Anonymous wrote:
I find this perspective interesting. I have 6 teachers in my family (and several friends in the profession) and not single one would recommend taking a child out of school for an extended period of time.

My daughter's classmate was out of school this week because the classmate and family went to Walt Disney World because the parent was running in the Princess Half Marathon. And the parent is a teacher! So there is no absolute here.

Anonymous wrote:

Elementary teacher here. If the child is anywhere near being considered for AAP, he will suffer absolutely no academic detriment from missing the time. On the other hand, he will have an irreplaceable experience with his extended family in a foreign country, quite likely hearing a different language, experiencing different customs (or at least experiencing them on a larger scale than at home), seeing how people live outside of Fairfax County, Virginia, and learning how to travel and be open to new experiences. This isn't the same as Disney or a Carnival cruise. I can understand OP's concern about AAP, and that's something he would have to broach with the principal, but outside of that I would say this is a no-brainer. I would absolutely take my child.

I find this perspective interesting. I have 6 teachers in my family (and several friends in the profession) and not single one would recommend taking a child out of school for an extended period of time.

I can see that in the usual case. But if you asked 6 teachers about a 1st grader scoring 99% on standardized testing and missing the month of June (after all testing is completed) to go to the country of his heritage and visit relatives at a big family celebration? I hope all 6 teachers would welcome and encourage this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Elementary teacher here. If the child is anywhere near being considered for AAP, he will suffer absolutely no academic detriment from missing the time. On the other hand, he will have an irreplaceable experience with his extended family in a foreign country, quite likely hearing a different language, experiencing different customs (or at least experiencing them on a larger scale than at home), seeing how people live outside of Fairfax County, Virginia, and learning how to travel and be open to new experiences. This isn't the same as Disney or a Carnival cruise. I can understand OP's concern about AAP, and that's something he would have to broach with the principal, but outside of that I would say this is a no-brainer. I would absolutely take my child.

I find this perspective interesting. I have 6 teachers in my family (and several friends in the profession) and not single one would recommend taking a child out of school for an extended period of time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the grand scheme of life, missing 19 days of 1st grade is not going to change anything.

I don't disagree. Neither will repeating 1st Grade.

Elementary teacher here. If the child is anywhere near being considered for AAP, he will suffer absolutely no academic detriment from missing the time. On the other hand, he will have an irreplaceable experience with his extended family in a foreign country, quite likely hearing a different language, experiencing different customs (or at least experiencing them on a larger scale than at home), seeing how people live outside of Fairfax County, Virginia, and learning how to travel and be open to new experiences. This isn't the same as Disney or a Carnival cruise. I can understand OP's concern about AAP, and that's something he would have to broach with the principal, but outside of that I would say this is a no-brainer. I would absolutely take my child.

And this is exactly what DS's 2nd grade FCPS teacher told us when we had an opportunity to travel to Japan for the month of May (no extended family there, but it was still a trip/experience of a lifetime).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the grand scheme of life, missing 19 days of 1st grade is not going to change anything.

I don't disagree. Neither will repeating 1st Grade.

Elementary teacher here. If the child is anywhere near being considered for AAP, he will suffer absolutely no academic detriment from missing the time. On the other hand, he will have an irreplaceable experience with his extended family in a foreign country, quite likely hearing a different language, experiencing different customs (or at least experiencing them on a larger scale than at home), seeing how people live outside of Fairfax County, Virginia, and learning how to travel and be open to new experiences. This isn't the same as Disney or a Carnival cruise. I can understand OP's concern about AAP, and that's something he would have to broach with the principal, but outside of that I would say this is a no-brainer. I would absolutely take my child.

FWIW, my child's second grade teacher did the GBRS with no input from the 1st grade teacher. With all the info in the files, I am pretty sure they are not looking at attendance figures from prior years.

Wait, let's review. The kid scores 99% and you think missing June of his first grade year would exclude him from the AAP program beginning in 3rd grade? Did anyone's 1st grader ever learn anything in June? It's such a sad waste of a month. Another reason that Virginia should allow the school year to begin before Labor Day. But I digress.

Anonymous wrote:I say go, take your child and have a good time.

If your child is like mine, most likely he's bored out of his mind in first grade anyway. If he's in the 99th percentile on the NNAT, he won't be hurting his education by missing school.

Right now, the first grade is glorified babysitting.

I think the issue was not whether he'd miss anything, but rather if it would affect the child's chances for the gifted program. My guess the answer was probably yes, that's why they aren't going anymore.

I'd probably talk to the director of the gifted programs than rely on the first grade teacher though.

I say go, take your child and have a good time.

If your child is like mine, most likely he's bored out of his mind in first grade anyway. If he's in the 99th percentile on the NNAT, he won't be hurting his education by missing school.

Right now, the first grade is glorified babysitting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the grand scheme of life, missing 19 days of 1st grade is not going to change anything.

I don't disagree. Neither will repeating 1st Grade.

Okay, we get where you stand. No one said anything about the child failing first grade but make the dramatic leaps you must to make your point.

Anonymous wrote:In the grand scheme of life, missing 19 days of 1st grade is not going to change anything.

I don't disagree. Neither will repeating 1st Grade.

In the grand scheme of life, missing 19 days of 1st grade is not going to change anything.

It's not about validation. It's simply an individual choice for one's family. If the doc says to breast feed and I don't want to, I will make that choice for myself but I wouldn't make a blanket statement that everyone should because I did. The OP has this decision to make and asked for opinions and I stated my opinion as did you. That doesn't mean American's don't place education as a priority, that doesn't mean that I only value a professional's advice if it validates my own desires. Geez, dramatic much??

OP, in my personal experience as a child of immigrant parents, it was definitely a benefit for *me* to visit my relatives abroad, especially during a happy occasion like a wedding when lots of relatives and friends from different areas come together. My parents pulled me out of school when I was around 5 or 6 yrs for a month in the middle of the school year. I got to visit my grandparents for the first time along with other relatives and cousins my age. I was not scarred for life academically. I graduated from high school a year early and went on to UVa. The next opportunity I had to go visit my relatives overseas was not until I was 17 years old. By then, both sets of my grandparents, one uncle and one aunt had passed away. I'm am so happy I had the chance to meet them when I did and I have the pictures to cherish forever.

If your going abroad every year for lengthy periods of time, it's a different scenario. If these are occasional trips for special reasons, well you know my opinion.

To the PP, not everything is black and white and to say that absolutely no one should go abroad during the school year for any reason whatsoever because that means they don't value education may work for your family it doesn't mean its the right way for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:What is it with this culture that we only value the guidance of professionals when they validate our own desires?

Anonymous wrote:This teacher didn't interfere with this family's travel plans. The family is free to do what it wants. The teacher very likely said either "I advise against it because dc will fall too far behind to be promoted to 2nd" or "this will hurt AAP chances" or, more likely, simply recited the district policy against extended absences that has already been cited here. Those are the consequences of taking the family trip.

Anonymous wrote:The reality is many schools in this region have problems with parents taking their kids out for an extended period.

Anonymous wrote:So, enough with the second-guessing of our professionals already. The options have clearly been laid out. The OP has made his or her decision.

+1000