Taking children out of school for cruise

[TXRoo]

I might let my kids miss a day or two...but I don't think I could do a whole week or two. It's just too much pressure on them to learn whilst they are trying to vacation and then too much to catch up with when they get back.

 

I wish I could since the hubby works offshore and sailing on the off season would be ideal...but I just can't swallow it.

[Suesan Jean]

We (my DH and DD) are going on the Norwegian Dawn next year in February, on an 11 day cruise. My daughter (13) will be missing school, either 9 days or four, it all depends on when her winter vacation is next year. Of course I am hoping that she only misses four days, but if is it nine, so be it.

It is not that I am a lax parent, I am NOT, but, I think that there is more to education then just going to school. Life experiences are very important too. When I was in 10th grade,(33 years ago) my Mom let my sister and I go to France with two Aunt's, she felt that the opportunity to go to France might not happen again, we were gone for over a week, we did bring some homework if I recall.

My memory of France is one of wonder. We had such a GREAT time!!! My Aunt and Uncle who live in Paris took as everywhere!!! We saw so much and we "experienced" Paris from a Parisien's point of view (my Uncle is French), we had such a great trip, I remember talking about it for years....

So, when I planned the February 2006 cruise, I knew Sara would miss school and I was OK with it, I want my daughter to see other countries, swim in beautifull blue water, and I wanted her to be with me when I celebrate my 50th Birthday, which I have been wanting/dreaming/hoping to celebrate on a cruise ship.

For us, it is OK to be taking our daughter out of school, she is only in Middle School, maybe when she gets to High School, maybe I won't think the same way, and of course I would NOT pull her out of college, that education is MUCH TO IMPORTANT, but for now, it is fine.

 

Suesan:):):)

[MKC529]

...we are planning our 1st cruise Jan 06 and we're going to have to pull our girls from school. Believe me, if I had a choice - I wouldn't, but DH has been trying for 4+ yrs to get ANY school vacation week off but can't due to seniority at his workplace. By the time he picks his vacation those weeks are long gone. So we either pull the kids from school or never take a family vacation.

 

I'm voting for the family vacation!:)

[dyslexic pirate]

My kids will be missing all of next week as we are leaving Sunday for a 7 day cruise.

 

For the last two years they've missed a week each year to travel. They have grown intelluctually by leaps and bounds. They've been to the Mayan Ruins, they've seen harsh poverty up close and sampled and tasted different ways of life.

 

They also are not as materialistic as a bunch of the kids they know. It seems kinda like an oxymoron - go on cruise/become more thrifty. After seeing kids their own ages begging at the dock it really hit them how much greater their opportunities are here in America. (For example: we will be doing some outreach work with the Roatan Orphange now that we now they have some real needs.)

 

Some folks are shocked that I pull the kids out of school. I'm shocked that they let the school "frown on them" for wanting to take their kids on a life changing adventure. How can our kids grow up and have the desire to improve and change the world if they've never seen it?

[SqueakyDust]

We live in the UK and will be pulling our two children from school at the tail end of the year. I'm aware our education system is different to yours but we need 'permission' too.

Over a year ago I spoke with the Headmistress to enquire when the 'best time' would be, and if she wished should we encourage the kids to do journals.

At Primary level (age 4-12) the kids are usually only preparing for the Christmas nativity play all of December so it was agreed this was the best time. She did however say NOT to force the kids to do a journal (she'd tried it with her own and it wasn't an enjoyable eperience!)

Although she is dictated to by the council/government she feels that family holiays are just as important an education - especially nowadays. Her comment of "I bet they remember visiting the caribbean for years to come, but they won't remember what they did in the first 2 weeks in December 2005, if they were at school", and she is sooo right!

Another thing that was said that the kids could as easily be ill, and they as a school do usually not give out class work to ill children.

Luckily we are not at the stage that we need a 'Doctors line' to 'prove' illness:eek:

 

Enjoy your time together as a family

[kerry.johnson]

Have a fantastic time! And it's true, your kids will remember their trip for years to come and the experience is going to be so valuable.

[kerry.johnson]

Dyslexia -

I agree with you completely!! Kids gain a world (so to speak) of experience by travelling. Now that mine are in high school, I have to weigh the benifits versis the troubles. (Work upon return.) From our last two experiences though, our kids are still talking about it and corresponding with their friends they met on their cruise.

An experience that no child should miss out on.

[kerry.johnson]

Sueson -

You are so right. Take your kids out and have the experience of your life. I guarantee your kid will!

I'd take my children out of school again for a cruise experience in a second!

Now they are all in high school, but I think I would still do it!

[kerry.johnson]

I might let my kids miss a day or two...but I don't think I could do a whole week or two. It's just too much pressure on them to learn whilst they are trying to vacation and then too much to catch up with when they get back.

 

I wish I could since the hubby works offshore and sailing on the off season would be ideal...but I just can't swallow it.

 

Do it!! Don't hesitate! They can make up the work. But...they may never have the experience again. Don't wait until it's too late.

[dianelevene]

I took my kids out of school for the first two weeks of January this year. They are still young (kindergarten and preschool) and I did not worry about what they missed. I had both of them keep journals and collect postcards from the places we visited. I think I will continue to take my girls out of school for family vacations for the next several years. I had cancer last year and while my health is fine right now, it made me realize that life is tenuous. Giving my daughters happy family memories will mean much more in the future than which week they learn fractions. I was a teacher for 10 years before becoming a mom and I frequently gave work to the kids who went on vacation. Often those kids were able to complete more than I ended up covering in class while they were gone. I am sure I will have to think more carefully about taking them out of school when they are in middle school and high school but for now, family vacations win out.

[estherhead]

I have a child starting kindergarten next year and all of this is scary. Don't take my freedom away! Hmm... homeschooling anyone? What is this block scheduling? Why is it two weeks worth of school?

[Onessa]

My daughter's first grade teacher encouraged us to take her out of school for a week two years ago.

 

Now her third grade teacher is glad that she missed school for our meditranean (sp?) vacation, because today my daughter brought in her journal, pictures and memorabilia from Florence and Venice to present for her class' unit on Italy.

 

One of her classmates did something similar when they were studying Costa Rica. Her teacher (an award-winning educator) said that the kids are so much more interested when one of their classmates has been to one of the places they are studying!

[skyview851]

My sons missed a week last month when we took them on their first cruise. Most of the teachers were very supportive of our decision, and gave them their assignments in advance so that they could keep up with classwork. Only one teacher reacted negatively, and now that we are back, she seems to be "showing" them that they should not miss school. She gave them failing grades on the assignments that they did during the cruise, because they were turned in late, even though she knew in advance they would not be in class.

The funny thing is, the class is Spanish. We visited San Juan, & Dominican Republic, and the kids had a blast trying to decipher the signs & menus that were written in spanish. I believe that they learned more in that week than she could have taught them in the 5 hours that she would have had them in class. Traveling is a wonderful educational experience, but be prepared that your children may have to pay the price when they get home. I would still take them out of school for a cruise in a heartbeat!

[Shelly97060]

We are cruising on 3/12 as well on the Diamond and the kids will be missing 2 days of school. I wrote letters to each of the teachers explaining that we will be gone and why and requested any homework that they would have over spring break or any thing they needed to complete before we leave. We will also be missing conferences so I included my perspective on how things are going and asked them to let me know about any concerns. I am confident that it will be just fine. :)

[sunkey1]

We've taken our kids on two cruises so far, when they were in Pre-K and 1st, then when they were in 1st and 3rd. In both cases I was up front with the teachers and they were fine with us going. I'm fortunate in that my kids are both very advanced and had no problem missing a week of school. A small amount of work was given by the teachers and they did this in the car on the way down to Florida. I had them do daily journals where they had to write something about their day and then draw a picture. These have been great fun to look back on as trip "souvenirs". We are leaving on 4/30 for another cruise with the kids but this time missing school won't be an issue. I pulled them both out of public school this past year and began homeschooling them. I was so frustrated with the inadequacy of the schools in Georgia that I had to take drastic measures. One of the aspects of homeschooling that we've enjoyed the most is the opportunity to do lots of field trips. I think our society is so stuck on book learning (don't worry, we do PLENTY of that too) that we forget that there is a GREAT BIG WORLD out there! I am so looking forward to taking my kids and showing them Washington, D.C. and Gettysburg Battlefield, not just having them read about them in books. I want to take them to Europe, Canada, Africa - there is so much out there do, see and learn and I truly believe kids can learn so much through life experiences, not just rote learning. Go on your cruise, value that family time - it is so precious, and the kids will be just fine!

[Marge M]

I am so looking forward to taking my kids and showing them Washington, D.C. and Gettysburg Battlefield, not just having them read about them in books.

 

I just had to comment on your trip to DC! You will have a blast, there is SO much to do, and most of it is FREE! Since the Washington Monument is currently closed, the next best view is from the Old Post Office Pavillion. Most visitors aren't aware of it. The trip to the top of the tower is free, and you get a fabulous view of the Capital, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial from up there. Another neat place to visit is Ford's Theater, it has a really nice Lincoln museum underneath it that is also free. These are a little off the beaten path, but well worth a visit. In fact, they aren't too far from the White House.

 

http://sc94.ameslab.gov/TOUR/tour.html This link has clickable blue areas that have information about each place. Can you tell I love DC? LOL

[Laurin612]

My daughter is in 1st grade and is very advanced for her age. I was upfront with her teacher about our upcoming 10 day cruise and her teacher was fine with it. She is of the opinion that world travel is a fantastic learning experience and opportunity and all that she asked is that my daughter keep a journal and do an informal "presentation" to the class about her trip when she returns.

 

I am also going to bring along some books and some "fun" activity books.

 

ETA: Forgot to mention that she attends a private Lutheran school.

[JerseyGirl23]

We are taking our daughters (9th grade and 3rd grade) out for the 4 days before Christmas vacation (a week) this year. I'm assuming that it will be a slow time at school because it's leading up to a winter break week, where they return to school after New Years. It's the only time we can get 2 weeks vacation. And don't suggest we take a vacation during the summer! my husband would never set foot in Florida let alone the hot, hot Caribbean during the summer months.

[angelsx4]

This was the first year we ever let our kids miss school for a family vacation. It worked out well enough this year that for our cruise next year we are too. My dh is a highschool principal of a neighboring district and gets three weeks of for Christmas and our kids only get two. So... We're going on vacation 3 days after they go back to school and they will miss 4 days the next week. We plan on having them getting as much work as the teacher will allow(prepared) before they go on Christmas break so they can turn it in even before the cruise.

 

The big thing is to make sure you aren't taking them out during district or state testing. Your district office should have a schedule so you can ask ahead of time. Have fun!!!!

[SharleneinTexas]

this year we are taking our daughter when she's on school break.........no longer considered excused absence at her school............can't make up work and in high school, that is too important...........plus you have to count on them being healthy......after a certain number of missed days(even excused) and it's mandatory failure here......

from what I understand they had to change policy here for missing time because the school's funds come from attendance.........children miss time from school equals less money coming in to support the school.

I consider these trips a learning experience and so I will continue to find time to take our school age daughter and we'll just have to pay more to do it ........ :)

 

Sharlene

[Marge M]

...plus you have to count on them being healthy......after a certain number of missed days(even excused) and it's mandatory failure here...Sharlene

 

They will fail them with too many excused illness absences? In our district, if your child has too many illnesses or an extended illness, they will assign an at-home tutor. My neighbor's child had an at-home tutor for several months last year with an extended illness. This was provided by our public school system. Granted, it took a month for them to provide one, but they did.

[Pudgesmom]

sharleneintexas is right about the Texas schools. Besides, a vacation is considered an unexcused absence. We'll be in Costa Rica the first week of January. If high school kids visit a college, they can have an excused absence. We'll be touring the University of Costa Rica in San Jose.This will also allow them to exempt final exams, which they can't do if more than 2 absences are unexcused.

 

Beth

[Cruisin' Chick]

Schools don't want the students out for two reasons: 1. for each child, they get money from the state (at least that's how it is for Calif. schools) and there is so much pressure to improve test scores (forget about learning, it's all about those tests) that supposedly each day means missing out on so much info. My girl missed some of this week because of a sinus headache and infection (her temp got up to 104 degrees one day this week). When I took her back to school, the teacher wasn't too happy because much of the class was there sniffling and coughing. I bet if there wasn't so much pressure to bring your child in, it would cut down on days missed because of illness!

[SharleneinTexas]

They will fail them with too many excused illness absences? In our district, if your child has too many illnesses or an extended illness, they will assign an at-home tutor. My neighbor's child had an at-home tutor for several months last year with an extended illness. This was provided by our public school system. Granted, it took a month for them to provide one, but they did.

 

 

they will fail them........had a co-worker one year have a rude awakening........he and his family had just moved here from Louisiana and when they went to register their daughter for high school, they were told that she would have to be held back a year...........because of #days missed from her previous school.........

my daughter has a friend in school now that has missed many days because of illness.......excused absences but she will have to go to summer school to pass the grade she's in and the school will not pay for it........but then again, that is for illness and not vacation time.........

they have off so many days from school for teacher work days and for holidays.......it's not as if you can't find time they are out of school to take a vacation.........we'll adjust

 

Sharlene

[Cruisin' Chick]

It's funny but in the current school newsletter, the principal said don't bring your kids to school if they're sick. She must have realized how many kids are coming in coughing and sneezing. But I know they still frown on the "non-illness" absences, no matter what.