Pulling kids out of school for vacation - thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, I agree that travel and amazing experiences can be way more important than school, but if you do choose to take your child out, all the work he/she misses is on you. The child needs to return with homework done and the parents should not ask the faculty to spend extra time with their precious child who didn’t need to be at school. Go on the trip but make up work and material is on you not the school.

Our school refuses to give classwork and homework, so its on the school. I am happy to do it with my child but they refuse to give it us or communicate what they are learning.

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure OP is talking about families who take their children out of school for a week or two to go back to their home countries to visit family. In some cases, travel to a particular country just isn't feasible in the summer and is crazy expensive over winter break. Most people aren't wealthy, you know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids learned so much more visiting family in Europe last October than they would have learned sitting in a classroom. We visited 4 medieval castles. They reinforced their language skills. They experienced the cuisine, culture, architecture, etc. of their father's home country. The bonus was that they strengthened their relationship with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.

We took them out for two weeks. I'm already planning next year's trip which will again require me to take them out of school. I don't travel to Scandinavia during school breaks because it's way too expensive. October is the cheapest time to travel there. All three kids are straight-A students and easily feel back into the routine when they returned and they did not backslide at all academically.

Exactly. You can't afford to go during school breaks so you go when you can afford it and tell yourself it's for educational purposes. As I said, own it. It's ok.

Of course we pick our travel schedule to save money. We are not millionaires. And no, we are not returning to this one country so often for educational reasons. We are visiting close family! But I am doing it for the kids. Before I had kids, I did not visit so often. My husband would visit alone some of the time. But now that we have young kids, while we are there, the kids get two huge benefits out of it: (1) they get to see their family. I believe knowing your family (especially grandparents) is extremely important, whether or not it's educational; and (2) they experience the local history and culture. Do you really think it is better for kids to learn a non-English language in the United States? Is it better for them to learn European history and culture in the United States?

I do not ask the teachers for any extra attention when I pull the kids from school. Our school is full of international families and the school understands and encourages it.

[Anonymous]

I have pulled my kids at least a week a year forever (oldest is in 5th.) School says nothing but have a nice trip.

A Disney Cruise in January is literally half the cost of spring break, allowing us to travel twice as often.

My kids are top students do not think for a second their father and I don’t value their education.

[Anonymous]

Never. Ask any high performing Asian families.

[Anonymous]

I’m not a fan. I can see maybe the Friday before or the Monday after a break, but I can’t get behind taking whole random weeks off. I get a lot of grief from family about this stance, but most of them are prone to being unreliable, late, and flaky. I’m trying to raise kids who live up to their obligations and have work ethic. You don’t flake out on responsibilities (school now, a job later), and there are breaks (or PTO) in place for a reason.

[Anonymous]

Do it now because in MS and HS it’s impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not a fan. I can see maybe the Friday before or the Monday after a break, but I can’t get behind taking whole random weeks off. I get a lot of grief from family about this stance, but most of them are prone to being unreliable, late, and flaky. I’m trying to raise kids who live up to their obligations and have work ethic. You don’t flake out on responsibilities (school now, a job later), and there are breaks (or PTO) in place for a reason.

There is a LOT of busy work and waiting around in ES. I’m the PP who does at least a week a year. My kids are rarely even given make up work and their grades don’t miss a beat. This is at a “GS 9” elementary school and my kids high pass all their SOL’s (Virginia.) Trust me, their work ethic is not affected. You do you, but especially in ES this is a non-issue.

[Anonymous]

I'm wondering what all of you who would take their kids out for vacation without a second thought would think if the teacher decided to take a week off for vacation with her family in the middle of the school year and there was a sub instead.

Doesn't matter right? It's just elementary school and missing a week won't affect anything.

I bet teachers would like lower-cost, uncrowded vacations too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering what all of you who would take their kids out for vacation without a second thought would think if the teacher decided to take a week off for vacation with her family in the middle of the school year and there was a sub instead.

Doesn't matter right? It's just elementary school and missing a week won't affect anything.

I bet teachers would like lower-cost, uncrowded vacations too!

What’s wrong with a sub? I’d have no issue with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never. Ask any high performing Asian families.

??? Do you actually know any high performing Asian families? They most certainly pull their kids out of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering what all of you who would take their kids out for vacation without a second thought would think if the teacher decided to take a week off for vacation with her family in the middle of the school year and there was a sub instead.

Doesn't matter right? It's just elementary school and missing a week won't affect anything.

I bet teachers would like lower-cost, uncrowded vacations too!

What’s wrong with a sub? I’d have no issue with it.

As long as the sub covered material and didn’t just show movies, fine with me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering what all of you who would take their kids out for vacation without a second thought would think if the teacher decided to take a week off for vacation with her family in the middle of the school year and there was a sub instead.

Doesn't matter right? It's just elementary school and missing a week won't affect anything.

I bet teachers would like lower-cost, uncrowded vacations too!

Hey teacher! Your beef is with your school administration, not the families who attend.

[Anonymous]

This is one of those strange straw man DCUM issues where people like to debate, but most people in real life basically take the same approach. Most people take their kid out of school once in a while if they deem it important enough. Children go to school every day of their lives and CLEARLY know it's important. It's the biggest part of their lives and a vacation isn't going to somehow change that. A child can understand that a vacation is a break from the norm.

Outliers on way side or another (people who refuse to ever let their kid miss a day, and those who take their kid out for weeks at a time multiple times a year) are just that. Outliers.

[Anonymous]

DD is adopted from China - we will go back to China at some point likely for two weeks at least. If she misses some school for this - I think it is worth it for her in the scheme of her life.