Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no way I would let a HS kid miss this much school for a non-event. Just move the trip to June.

X1000 There is always at least one or two teachers that intentionally schedule a high point test, presentation or something in class that really screws any kid that takes off. Grades count in high school. You would basically have to lie and say they were sick.

I had zero problem taking kids out in ES but it’s way to punitive in high school and middle school,

So teachers are going to schedule a test on one of the only three days of school the week immediately proceeding one week of vacation, a teacher work day and a student holiday?

Yep. It’s certainly not all but there are always some that do this. So the high schooler isn’t going to get a zero in every class but likely will in some.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no way I would let a HS kid miss this much school for a non-event. Just move the trip to June.

X1000 There is always at least one or two teachers that intentionally schedule a high point test, presentation or something in class that really screws any kid that takes off. Grades count in high school. You would basically have to lie and say they were sick.

I had zero problem taking kids out in ES but it’s way to punitive in high school and middle school,

I love how our educational scores continue to decline, folks are upset about schools wasting time, but then are mad because teachers want to use all of the limited days on the calendar to achieve objectives. The kids have 185 days to visit family each year. I teach and totally do this to emphasize that education is valuable. "Punitive"

The calendars are significantly choppier than they used to be when I was a kid. A professional development day here in the middle of the week, a non-majority holiday there.

If it’s that important to make the most of your educational days, maybe stop with all the random days off that can cause significant disruption to a child’s learning rhythm.

Not sure where you work pp, but where my kids attend MS and HS (Loudoun county) there is so much downtime it is ridiculous. There are multiple days every quarter where my kids have zero to do in core classes so that all of the lazy kids in those classes can "finish their work" before the end of the quarter. So no, I don't bat an eye pulling my straight-A kids out of school when it suits me. Public education is a joke around here. But I'm not rich, so I'm stuck. Especially if I want to send them to college debt free which I do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no way I would let a HS kid miss this much school for a non-event. Just move the trip to June.

X1000 There is always at least one or two teachers that intentionally schedule a high point test, presentation or something in class that really screws any kid that takes off. Grades count in high school. You would basically have to lie and say they were sick.

I had zero problem taking kids out in ES but it’s way to punitive in high school and middle school,

I love how our educational scores continue to decline, folks are upset about schools wasting time, but then are mad because teachers want to use all of the limited days on the calendar to achieve objectives. The kids have 185 days to visit family each year. I teach and totally do this to emphasize that education is valuable. "Punitive"

The calendars are significantly choppier than they used to be when I was a kid. A professional development day here in the middle of the week, a non-majority holiday there.

If it’s that important to make the most of your educational days, maybe stop with all the random days off that can cause significant disruption to a child’s learning rhythm.

I would rather have an elementary school kid miss school. Most of what your kid learn in elementary school can be taught at home except direct social skills with their classmates.
You could miss alot when you miss just 2+ days in high school. Then, again, some kids manage and do not struggle with catching up. So it depends on the kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no way I would let a HS kid miss this much school for a non-event. Just move the trip to June.

X1000 There is always at least one or two teachers that intentionally schedule a high point test, presentation or something in class that really screws any kid that takes off. Grades count in high school. You would basically have to lie and say they were sick.

I had zero problem taking kids out in ES but it’s way to punitive in high school and middle school,

I love how our educational scores continue to decline, folks are upset about schools wasting time, but then are mad because teachers want to use all of the limited days on the calendar to achieve objectives. The kids have 185 days to visit family each year. I teach and totally do this to emphasize that education is valuable. "Punitive"

Anonymous wrote:OP here. DC is a sophomore. He’s been AAP/HN/IB, pretty much coasts through everything, and understands what he will need to do to catch up/prepare and is willing to do it for a special trip with his cousins. If he were a Junior the math might be a little different.

And no, we can’t do it during the summer because my kids have other commitments or will be with their dad.

It’s 3 days they will miss. I guess I just don’t take FCPS that seriously, but then again, we’re not trying for ivies or anything even close. We’re just not that strivy. School and work ain’t all that.

Thank you DCUM for helping me remember what is important!

OK hon. Thanks for this intimate family portrait.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no way I would let a HS kid miss this much school for a non-event. Just move the trip to June.

X1000 There is always at least one or two teachers that intentionally schedule a high point test, presentation or something in class that really screws any kid that takes off. Grades count in high school. You would basically have to lie and say they were sick.

I had zero problem taking kids out in ES but it’s way to punitive in high school and middle school,

So teachers are going to schedule a test on one of the only three days of school the week immediately proceeding one week of vacation, a teacher work day and a student holiday?

They sure could.
Even if they don't, they will be TEACHING. If your kid is in AP/IB classes, they will have a test within a few weeks of your trip that tests them on the TEACHING they have received throughout the year. And your kid is going to intentionally miss 3 days of that teaching just a few weeks before the test.

If your kid is smart enough to be in AP/IB then they are smart enough to catch up on a possibly missed lesson, no?

High School is truly not that important--isn't that what we try to teach kids when other kids are mean--that high school is just one moment in time and really isn't that big a deal in the long run? Family fun is much more important, assuming these aren't the kind of kids who miss a lot of school simply because they don't feel like going.

If the term ends in March, then missing some time in early April won't be a big deal, and since they know about it now, they can go into the term prepared for it. On the first day of the term, just ask the teacher what the assignments are and can they fast track that first week or two of the term to get the work done in advance. Maybe they'll even nix a couple less important assignments.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would and I have pulled my HS'er out for a family vacation. Unless your kid is in all AP classes, the memories far outweigh missing a few days of school and they can always make up the work.

Uh you cannot always make up the work if the school
deems the absence as unexcused.

True. You also can’t count that anyone involved won’t die or become gravely ill or have some major life event preventing them from getting together at a later time either. Ask me how I know. No time like the present. And no one is going to look back and remember missing homework and missing a day of school won’t keep you from getting into college and becoming a working adult.

But why did you offer if you didn’t mean it? This all could have been avoided if you said, can we do my kids’ spring break week? High schoolers can’t miss school like elementary schoolers can.

Plan the family trip for the summer. Pulling your kids out and then expecting the teachers to work around your kids schedule is a crappy thing to do.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. DC is a sophomore. He’s been AAP/HN/IB, pretty much coasts through everything, and understands what he will need to do to catch up/prepare and is willing to do it for a special trip with his cousins. If he were a Junior the math might be a little different.

And no, we can’t do it during the summer because my kids have other commitments or will be with their dad.

It’s 3 days they will miss. I guess I just don’t take FCPS that seriously, but then again, we’re not trying for ivies or anything even close. We’re just not that strivy. School and work ain’t all that.

Thank you DCUM for helping me remember what is important!

MS and HS teachers take themselves seriously in FCPS. Private school teachers the same. Instead of an air b and b try to rent suites or rooms at a resort/beach front hotel for a shorter time period. Short flight destination. MS and HS even enjoy Universal

Anonymous wrote:I would and I have pulled my HS'er out for a family vacation. Unless your kid is in all AP classes, the memories far outweigh missing a few days of school and they can always make up the work.

Uh you cannot always make up the work if the school
deems the absence as unexcused.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no way I would let a HS kid miss this much school for a non-event. Just move the trip to June.

X1000 There is always at least one or two teachers that intentionally schedule a high point test, presentation or something in class that really screws any kid that takes off. Grades count in high school. You would basically have to lie and say they were sick.

I had zero problem taking kids out in ES but it’s way to punitive in high school and middle school,

So teachers are going to schedule a test on one of the only three days of school the week immediately proceeding one week of vacation, a teacher work day and a student holiday?

They sure could.
Even if they don't, they will be TEACHING. If your kid is in AP/IB classes, they will have a test within a few weeks of your trip that tests them on the TEACHING they have received throughout the year. And your kid is going to intentionally miss 3 days of that teaching just a few weeks before the test.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no way I would let a HS kid miss this much school for a non-event. Just move the trip to June.

X1000 There is always at least one or two teachers that intentionally schedule a high point test, presentation or something in class that really screws any kid that takes off. Grades count in high school. You would basically have to lie and say they were sick.

I had zero problem taking kids out in ES but it’s way to punitive in high school and middle school,

So teachers are going to schedule a test on one of the only three days of school the week immediately proceeding one week of vacation, a teacher work day and a student holiday?