Pulling kids out of school for vacation - thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are NOT all for it. That's what they tell you, but they realize you don't prioritize education.

So?

[Anonymous]

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

Do you know any Asian families? I'm Indian and we pull our kids for weeks at a time. So do many of our friends. We've been gone the the entire month of December before. And yes, despite that, your kids will be mowing my kids lawn one day. You can't beat superior genetics.

[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!

...Umm, yes. That's exactly right.

[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!

...Umm, yes. That's exactly right.

+1 My daughter's teacher took a week off to go visit her college aged daughter in Cape Town. I was totally thrilled for her!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are NOT all for it. That's what they tell you, but they realize you don't prioritize education.

Any teacher who believes the only way to educate a child is by having them sit in an air-conditioned classroom in the US reading books about other places should not be teaching.

[Anonymous]

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.

Selfish idiot. You tell yourself that. But, what you've also done is make the burden heavier on the teachers and negatively impact the other students who have to spend the time prepping for your child to be gone and then catching them up when they get back. Why don't you just homeschool??

[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.

Selfish idiot. You tell yourself that. But, what you've also done is make the burden heavier on the teachers and negatively impact the other students who have to spend the time prepping for your child to be gone and then catching them up when they get back. Why don't you just homeschool??

Since I'm a selfish idiot, I like to send my kids to school when it is convenient for me. Have a nice evening.

[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.

Selfish idiot. You tell yourself that. But, what you've also done is make the burden heavier on the teachers and negatively impact the other students who have to spend the time prepping for your child to be gone and then catching them up when they get back. Why don't you just homeschool??

NP here. Our teachers don’t prep before we leave or catch up the kids when they return. They simply provide the missed work, which they toss in a folder as it comes up each day. We can complete at home after. We don’t do all of the work - I flip through it and decide what to skip because the teacher includes every last random worksheet. I’ve never complained nor had a complaint and my kids receive top marks.

You sound bitter and angry - either because you are an unhappy teacher, can’t travel or both?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm more with OP, I don't have this lackadaisical attitude toward it. I get a couple days here and there or something really special that can't be done any other time (destination family wedding or something) but I would do my best to avoid taking them out of school.

I do think it sends a message to kids that school doesn't matter. I mean, if you are telling them that school is important and that it's important to try their best every day and to pay attention, this conflicts with that message, no?

And my kids are older now, so it's not like I'll realize later that elementary school wasn't that important. Actually the kids I knew whose parents used to take them out all the time (like for Disney trips, just because there were fewer crowds then) now are not all that serious about school.

I think it sends the message that there is more than one way to learn. School is one way. Traveling is another way.

Keep telling yourself that's why you do it.

I tell them that family is as important as school. It's about balance. Especially in elementary school. But I'm not a dogmatic person by nature. I can see how someone who is can't see this point the way I do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Do you know any Asian families? I'm Indian and we pull our kids for weeks at a time. So do many of our friends. We've been gone the the entire month of December before. And yes, despite that, your kids will be mowing my kids lawn one day. You can't beat superior genetics.

Easy Hitler

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm more with OP, I don't have this lackadaisical attitude toward it. I get a couple days here and there or something really special that can't be done any other time (destination family wedding or something) but I would do my best to avoid taking them out of school.

I do think it sends a message to kids that school doesn't matter. I mean, if you are telling them that school is important and that it's important to try their best every day and to pay attention, this conflicts with that message, no?

And my kids are older now, so it's not like I'll realize later that elementary school wasn't that important. Actually the kids I knew whose parents used to take them out all the time (like for Disney trips, just because there were fewer crowds then) now are not all that serious about school.

I think it sends the message that there is more than one way to learn. School is one way. Traveling is another way.

Keep telling yourself that's why you do it.

I tell them that family is as important as school. It's about balance. Especially in elementary school. But I'm not a dogmatic person by nature. I can see how someone who is can't see this point the way I do

You have all summer and every break to be family. Why do you have to be family on school days?

[Anonymous]

In MoCo, the kids don't get a long enough spring break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm more with OP, I don't have this lackadaisical attitude toward it. I get a couple days here and there or something really special that can't be done any other time (destination family wedding or something) but I would do my best to avoid taking them out of school.

I do think it sends a message to kids that school doesn't matter. I mean, if you are telling them that school is important and that it's important to try their best every day and to pay attention, this conflicts with that message, no?

And my kids are older now, so it's not like I'll realize later that elementary school wasn't that important. Actually the kids I knew whose parents used to take them out all the time (like for Disney trips, just because there were fewer crowds then) now are not all that serious about school.

I think it sends the message that there is more than one way to learn. School is one way. Traveling is another way.

Keep telling yourself that's why you do it.

I tell them that family is as important as school. It's about balance. Especially in elementary school. But I'm not a dogmatic person by nature. I can see how someone who is can't see this point the way I do

You have all summer and every break to be family. Why do you have to be family on school days?

DP here. Because the school isn’t in charge of me and when I decide to take vacations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm more with OP, I don't have this lackadaisical attitude toward it. I get a couple days here and there or something really special that can't be done any other time (destination family wedding or something) but I would do my best to avoid taking them out of school.

I do think it sends a message to kids that school doesn't matter. I mean, if you are telling them that school is important and that it's important to try their best every day and to pay attention, this conflicts with that message, no?

And my kids are older now, so it's not like I'll realize later that elementary school wasn't that important. Actually the kids I knew whose parents used to take them out all the time (like for Disney trips, just because there were fewer crowds then) now are not all that serious about school.

I think it sends the message that there is more than one way to learn. School is one way. Traveling is another way.

Keep telling yourself that's why you do it.

I tell them that family is as important as school. It's about balance. Especially in elementary school. But I'm not a dogmatic person by nature. I can see how someone who is can't see this point the way I do

You have all summer and every break to be family. Why do you have to be family on school days?

DP here. Because the school isn’t in charge of me and when I decide to take vacations.

You rebel you!

[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.

Selfish idiot. You tell yourself that. But, what you've also done is make the burden heavier on the teachers and negatively impact the other students who have to spend the time prepping for your child to be gone and then catching them up when they get back. Why don't you just homeschool??

^^STFU, you are just jealous that you can't take YOUR kids out for 2 week vacation. Heavier burden for the teachers and other students? GMAFB. YOU are the Idiot.