Missing school, your thoughts

[Warm Breezes]

Sometimes just getting work done is missing the point, as is grades or whatever, the process the values the character built during the process is more important.

 

Experienced, those who don't sacrifice or have to make choices don't and will never know how to make choices or sacrfices. An easy concept, but so hard to actually do as I can see here from those that always take the good time over sacrifce. Believe it or not I love a good time as much as anyone :D

 

Wow....Personally one of things I don't value is an unnecessary sacrifice. You sound like one of my previous bosses who wanted me to work 60 hours a week, not because I needed to work 60 hours to get my job done, but because he wanted me to be an example to the people who worked for me. I refused and left the company rather than sacrifice my family values. I was not willing to unnecessarily sacrifice my family time for someone else's work ethic. I now work for a company that value's family time and realizes that I can put out more work in 40 hours than 3 of my co-workers in sister companies can. IMO if a child can make up the work and keep their grades up the sacrifice is not necessary. But go ahead and sacrifice away if it makes you feel better, just don't expect me or mine to.

[blitznbobs]

Perhaps I'd rather teach my kids to work smart not hard... It's always worked for me...

[Warm Breezes]

Perhaps I'd rather teach my kids to work smart not hard... It's always worked for me...

 

Me too. I'd rather work smart and efficiently and put out 2 x the productivity in 40 hours than a person who is not as efficient and has to work 60 hours to put out 1/2 the work I do. Working smart has paid off for me and I didn't have to sacrifice my family time to do it. I want my kids to pick up on that value.

 

My kids catch on quickly and are usually working ahead of their class as the teacher spends time working with the kids are having troubles understanding the concept. This to me is a problem with our schools. Kids like mine either get bored waiting for the rest of the class to catch up or they work ahead and basically teach themselves (my kids are highly self-motivated so this what they normally do). The "class room" does not challenge them. In fact, I was the one who taught them how to study so they could do well on their tests. Kids learn differently. My son learned differently than my daughter. DS learned best by self-study like I did. DD needed me to help her study. She needed to hear things in order to comprehend them better. Once we understood that they were able to excel in their study habits. This is why it is not hard for they to make up the missed work. This is why I have had no problem pulling them out of class to supplement their education with traveling experiences. They usually don't have to "work hard" to get the good grade because they have learned how to "work smarter".

[gingerboo]

Sorry, I haven't read all of the posts, but I do have a question.

 

Most of the focus seems to be on the "educational" aspect of pulling a child/children out of school for cruising or other vacation purposes. Here's my question:

 

If you have a son/daughter involved in SPORTS (which are seasonal), have you ever or would you ever remove them from sports activities for a few days or a week or more to go on a cruise or other vacation?

 

TIA for your answer, and I'm just guessing that more parents feel OK removing their child/children during educational times than during sports times. Again, I'm just guessing.

[Froggy75]

So I was thinking about this post this weekend while talking to a fellow mom. Her husband has been deployed to Afghanistan for what was supposed to be 6 months, but has now found out it will be close to a year. While he is gone she has 3 boys, ranging from a 1 yr old to 7 yr old, and one of the children is autistic.

 

The father gets 2 weeks off in October, and only one of those weeks her kids are tracked out (on vacation). I would have though that he would just want to stay home for those 2 weeks, but she said no, he wants to go somewhere. They haven't decided where yet or for how long. So my question is, would you take your kids out of school for that week to go on vacation with their Dad? I think I would take them out even if they didn't go ANYWHERE just so they could spend time with him... Or do you believe that kids shouldn't miss school at all unless they are sick?

 

I would take the boys out if dad was only going to be home for that short amount of time. Sad that these children are going without dad for so long at such a young age :(

 

Along the same track as some here, my DD is 9 and was in the 3rd grade this last year. In planning our cruise vacay to the western Caribbean at the end of May 2011, having here miss school was discussed at length. Luckily for us she happened to have a teacher who's a world traveler herself, and the only stipulation was that DD write a paper about her experiences. She went on to finished her 3rd grade year with straight A's.

[GatorMomInNC]

Yes, I know, and it is sad to think this is being repeated in thousands of homes across the country...

 

I would take the boys out if dad was only going to be home for that short amount of time. Sad that these children are going without dad for so long at such a young age :(

.

[Warm Breezes]

Sorry, I haven't read all of the posts, but I do have a question.

 

Most of the focus seems to be on the "educational" aspect of pulling a child/children out of school for cruising or other vacation purposes. Here's my question:

 

If you have a son/daughter involved in SPORTS (which are seasonal), have you ever or would you ever remove them from sports activities for a few days or a week or more to go on a cruise or other vacation?

 

TIA for your answer, and I'm just guessing that more parents feel OK removing their child/children during educational times than during sports times. Again, I'm just guessing.

 

I did pull DS out during Thanksgiving Break when he was in 7th grade and he missed some basketball practices and a game. This was his first year of organized school sports. His coaches "punished" him by making him sit on the bench the next game and wait 2 more games before he could get his starting position back. DS asked me after that to no longer schedule our vacations during the sports season or the school year since he had a harder time making up the work after that vacation too.

 

Since then I made sure to avoid his sports seasons and the days missed for school were a day or two for traveling before or after a school break because he was not willing to make up the work or miss the games.

 

I also never scheduled vacations from January - June since DD is a competitive dancer and she makes a commitment to the dance teams when she signs up. This is prime competition season for her so we make sure she goes to her practices and competitions.

 

I see the commitments to the sports teams different than missing school. School work missed can be learned outside of the class room and in our district is excused for vacations. When a child joins a sport especially a competitive high school sport or team then they are making a commitment to be there for the team when they join. If you can't keep your commitment then you shouldn't join the team to let them down.

 

I had no problems pulling the kids out of school when they were younger as they were willing and able to make the work up. Sports were not an issue then. As they got older they were still able but were now unwilling due to their sport and school schedules... so I don't do it. It all goes back to the individual child and their willingness to make up the work and the commitments they make to their sports teams.

[gingerboo]

I would take the boys out if dad was only going to be home for that short amount of time. Sad that these children are going without dad for so long at such a young age :(

 

Along the same track as some here, my DD is 9 and was in the 3rd grade this last year. In planning our cruise vacay to the western Caribbean at the end of May 2011, having here miss school was discussed at length. Luckily for us she happened to have a teacher who's a world traveler herself, and the only stipulation was that DD write a paper about her experiences. She went on to finished her 3rd grade year with straight A's.

 

My kids also made straight A's in third grade! Did you help your DD write her paper? TIA!

[gingerboo]

I did pull DS out during Thanksgiving Break when he was in 7th grade and he missed some basketball practices and a game. This was his first year of organized school sports. His coaches "punished" him by making him sit on the bench the next game and wait 2 more games before he could get his starting position back. DS asked me after that to no longer schedule our vacations during the sports season or the school year since he had a harder time making up the work after that vacation too.

 

Since then I made sure to avoid his sports seasons and the days missed for school were a day or two for traveling before or after a school break because he was not willing to make up the work or miss the games.

 

I also never scheduled vacations from January - June since DD is a competitive dancer and she makes a commitment to the dance teams when she signs up. This is prime competition season for her so we make sure she goes to her practices and competitions.

 

I see the commitments to the sports teams different than missing school. School work missed can be learned outside of the class room and in our district is excused for vacations. When a child joins a sport especially a competitive high school sport or team then they are making a commitment to be there for the team when they join. If you can't keep your commitment then you shouldn't join the team to let them down.

 

I had no problems pulling the kids out of school when they were younger as they were willing and able to make the work up. Sports were not an issue then. As they got older they were still able but were now unwilling due to their sport and school schedules... so I don't do it. It all goes back to the individual child and their willingness to make up the work and the commitments they make to their sports teams.

 

 

So, you never had a problem pulling them out of school to miss educational lessons (because you had a lenient school system in Michigan)?? And now, you don't do it because of your kids' sports schedules and their opinions don't allow it? Also, it sure sounds like you're blaming your 7th grade son's basketball coaches for "punishing" him!! I think it all goes back to your willingness to yank your kids out of school at will, and then got an "eye-opening moment" when your kids refused!! Really - it sounds like you're blaming coaches and your own kids for sticking to what they want! Wow.

[FrancescaH]

So, you never had a problem pulling them out of school to miss educational lessons (because you had a lenient school system in Michigan)?? And now, you don't do it because of your kids' sports schedules and their opinions don't allow it? Also, it sure sounds like you're blaming your 7th grade son's basketball coaches for "punishing" him!! I think it all goes back to your willingness to yank your kids out of school at will, and then got an "eye-opening moment" when your kids refused!! Really - it sounds like you're blaming coaches and your own kids for sticking to what they want! Wow.

 

I think you took that the wrong way. She said she was fine with pulling them while they are young and could keep up but when they are old enough to know their limits and make personal commitments, her kids get a vote which she abides by. It doesn't seem like a bad way to go about deciding to me.

[blitznbobs]

I'm a Brit ( who has competed in sport at national level) and to me pulling a child out of sport as a reason for not going on vacation totally ridiculous... But then I suppose we don't get sports scolarships to university like you guys on the other side of the pond do ...