*Taking Your Kids Out Of School Letter?*

[SleepingUgly]

Thanks for your response, Sararuth! And believe me, there are teachers who harbor ill will towards families who pull their kids out of school for vacations. Just check out the "NCL and too many kids" thread on this board! I am just glad my children do not have that particular poster as a teacher -- they've all been fortunate to have open-minded and understanding individuals such as yourself who realize that each family's situation may be different and are willing to work with parents/students.

 

And thanks for your compliments re: my daughters. They are a handful, but I guess we can't return them, can we? ;)

 

Linda

[Jenrose]

My daughter's teachers have been wildly supportive. Travelling outside the country, IMO, trumps school. She'll do her homework, make it up, maybe even get it done ahead--but this is a unique experience and something she will not get a chance to do again for a long time. People don't bat an eye at kids doing exchange programs--my kid is going to see 5 countries.

 

She's 13. Given the sheer amount of time the school takes for everything from "spirit days" to random days off for no apparent reason, and that I have a student with a 4.0... the whole "School is the most important thing in the universe" notion is just not holding water here.

 

Then again, I would have homeschooled if my kiddo hadn't begged to go to kindergarten in the first place, so my perspective is a little different.

 

Not to mention the fact that with the volume of stress she takes on during school, it will be nice to see her get some sun and unwind in February, that godforsaken month.

[ColeandAbby]

My daughter's teachers have been wildly supportive. Travelling outside the country, IMO, trumps school. She'll do her homework, make it up, maybe even get it done ahead--but this is a unique experience and something she will not get a chance to do again for a long time. People don't bat an eye at kids doing exchange programs--my kid is going to see 5 countries.

 

She's 13. Given the sheer amount of time the school takes for everything from "spirit days" to random days off for no apparent reason, and that I have a student with a 4.0... the whole "School is the most important thing in the universe" notion is just not holding water here.

 

Then again, I would have homeschooled if my kiddo hadn't begged to go to kindergarten in the first place, so my perspective is a little different.

 

Not to mention the fact that with the volume of stress she takes on during school, it will be nice to see her get some sun and unwind in February, that godforsaken month.

 

 

Excellent post!

 

I agree. I have already made several contacts with my son's teacher regarding our upcoming cruise. We have worked out what he will have to do once he returns. I even asked her could he do an oral report when we get back, non-graded.

With the stresses children have in school, I too am looking forward to seeing him relax a while. It's a personal choice. I pay for my son's education, so I feel different than I guess many public would. Homeschooling is wonderful! I hope to hs my dd!

[Rik2084]

I just wanted to add my two cents to this topic. For many of us taking the kids out of school is the only way to have a nice vacation at a reasonable price. However, if my children were struggling in school, I would never do it. I understand teacher's concerns that the children may fall behind but my children are young enough (1st and 5th graders) that my wife and I can help them with their work. What I wouldn't expect is for the teacher to have to do extra work because of my kids' vacation. Nor, would I expect the teachers to be blamed if my kids fell behind due to our cruise - you reap what you sow. I think that in the long run my kids will remember more about a terrific family vacation than that week in school.

 

Rick

[Jenrose]

The other factor is that given that my child is doing well, I would MUCH rather take her out for 2 weeks in middle school than in high school. Her class load this semester is deliberately lighter than it will be at any other time in her education.

[raina*faith]

I'm glad that this post is going a long so well. I am a parent of 3 girls and this is a very important thread for me. Thanks to all who have repsonded and lets keep the topic hot and rolling! :)

[beejayeak]

As with everything - different teachers have different opinions! I, as a 5th grade teacher, am truly supportive when my students go on vacation. There are many things you can learn in school, but there is no substitute for life experience, either. And that's what I truly feel. Quite frankly, I know you can take twice the vacation for what you spend during the summer.

 

While its true, what other teachers have said, that you can't make up the interaction that goes on in the classroom, I really don't think in most cases missing a week of interaction is a problem.

 

I do think, though, that you should take your child's academic history into account. If your child struggles in school, recognize that a week out of the classroom may have longer consequences, and may take more time to make up. Its up to your family if the tradeoff is worth it. Also, in those situations, it can be admittedly frustrating for the teacher.

 

Quite frankly, in my opinion, if you are even reading this thread, you're probably a concerned parent who values your child's education anyway. You know what is best for your children, you know what value they are getting in the classroom, and you know what value they can get from a vacation - both educational, as well as the extreme importance of family time, which is so special.

 

Some teachers may be bothered, others won't be. Do what are right for you and your family.

 

By the way – I am really enjoying this thread as well. I love that we can share our experiences and perspectives in such a positive way!

[carribeansol]

We are taking our kids out of shool in three weeks and we are teachers. It is the week between FCAT Writes and FCAT Reading and Math. The big state test!!!! My husband and I do not teach FCAT subjects or grades so it will not affect the student's test prep. However, our schools require an excused absence for makeup work. A family cruise is NOT excused. So, we are all sick for a week. LOL They truely can not check with our doctors because of hippa laws. It is sad we have to lie but we can not afford to do this during spring break. We are in a balcony for $1700 for the 4 of us, spring break was $4000. When we get back we will request make up work, The kids know that week will be hard with lots of extra work but it is worth it. :cool:

[scorpad99]

Its a known fact that if you take your child out of school for an educational experience, it is considered an excused absence! ( we took ours out for a week in Oct to go to punta cana) and the teacher wanted my son to write 10 things he learned about the country and bring in some pictures (that trip we took pencils, books, gluesticks and crayons to a school)

And I plan on using the same excuse on this cruise in Feb! Its not like they are in Highschool.................my daughter is in 5th grade and already reads on a 7th grade level. My son is in 3rd grade and doing so/so

have fun, life it too short!

[Jenrose]

Ugh. I would not lie to the school--it sets such a bad example for the kids. Then again, we have a school we like that has reasonable policies regarding such things.

 

And yes, a cruise is *totally* an educational experience.

[camperhawk]

Just remembering here.. when I went on a trip to Florida many, many years ago, during the school year and came home with a demonstration and samples of shells that I had found, pasted on construction paper. An obvious "A". Never had a problem when I was younger,as I had parents that did their job. I still have that by the way as it was saved by my mother in my scrapbook.

 

I became a mother and took my son on trips several times and had support from his Kindergarten teacher (who later became the principal) all through grade school. My decisions on trips changed when he was in high school because of his studies, tests,sports etc.

 

But he took his first cruise when he turned 17 during the cruise. Had a wonderful cruise and a great family experience.

 

Luckily my Boy/man is now a senior in college, has his own apartment. pays his own way, and cruised with me for his 21st birthday, after studying his you know what off to get thru mid-terms.

 

 

The sad thing I am seeing,from reading previous post..is it's about money for the school system. Teachers are underpaid for what they do, their value is priceless. Good parents are underpaid, their value is priceless. Experience is priceless.

 

Hope I don't have to worry about my future granchildren now.:eek:

[crusinmama06]

I send my children to a private school so their school gets paid whether my kids are there or not.

 

This past December, my daughter (in 1st grade) took off a few days to go with me and her little sister on a last minute cruise. She got to swim with dolphins. Go digging in some "ruins". And appear in a Christmas performance on a stage in front of a thousand people. She returned home to write a report on it which she presented to the class, complete with pictures and drawings she had done for the presentation.

 

My kids get to experience things that most adults only dream about. My 6 year old has probably been to more countries in her young life than the average adult. And her straight A+ grades prove it. :D

 

We will be taking off again in April. More countries my children have never been to and new cultures to experience. Certain lessons just can't be taught in a classroom.

[cruisin with the kiddies]

Hi Everyone

 

I love how an original topic creates so much more!!!

 

I am from Australia and have two sons in school (8 and 6) and a 3 year old.

 

We have been very lucky to be able to travel with my parents both around Australia and overseas.

 

My boys have experienced different cultures, people and places in their early lives too.

 

One thing I remember about going to the open day at their school was the topic of holidays/vacations.

 

The deputy principal said "As far as holidays/vacations are concerned we encourage families as the experience they gain from going away outweighs the days missed of school. Just let us know in advance if possible about the dates your child is absent as that is the main concern".

 

There was no mention of missed work, payment loss from the govt, teachers disapproving of time absent etc etc

 

Children gain so much from life experiences and remember more than we think. They remember that beach, that place, that person etc

 

It can be taught in the classroom but to experience something 1st hand is priceless and valuable.

 

We are leaving for the USA on the 14th April which falls in our school holidays. However we are also cruising and stopping in Hawaii for a week on the way home. The children will miss 5 days of school as we only have 2 week break and are away for 3 weeks in total.

 

I will let both their teachers know that we will be away for the 1st week back of second term . Im sure if they have any concerns or work to be completed they will let me know but Im sure they will agree on the week loss will also be a lifetime experience gained.

 

Life is too short and my family believe you cant take your money with you when you die so might as well enjoy life together and have a good time.

 

Cheers everyone!!!!

[cruisin with the kiddies]

Enjoy your vacation with your kids and have a great time!!!

 

Cheers

D

[adamsmom]

We took our 2 kids out of school for a cruise last year because the rates 3 weeks before spring break were much cheaper than our spring break week. We consulted the administrator, and he said as long as the teacher's didn't mind, he thought it would be great. He said he always encourages any activity which would broaden the child's horizons. So we talked to the teachers, and they didn't have a problem with it, since both kids are good students (1st and 4th grades then). If you have a student who struggles, it may be more difficult for the teacher to give permission. They both packaged up all their homework sheets that they would have to do the next week along with a list, and we assembled all the necessary books.

 

Our kids did manage to get all the work done on the cruise, but it's tough to have to buckle down and work with all the fun stuff to do. And my son was particularly crippled by not being in class when it came to 4th grade science and history. He had read the material, but the lessons he missed were very weak areas when it came test time. But he managed.

 

Just a note from our experience: bring plenty of pencils and a sharpener! We only brought 4 pencils and no sharpener. Two pencils eventually were lost, and we had to keep taking the other 2 down to the information desk to be sharpened. We finally bought a sharpener at one of our ports of call.

[Tigeress297]

Ours was the only time DH could return for a 2 week vacation from 6 months overseas. The schools were very understanding (even ODS high school) and even did excused absences like if they had a doctors note. The teachers even did not require them to complete all the daily assignments, just take the tests when they returned. Not sure if i'd take them out for a whole week again like that but they had to spend time with their father since they see so little of him!

[pegsue]

Me and DH are taking our DD out of school for 6 school days May 11th, with us and I'm sure a lot of you is the money factor. She is in the 11th grade and a only child, The 3 of us can cruise and pay our sign and sail for the price of just sailing in the end of June, July and August. How much longer will she want to vacation with us?

[Taylor_Dene]

Some schools here like for you to take a class "Mascot" like a cardboard cutout (Flat Stanley) or a stuffed bear... They encourage children who travel to other countries to take a picture with the mascot and bring the photos back to school where they have a board set up.

 

This makes it fun for the other kids in class as well to see and hear about the countries visited. If your child's class does not have a flat stanley or a stuffed bear, maybe you can get it started!:)

[Kruzeagain]

Some of the dialogue above reminds me why my ex and I count our pennies every month in order to keep sending our 9-yr old DD to a local Montessori school. We (the parents) are paying for a service, and unlike most public school systems the service provider (the Montessori, in this case) understands that customer satisfaction keeps them in business, period. Hmm. Sounds kinda like real life, doesn't it?

 

Nobody wants their kids to suffer in school. Getting caught up can be a real struggle. But our school works with parents and their kids in advance of absences whenever possible in order to have the students "caught up" even before they leave. A holiday should be just that, a holiday. In a day and age where parents are being told to turn the bleepin' Blackberry off and learn how to RELAX for a few days, doesn't it make sense to do the same with our children? I have literally just left a job where our newly promoted Manager took his first vacation in over a decade...and still came back early to do some paperwork on a Saturday...and his vacation was only a week long to begin with! Life's too short. My gravemarker will NEVER say "Gee, I wish I spent more time in the office".

 

Apologies for the minor rant--I don't mean to offend anybody esp public school sector Teachers, who I feel have long been overworked/underpaid/unrespected and just generally walked over by school boards and some students/parents. The burnout rate must surely rival that of air traffic controllers. You have both my undying respect and continuing admiration.

 

Happy Cruising,

Alan

PS...if you're curious about Montessori feel free to contact me,

alan_wechsler@hotmail.com

 

RCI Explorer Dec 06

RCI Liberty Dec 07

[MAHA]

In our school system, a family vacation is considered an unexcused absence. Any work may not be made up and any tests may not be taken once back. We have never taken our children out of school for a vacation. Yes, it is more expensive to go during the summer or school breaks, but their education is too important. It might be alright to take them out for a vacation during elementary school, but thier grades in middle school determine their placement in honors classes and or special programs for high school. Their high school grades can make or break getting into their college of choice or getting a scholarship. A week of missed classes with zeros for homework and/or tests/quizzes can ruin a quarter's grade. We took our older 2 out when they were in 5th and 1st grade in 1991 for their grandfather's funeral in California. They were given their assignments in advance and were allowed to make up all work since this was considered an excused absence. When my mother died in California in 2003, only our youngest was able to go as he was in 6th grade. Our middle son was in 12th grade and it was science fair week. It was mandatory for seniors since he was in a Science and Tech High School. Our oldest was in the middle of his 2nd to last semester of undergrad work in Chemical Engineering and also could not miss classes. Now they are in Grad School, College and High School. Their school breaks do not coincide so the only time for a family vacation is in the summer. We book early and try to book when the rates have been lowered in August. Good luck in deciding whether it is worth taking your children out of school.

[Jenrose]

DD1 has had nothing but cooperation from her teachers. We managed to pull her back to 4 classes (she normally has 6) for February.... she dropped choir and we put math on hiatus because she does independant study through Stanford and it's easy to stop for a month and start it back up--the extra study time has been critical in helping her get caught up. Only one of her teachers didn't give her the work ahead--but he's giving plenty of extensions to let her catch up after.

 

On the cruise, the rule was they worked a couple hours on homework every sea day. They were mostly caught up by the time they got back, only where they didn't get homework ahead were they behind, and that was the teacher's thing, not theirs.

 

I have no regrets about pulling the girls out (dd and her friend)... Sarah, for one, who is afraid of heights, went ziplining and although it was scary, she loved it and heights don't bother her so much anymore. They saw 5 foreign countries, ate foods they'd never have the chance to sample here, learned a TON on two eco-tours and a trip to the Mayan ruins, swam with the stingrays and saw living coral reef systems up close and personal in two different countries. They came back taller, relaxed, happier, more self confident, and with fantastic special memories that will certainly help them get through the remaining grey days of winter. Plus, Sarah had the unique experience of having a monkey poop on her head, ;) and Kailea had the pleasure of 10 days of high quality restaurant food where she didn't have to worry too much about her allergies.

[Eclipsepearl]

You guys are really lucky.

 

Here in France, any absence of more than a week has to be pre-approved by the school authority, not the principal.

 

I wrote to take my son out for a week. He's in the eq. of 2nd grade. It was not for a cruise but to see my family in California. I cited the language, contact with family, since it's only once a year, etc.

 

They didn't approve. I couldn't believe it. I actually sent the letter too late for them to get back to me before I left so we did, in fact, go. No way they could stop us!

 

The principal is actually okay with it all. Their request is that the child be removed before and not after a vacation. So we take them out the week before Xmas, usually.

 

For vacations, we're resigned to paying top dollar, or euro as is our case, until all three finish school. It's not really an issue with us as dh is self-employed so his "vacation" is when work slows down to the point that it wont be affected if he leaves. He would actually lose in earnings what we'd save going off-season. We are on the Galaxy August 13th this year!

 

The only bright points are that first, a lot of the kids' clubs in hotels, resorts, etc. in Europe are closed during school which resigns parents to going during the breaks. Second, in France, they're instituted rolling vacation periods around the country. This week, for example, my sister-in-law is here from Paris because this is the winter break "in common" with ours'. We just started and they are finishing up. Paris started last week and we'll continue through next week. They did this to relieve the stress on vacation destinations like ski resorts.

 

We also get more breaks here. Perhaps this is a solution for elsewhere. We get two weeks off for "All Souls" (around Halloween), two for Xmas, two now for Carnivale and two in the spring.

 

Our summer, by contrast, is shorter. The kids are out July 2nd this year (if I remember correctly). Useful to know if any of you want to go to Europe in the future with your kids. Jump on the plane as soon in June as you can manage as you'll have an easier time and it might be still considered off period here. That's also true elsewhere in Europe, not just in France. Everything goes crazy as of July and the worst is August as many of you already know.

 

My problem is that 2 weeks isn't enough to see my family, so I chop off one in Dec. Their attitude seems to be, they give us enough time off so why do I want more? Since I'm from so far away, I need a bigger "chunk" because of the jetlag and expensive tickets.

 

I would say, globally, no more than a week and preferably, piggy backing a vacation, would be better than slapping a cruise smack in the middle of classes. I would also think age would play some role in this. We have this rule from the eq of 1st grade on. I run around and warn fellow American parents living here-go while you still can!

 

Like I said, they can't stop us but who needs the grief? If I can't even visit my own family...