Do you take your kids out of school to cruise?

Travel is educational?

 

They learn as much outside of the classroom as inside?

 

Then travel is just as educational during school vacations. They don't have to miss school to have that travel experience or have that family time.

 

 

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Add to that what you learn from simply being exposed to other cultures, and I stand by my statement.

My education didn't suffer one bit by occasionally being taken out of school for a week. By the time I graduated from HS I was fluent in Spanish and did well enough on the German AP exam to start with 3rd year German in college. I graduated top 5% of my high school, and got merit based scholarships to a private university.

Not all children are alike. My belief is that certain students will not suffer by being taken out of school to travel. Only the parent(s) know what is best for their child.

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Travel is educational?

 

They learn as much outside of the classroom as inside?

 

Then travel is just as educational during school vacations. They don't have to miss school to have that travel experience or have that family time.

 

 

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Not all itineraries are offered at all times. We have future (5 years +/-) to go to Panama Canal. I feel that could be a very valuable experience for my child. Currently we tend towards excursions with some educational value such as museums, forts, sealife and wildlife preservers, cultural tours. Yes, something can be educational at any time, but not all things are offered all the time. We will make a judgment call on whether to remove from the classroom at a later date depending on the abilities or challenges at that time.

We have a nephew who spends most of the year advancing his world view and opportunities. I doubt he is in classroom at home even 30 days out of a year. He keeps up on all his work via internet and is a top student. He is more well traveled at 16 than 90% of this forum, including me, and the experiences he has had would not neatly fit into a school calendar. If he was a bad kid, had bad work ethic, or needed additional assistance with curriculum that would be a different story.

If my child is capable to keep up with school work, I see little additional value in paying a price premium for a more crowded ship in terms of cultural enrichment.

Not all itineraries are offered at all times. We have future (5 years +/-) to go to Panama Canal. I feel that could be a very valuable experience for my child. Currently we tend towards excursions with some educational value such as museums, forts, sealife and wildlife preservers, cultural tours. Yes, something can be educational at any time, but not all things are offered all the time. We will make a judgment call on whether to remove from the classroom at a later date depending on the abilities or challenges at that time.

 

 

 

We have a nephew who spends most of the year advancing his world view and opportunities. I doubt he is in classroom at home even 30 days out of a year. He keeps up on all his work via internet and is a top student. He is more well traveled at 16 than 90% of this forum, including me, and the experiences he has had would not neatly fit into a school calendar. If he was a bad kid, had bad work ethic, or needed additional assistance with curriculum that would be a different story.

99.999% of the parents on this thread are talking about standard 7 night Caribbean cruises.

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We took our son out of school for a cruise. I hated the idea at first but it was our first real family vacation. About a month ahead of time, I alerted the school of our plans. About 2 weeks before, I reminded them and made sure my son also asked what he needed. He was able to get his math done PRIOR to leaving. A few of his classes told him to put a little presentation on his ipad with pics on what we did, what he learned etc. He was getting straight A's and a couple of the teachers thought it was a great learning experience so not to worry about it. I think its harder if your kids struggle in school.

99.999% of the parents on this thread are talking about standard 7 night Caribbean cruises.

 

 

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I do think a different standard applies if it is just a "vacation" versus "traveling". I view one as a relaxing getaway, the other as a means to expand ones horizons and get enriching experiences you can't have in a classroom

When my DD was in 4th grade, she came home in late May, early June to tell me how the shredder jams if you put too many pages in it at once. I said "I know that- why do you know that?" Turns out she was completing her assigned work in the early morning and then being sent to assist the main office with shredding for the rest of the day. So if that was the school's plan for keeping her busy, I decided to plan a European cruise for the following year which proved to be much more educational than shredding.

She's now in 8th grade at advanced charter school, and vacation days don't get excused, so the most she will be missing for a cruise now will be 1 or 2 days (like around a short Thanksgiving week).

My vote is travel while you can, and if your circumstances allow- you know your child(ren) best.

I don’t. We cruise or take vacations over the summer. Plus for summer camp, you don’t pay when you are not there so I end up saving money when we travel in the summer. Dh and I work full time so summer camp costs are inevitable.

We took our kids out of elementary and middle school...but NEVER high school! Too hard to "catch up", and the sports/activities made it nearly impossible.

Elementary school is easy, especially if you have a good student. Even middle school is doable. Not HS, tho!

Travel is educational?

 

They learn as much outside of the classroom as inside?

 

Then travel is just as educational during school vacations. They don't have to miss school to have that travel experience or have that family time.

 

 

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We homeschool partly bc we like to travel so much. Life is too short to follow the government's schedule.

 

 

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I agree. My kids never went to school anyway. Why stress over it. Go on a cruise, they will learn how to get by.

I myself am a high schooler and I actually hope my parents don’t take me out of school because the amount of work that’s needed to catch up is insane.

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As a retired high school teacher, including AP courses, I found it was my students who were hesitant to miss school, not me, as their teacher, having concerns. I told my students they and their parents needed to weigh the pros and cons of their vacation plan.

As mentioned in this thread there are numerous educational, intellectual and cultural lessons to be learned while traveling. But we were still continuing to hold class even while they were absent, and there is instruction which will occur that just doesn't translate well from a written page compared to being in the classroom. And this should be true in all classrooms, from elementary through secondary school. If a student has no loss of instructional growth when absent ,then, in my opinion, that teacher isn't very effective.

Sometimes students will have homework to do while on their vacation, sometimes not, and so will teachers ; I can't count how many Christmas cruises I dedicated a couple hours everyday to reading research papers while sitting on my balcony, but that was ok, it's part of the sacrifices everyone makes when planning a holiday. ( seriously I was in the Caribbean, not the snow, how could that be negative )

Talk with your kids, their teachers and as a parent be cognizant of your child's academic comfort and success. Whatever decision is made be satisfied with it, neither you nor your kids need to be anxious or unhappy when it comes to a vacation.

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Yes we have taken them out for cruises and Disney World and will again in April of 2018 for a cruise. They are in 3rd and 11th. This may be the last time we get to cruise with our oldest. He is an honor roll student so he knows to keep grades up or he isn't going. So far this school year he says 2 other classmates have been on cruises so it's going on a lot apparently.

We have never taken our kids out of school - it wasn’t worth the make up work for us. And now that my youngest is in middle school and a 3 sport athlete, he misses too much practice and too many games. But to each their own.

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I'm just curious what other people's thoughts are on this topic. My DS is 10 and DD is 9 (3rd and 5th grade). We've cruised over holiday breaks as a family and have also taken them out of school for a week (usually October or November). Overall, we all enjoy the "off season" cruises better. They're less busy and the kids clubs are not overflowing, not to mention the price is always much less!

With my son starting middle school next year, I'm more hesitant to take him out for a week, knowing it'll be harder for him to catch up. DH doesn't think it's a big deal, but I'm having second thoughts on if we should move our November cruise to Thanksgiving week.

For those of you that take kids out of school, how did it go for your middle/high schoolers? Thanks!

We've taken the kids out of school for vacation, sports, and big family events. In our district, if we are out 5 days the school can provide a "Plan" and will not lose out on their funding if this is done ahead of time. So, we try to do this 5 days at a time instead of a few days here or there, but sometimes that's not the case.

I'm not going to lie, It has gotten more difficult with middle school: 6th grade was no biggie, 7th just a small issue, 8th grade, I'm feeling guilty because he will need to request finals prior to other kids in December, making the teachers come up with the test sooner or postponing it until after the holidays (they changed the school year on us, otherwise, we would not have been "gone" the last week of December).

Anyway, we have taken the kids out the week of Thanksgiving (It's 3 minimum days, and two days off, so I never feel guilty there), full weeks are easier because we can request "school work", but overall, I don't worry about it. Family time is important, My kids have straight As, well, the one in middle school. The younger one is doing great in school. (grades don't start until middle school) They both work hard. These family trips will be amazing memories for them.

Not sure I will do the vacations during school time once high school starts, but so far, it has not been a problem. It has not affected the kids academically.

We are having the same conversation in our home. We have pulled the kids out of school for family vacation in the off-season when it actually affordable for the last 3 years and are again this year. The last few we had a day or two off during that week for various teacher workshop days but this year we don't. Our son will be going into 7th grade next year and we are facing the same question whether we can continue the vacations next year. We reinforce the idea that school is their "job". We are asking ourselves a few questions:

1- Are the grades excellent and are they keeping up their academic studies?

2- Music/band consistently improving and keeping up

3- Behavior and respect for family and for others is present

We feel if those questions are all positive and the kids feel confident and we have good communication with their teachers, then we just go with what we feel is right. We also live in a military area where families get separated for deployments of PCS and they have a lot of empathy for the importance of family connections. So, we will probably continue the same plans if all is good because:

1- you are right, you only get so much time, and once high school comes, or jobs or college is gets harder. You hope they always want to hang with you, but with adulthood comes freedom.

2- You never know about life next year, take those opportunities because - TRUTH- you may not get another chance. You can't take stuff with you, family is what is important.

I took my kids out for a week at a time before. Now that they are in high school it makes it harder. But after looking at what classes they had in what semester we decided taking a an extra few days off around spring break (worked better with flights and timing of cruise) was ok.

For us, we've been taught by life that you never know what the future will bring and that we have to spend time together as a family while we can.

You have to decide what works bets for you and your kids. But don't let anyone make you feel bad if you decide to take your kids out of school. Making memories with family is important too.

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Definite advantage of us homeschooling. We can do trips in the offseasons, when other kids are typically in school. Makes for great travelling, when things are less busy, whether it be cruises, theme parks, or other hot destinations. If we choose, we can even bring along some school material to do while we travel.

That very stuff is allowing us to do a 5 week b2b cruise vacation coming up here in Jan/Feb.

Taking mine out the week of the 2nd for our annual Christmas cruise.

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If a student has no loss of instructional growth when absent ,then, in my opinion, that teacher isn't very effective.

Ha, true. My husband tells the story that he was out sick in high school for quite a few days. (He was normally a great student who missed very little school.) His teacher refused to give any allowance or consideration for his illness and insisted he take the test the same day as the other students did, the day he was back (rather than giving any time to learn the material once he was better and no longer ill/vomiting etc.) So he tried to learn the material on his own while out sick and took the test....and was the only student in the class to pass, which did not reflect well on the teacher!

That said, we all learn differently. Some are great students and can learn the material on their own just as well, others may need to hear it from the teacher or discuss with the students. But even then, parents can make the effort to fill in that gap.

With the talk of taking kids out of school to go on vacation at the parents schedule. I would sure like to try that with my employer....telling him I am taking off such and such weeks for a vacation...even though I'm not entitled to the time off....see how long I would last there.

With the talk of taking kids out of school to go on vacation at the parents schedule. I would sure like to try that with my employer....telling him I am taking off such and such weeks for a vacation...even though I'm not entitled to the time off....see how long I would last there.

My kids' school district has a vacation request form. Describe the educational value of the trip, turn it in, and viola vacation gets approved and the kid is excused for the vacation and it doesn't count against their attendance. It has never been a problem. And if it was a problem I would still take a family vacation when it works for my family as they are my children and not the school district's.

By some huge coincidence last fall we took my daughter out of school for a trip to Salem MA the same week they were studying The Crucible. Did she learn more sitting like a drone in a classroom or more touring the museums, cemeteries, etc in Salem? I would say going to Salem was more educational. Other parents would disagree. We also spent a night in the Lizzie Borden B and B and learned all about a famous murder and subsequent trial and did a whale watching cruise in Boston (which was magical as whales are rare in Pennsylvania lol).

Why some busybodies get so up in arms about OTHER parents' kids missing school to take a vacation is beyond me. Read the thread on the Carnival board about the poor little girl who died falling over a railing. Posters who flat out said the death was the parents' fault because the kid should have been in school and not on vacation. :o

My kids' school district has a vacation request form. Describe the educational value of the trip, turn it in, and viola vacation gets approved and the kid is excused for the vacation and it doesn't count against their attendance. It has never been a problem. And if it was a problem I would still take a family vacation when it works for my family as they are my children and not the school district's.

 

By some huge coincidence last fall we took my daughter out of school for a trip to Salem MA the same week they were studying The Crucible. Did she learn more sitting like a drone in a classroom or more touring the museums, cemeteries, etc in Salem? I would say going to Salem was more educational. Other parents would disagree. We also spent a night in the Lizzie Borden B and B and learned all about a famous murder and subsequent trial and did a whale watching cruise in Boston (which was magical as whales are rare in Pennsylvania lol).

 

Why some busybodies get so up in arms about OTHER parents' kids missing school to take a vacation is beyond me. Read the thread on the Carnival board about the poor little girl who died falling over a railing. Posters who flat out said the death was the parents' fault because the kid should have been in school and not on vacation. :o

I didn't say anything about any schooling, If attending school is a non issue, then why bother going to school if vacationing is more beneficial in obtaining an education in a brick and mortar building. To me, its setting the wrong example to take children out of school when its in session. Going forward, they may think its OK for them to just pick up and go whenever they want in the workforce.

To me, its setting the wrong example to take children out of school when its in session. Going forward, they may think its OK for them to just pick up and go whenever they want in the workforce.

I don't see the linkage

I didn't say anything about any schooling, If attending school is a non issue, then why bother going to school if vacationing is more beneficial in obtaining an education in a brick and mortar building. To me, its setting the wrong example to take children out of school when its in session. Going forward, they may think its OK for them to just pick up and go whenever they want in the workforce.

Most kids (unlike some adults who feel the need to act like they know what is best for everyone else's kids) get that life as a child is much different then life as an adult. My kids have been taken out of school for family vacations in the past and will again get taken out for a couple days in march. Trust me they, unlike some adults, are smart enough to get that you can't just get up and go away on vacation whenever you want as an adult.

And saying that those vacations and family time is important is in no way saying that school isn't also important. It's not one or the other. It's a combination. Again fascinating that kids get that, but adults don't.

You know why I'm taking my kids out of school? Because we couldn't go on this trip if I didn't. We have other things planned during school breaks, including work and local trips.

Family time is very important and kids grow up quickly. My kids have memories that they will cherish forever. Things that will stick with them much longer then anything they learned in school. I was reminded of this in a very powerful way this year. My family was hit with a tragedy that I won't get into here, but it affected my kids, we were all taught how short life is. You shouldn't have to go through what we have to learn that sometimes you need to stop and smell the roses and cherish your family.

If you feel that kids shouldn't be taken out of school then fine don't take YOUR kids out. But keep your opinions on how to raise kids to yourself.

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Most kids (unlike some adults who feel the need to act like they know what is best for everyone else's kids) get that life as a child is much different then life as an adult. My kids have been taken out of school for family vacations in the past and will again get taken out for a couple days in march. Trust me they, unlike some adults, are smart enough to get that you can't just get up and go away on vacation whenever you want as an adult.

 

And saying that those vacations and family time is important is in no way saying that school isn't also important. It's not one or the other. It's a combination. Again fascinating that kids get that, but adults don't.

 

You know why I'm taking my kids out of school? Because we couldn't go on this trip if I didn't. We have other things planned during school breaks, including work and local trips.

 

Family time is very important and kids grow up quickly. My kids have memories that they will cherish forever. Things that will stick with them much longer then anything they learned in school. I was reminded of this in a very powerful way this year. My family was hit with a tragedy that I won't get into here, but it affected my kids, we were all taught how short life is. You shouldn't have to go through what we have to learn that sometimes you need to stop and smell the roses and cherish your family.

 

If you feel that kids shouldn't be taken out of school then fine don't take YOUR kids out. But keep your opinions on how to raise kids to yourself.

 

 

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Agree 100%!