more or less synchronised - then he has the choice: either take his child out of school, or never take his child on holiday at all. Obviously he takes his child out of school.

If sick children who take time out of school can catch up, then so can healthy children. Parents' decision IMO, not teachers'. It's the parents who have the first duty to bring up the children, teachers can only be advisers, not the supreme arbiters.

Agreed.

[Warm Breezes]

Originally Posted by legion3

Wow public schools have become pow camps.
Gulags with task masters


Yes I would pull my kids out of school but currently they are quite young and they both go to private school. Given what I pay them
i would not be interested in any lectures on the kids education needs vs the kids family time needs. I darn sure wouldn't take it from a public school system.


A warrant for the parents for kids missing school...give me a break.

So public school administrators are fascist, I always here they are socialists...so which is it...or is there really no difference?

Not all public schools are like this. I know ours isn't.

[Warm Breezes]

Originally Posted by rebeccalouiseagain

I know what parents go through in trying to schedule vacations and i just got to the point where i said- summer is our time. It just makes the most sense for us. My son is out of school from mid-June to late August and if we weren't on vacation- he'd be in summer camps which cost alot of money. So the way I see it- is we have so much time at our disposal and the world is our oyster. This summer we did a 19 day vacation and now we are doing a week to Bermuda this Sunday.

The rest of the year we have fun but we do things close to home that don't require him missing any school. When school is in session- I remind him that vacations are our reward for hard work. I work and his job is school.

This really just simplifies my life. Relatives don't ask me to do cruises during the school year because they know I won't go. And I don't even look at deals in the winter anymore. We just don't go away in the winter anymore. Both my sons (one is 24) like to be home for the holidays anyway.

Another thing you need to keep in mind- there aren't many kids on off- season cruises. Although on 7 night caribbean cruises there will always be some. But if you wanted to do a European cruise, South American cruise of Panama Canal cruise- you'd see fewer kids off season. So it might not be as much fun for the kids.

That's nice when you can get off in the summer. We've had a couple years where we couldn't. I am always limited to the last weeks of any month being available for me to take off due to my work schedule. June is always out due to DD's nationals (which have luckily always fallen in those last 2 weeks of June). That leaves the last 2 weeks in July and the last 2 weeks in August and if DH can't get one of those weeks off we can't vacation in the summer. The same thing goes for the Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks and my schedule always means no Spring Break. DH has to put in his vacation requests in October for the next years vacations. DH has been working for his company for 28 years. He is still low man on pole seniority wise. This means there are years when we can't take a vacation during the school holidays. Sometimes people just can't say "summer is our time"....

IMHO family time is not more important than education...but education does not mean sitting in a classroom. It means learning the material covered. Some kids can learn that outside of the classroom. Some kids can't. The proof is in their grades.

[6rugrats]

Originally Posted by rebeccalouiseagain

The public school system in the US under no child left behind was sponsored by Ted Kennedy

God bless dear Teddy. Without No Child Left Behind, my children wouldn't ever get through school. They'd all still be in kindergarten; I know that nap time was the favorite subject of all of them, and thinking about it, it still is. With No Child Left Behind, it's move up and move along, no matter what the grades. Thank goodness I had enough children that I could save the older kid's assignments.

Sure helps the younger ones, as the schools just keep assigning the same work over and over. They've got tests and papers to copy right at home, and we don't have to waste time and money online looking for ones to purchased. Saved almost enough to pull the middle one out of school during the school year to take on a cruise. Every penny counts.

And, with the extra help, last year I had one child with all AP (in our district this stands for "Attitude Plus" and believe me, this one has it in spades) classes! I'm so proud. Combined with her extra-curricular activities (she's the school mascot for our local Continuation High) and helping out with her court ordered public service activities (a long story), she's kept pretty busy. Not sure how I could pull her out of school for a cruise; she actually asked me and dad not to even consider it, as she does love wearing that orange vest and picking up the trash on the weekends off the side of the road.

Originally Posted by legion3

Wow public schools have become pow camps.
Gulags with task masters

I agree. They assign so much homework, at least 10-15 minutes a day (don't know if your district is as bad), it is like a forced labor camp. "pow" camps, now I can't agree with that one though. Our schools have a zero tolerance policy and any hitting results in an immediate suspension.

And don't get me started on the principal at the middle school. Now that's one scary lady.

Yes I would pull my kids out of school but currently they are quite young and they both go to private school. Given what I pay them
i would not be interested in any lectures on the kids education needs vs the kids family time needs. I darn sure wouldn't take it from a public school system.

So public school administrators are fascist, I always here they are socialists...so which is it...or is there really no difference?

After reading your post, I'd say private school is probably money well spent for your kids. I've found mine also needed a bit of special help with spelling and punctuation. Of course, we did spend some time in the Oakland school district, back in the day when the City Council was trying to make "Ebonics" an offical language. It's been hard for them to go back to good old regular English after that experiment. Been handy for the oldest boy when he wants to sound real "street" in his hip hop and rap songs. While he's paying his debt to society, they are letting him use an old answering machine to record his songs, and I'm sure as soon as he gets out, he'll be able to make enough money that maybe we all can cruise in the summer and not worry about missing school! That'd be something!

I don't know about "fascists" but our administrators are pretty social and I should know because I've spent many hours talking to them in their offices.

[grandma*knows*best]

Originally Posted by rebeccalouiseagain

Public schools in the US are not flexible. If a child misses school you really have to have a justifiable reason. I seriously doubt the first thing a serviceman does when he gets home is go on vacation anyway.

This simply is not true. As someone already posted, policies vary by state and school district, even sometimes individual schools. I live in MD myself and Baltimore County policy is not the policy in all MD counties.

As the spouse of a service member (and veteran myself), I can assure you that many service members go on vacations after (and during) deployments.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Another big consideration. I'm hearing that so many people can't schedule their vacations except during the school year.

I don't know about you- but I like to have a real vacation and if I had to do schoolwork on the one week of vacation I had with my family- that wouldn't really be a fun vacation for me. And if you multiply that by three kids- that's a lot of schoolwork.

I don't take work on vacation.

[6rugrats]

Originally Posted by grandma*knows*best

As the spouse of a service member (and veteran myself), I can assure you that many service members go on vacations after (and during) deployments.

Thank you for your service grandma. Do you ask for military discounts when you cruise?

[Warm Breezes]

Originally Posted by rebeccalouiseagain

Another big consideration. I'm hearing that so many people can't schedule their vacations except during the school year.

I don't know about you- but I like to have a real vacation and if I had to do schoolwork on the one week of vacation I had with my family- that wouldn't really be a fun vacation for me. And if you multiply that by three kids- that's a lot of schoolwork.

I don't take work on vacation.

My kids usually got most of their work done before we left or during our travel time. Usually some of the teachers gave them work ahead of time and some of them after we got back so that work couldn't be done until after we returned anyways. I don't remember them ever doing homework during our trip itself except to write in journals. Like I said before, they always got the work done by the teachers deadlines and their grades never dropped. Some kids can't handle it. As DS got older (after 7th grade), he didn't want to handle it because he had sports on top of the school work which made it harder for him to catch up...so I kept the days missed to a day or two. You have to judge by your childs willingness and ability to make up the work.

[cruisegalsince77]

Wow! Interesting board! I forget what the OP was asking!
Oh yeah, Have I pulled my kid out of school for vacation? Yes.
Did the school give me a hard time? No.
Are we doing it for a week this fall to go on a family vacation for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary? You bet!
My son will be in 4th grade and I will give the teacher plenty of notice. They sometimes send work home or he most likely will just make up the work when we get back. He is a smart kid, never have any problems. I think it is harder as they get older and the workload is heavier and they have extra curricular activities and such.
Inquire at your school their policy. And you know your kid the best.

[carpeperdiem]

Originally Posted by 6rugrats

While he's paying his debt to society, they are letting him use an old answering machine to record his songs

You are a riot. :-)

LOL!!!!

[alise007]

We leave in 45 days and 1st grade started today. We will be missing 5 days of school. Our school requires a form be submitted and explain what is educational about the trip- our 3 days off for WDW last January was approved.

This trip is Canada/new England which the teacher told me will be great for their lessons on the United States this year. I am also having him make a video to share with the class. Our district does not allow work be given before the trip. We have to make up everything when we get back

It is Worth it to me. I do think that by middle/high school it will not be feasible to pull them out. Our youngest is 4 so only have 1 to worry about at the moment.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Originally Posted by alise007

We leave in 45 days and 1st grade started today. We will be missing 5 days of school. Our school requires a form be submitted and explain what is educational about the trip- our 3 days off for WDW last January was approved.

This trip is Canada/new England which the teacher told me will be great for their lessons on the United States this year. I am also having him make a video to share with the class. Our district does not allow work be given before the trip. We have to make up everything when we get back

It is Worth it to me. I do think that by middle/high school it will not be feasible to pull them out. Our youngest is 4 so only have 1 to worry about at the moment.

Have fun on your cruise. I did the New England- Canada one too and it was fantastic.

[Onessa]

Originally Posted by 6rugrats

I had one child with all AP (in our district this stands for "Attitude Plus" and believe me, this one has it in spades) classes!

No worries that this one was switched at birth -- sounds like she is a regular "chip off the old block"

[legion3]

Originally Posted by carpeperdiem

You are a riot. :-)

LOL!!!!

Well he certainly is something. In Florida all that matters is passing the fcat test. A diploma will be handed to you as long as you can pass that test.

Rugrats can insult private school and my kids and me all he/she want but not every public school system or set of public school teachers are the same.

No child left behind is mostly a joke to bad it wasn't "no teacher left behind" or school system left behind.

[boulders]

Teachers do not get to set policy. Policies such as absence policies are set WAY above a teacher's pay grade. Don't blame the teacher for something they have no control over.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I hate no child left behind. The only reason I mentioned it here and spelled it out here is because that is the nationwide change that has put limitations on taking kids out of school for vacations. I am certainly not a proponent.

The no child left behind has many unintended consequences. Another one is that schools don't want to appear to have disciplinary problems so they hardly ever suspend students anymore. As a consequence there is more bullying in school because the bullies don't have any consequences.

My son was bullied twice and I made sure to go the the principal and the matter was resolved- however my son says that it is so routine at his school to get hit, pinched and bullied- that I did consider taking him out of school. However, he knows that I am a pit bull now and that makes him feel better because he knows if it happens and he tried to talk to the kid and it doesn't stop- I'll make it stop.

So there are problems with public school at the middle school level that I am not enjoying and we probably are switching over to private in 9th grade.

[grandma*knows*best]

Originally Posted by legion3

Rugrats can insult private school and my kids and me all he/she want [sic] but not every public school system or set of public school teachers are the same.

No child left behind is mostly a joke [;] to [sic] bad it wasn't "no teacher left behind" or school system left behind.

The OP simply asked if anyone had taken their child out of school to cruise. No one asked for lectures about "no child left behind" or other topics which arose here. 6rugrats wasn't insulting anyone; I'm sure her intent was to lighten up the mood after all the lectures posted. A sense of humor and ability to laugh at yourself can make life much more pleasant.

[MichelleChell]

Originally Posted by rebeccalouiseagain

Keep in mind in the US the no child left behind policy really cracks down on truancy. So it is illegal to take your child out of school now for anything other than a death in the family or illness. If you write a note saying that your child was absent because you were out of town- you'll get a letter from the school board. This is not a legitimate absence in US public schools.

So most parents tell their kids to lie and say they were sick. I have trouble with that. I did take my son on a cruise over President's weekend because I wanted to do a winter getaway and in the future I won't do this. It isn't worth the anxiety and I don't like to lie. I think it sends two bad messages- the rules don't apply to you and that school isn't really that important.

Its not illegal they will just recieve unexcused absences.