Taking kids out of school for vacation

[Anonymous]

We have a planned vacation (with extended family) for next December (first week) and will be taking our then 2nd grader out of school for a week. I have no problem with this as we’ve done it the past two years. An opportunity just came up for an exciting trip in January. Would it be crazy to take DD out for another week in January? She goes to parochial school and does well academically. I suppose part of me is concerned about being judged.

Would others take their children out of school for trips so close together?

[Anonymous]

I'd do it. They aren't learning much in second grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a planned vacation (with extended family) for next December (first week) and will be taking our then 2nd grader out of school for a week. I have no problem with this as we’ve done it the past two years. An opportunity just came up for an exciting trip in January. Would it be crazy to take DD out for another week in January? She goes to parochial school and does well academically. I suppose part of me is concerned about being judged.

Would others take their children out of school for trips so close together?

No. I would just choose one. Why does she need 2 so close together?

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

Don’t do this. It’s not fair to the teachers who have to catch her up when she gets back. Also, it sends a message to your daughter that school isn’t important and that life is just one big party.

[Anonymous]

Yes!

I have high schoolers and college kids. There comes a point when you can't do that anymore. Please enjoy taking a few days off in elementary. It's the most boring years, where there's the most repetition, to hoist up the kids with little learning opportunities at home. The rest of the kids just socialize in class because they already know what's being taught.

[Anonymous]

Many kids from our school miss 4 weeks every year to go on vacation. In elementary school, we definitely went on 10 day vacations during the school year.

[Anonymous]

ES is fine, I wouldn't do it in HS. MS would depend on what the reason is, how my kid is doing in school, etc

[Anonymous]

Parents do this all the time, especially wealthy parents. Just do it.

[Anonymous]

Under most circumstances I’d say go for it, but at our parochial 2nd grade is considered a pretty critical year both in terms of transitioning to increased academic expectations and in preparing for first penance/first communion and missing two separate weeks for a vacation in rapid succession would definitely not go over well. I’d be much more inclined to do it in 1st or 3rd.

[Anonymous]

No way

[Anonymous]

The school admin and teachers are not going to like that

[Anonymous]

No. It’s hard on your DC. Too. Always the one playing makeup. Always coming and going from class. Now imagine if all 20 students in a class had parents who did this big vacay pull out again and again. It’s tough on everyone in the class.

[Anonymous]

Teacher and parent here. No! That is a week of unexcused absences two times. I would be required to give her the work but I would not grade it for credit. If she misses an assessment, that is a 0 with no make up on top of missed class work and independent work. Her grade would suffer. I am not required nor would I have the time to teach your child a weeks worth of lessons one on one.

[Anonymous]

If it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, pull your kid for the trips.

If you can avoid it, don’t have long, avoidable absences in consecutive months. The disruption to routines alone can leave kids cranky and less able to focus in class. A child can miss some math, spelling, and vocabulary building blocks when out that long. It’s also hard to catch up on science, art, or writing projects that start during the absence. You’d also be pulling your kid out of school at a time when respiratory viruses are common. You could experience the double whammy of missing school for vacation and then missing it again to recover from post-vacation illness.