Teens on a cruise

[waterbound]

we have taken our kids on a cruise twice so far.. once while school was on and once on spring break.. I would never take them again during school.. There were hardly any kids onboard and they had a much better time on spring break when there were more kids..

[halos]

. However, the attitude that education isn't important is probably one of the reasons why nearly half of our children don't read or do math at grade level (at least in NYC, where I live).

 

It's my personal opinion that kids who don't have enough quality time with their parents are the ones who turn out to be poor students.

I'm sure if you took a poll of these students in NY, you'd find them latch-key.

Kids who have parents that spend time with them are most likely good students...and probably are good kids in general...I'm not saying that quality time is just when they are on vacation..I'm just saying that it's crazy to think that a poor student is made from a child missing school for a couple days a year. There are many factors that produce poor students and I'd wager that missing a few days of school is the least of them.

Not every child is the same. You can't generalize. Some kids are brighter than the teachers that teach the classes.

Taking kids out of school for a vacation does not imply that a parent does not think education is important, these parents see that there is more to education than what you get in a classroom...there is a whole lot more to learn about what you need in life...and MOST of that can not be taught in the classroom.

Missing a few days or even a week is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.....not in my book...at least that's how I feel now with hindsight.

[Magnifique1908]

It's my personal opinion that kids who don't have enough quality time with their parents are the ones who turn out to be poor students.

I'm sure if you took a poll of these students in NY, you'd find them latch-key.

Kids who have parents that spend time with them are most likely good students...and probably are good kids in general...I'm not saying that quality time is just when they are on vacation..I'm just saying that it's crazy to think that a poor student is made from a child missing school for a couple days a year. There are many factors that produce poor students and I'd wager that missing a few days of school is the least of them.

Not every child is the same. You can't generalize. Some kids are brighter than the teachers that teach the classes.

Taking kids out of school for a vacation does not imply that a parent does not think education is important, these parents see that there is more to education than what you get in a classroom...there is a whole lot more to learn about what you need in life...and MOST of that can not be taught in the classroom.

Missing a few days or even a week is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.....not in my book...at least that's how I feel now with hindsight.

 

Thank you Halos!!! I was wondering if it was just me who saw all of these crazy generalizations and assumptions. Its one thing to have a certain view about students and vacations but to support it with some of this stuff that people are using is just nuts :rolleyes:

[Gabsabunch42]

Original poster here.

 

 

This is not the first time I have taken my child(ren) out of school for a trip. For many years we took them out for the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week because most of our family is in the northeast, a 12 hour drive, so we always would go during this holiday (and during spring break, and then again during the summer). This will be the first time that we take her out for 4 whole days. The week of our cruise, is Labor Day week. My concern isn't so much the 4 days off, but that it will be basically the second week of school.

 

 

There is a form to fill out for approval to be absent for an educational opportunity, but I don't know if this will apply? If this will be accepted, we are responsible for getting with teachers for lessons, but being so early in school year, will there be time before to accomplish much? Probably not, which means recovery afterwards, which may be difficult, but not impossible, my daughter always has gotten good grades. Let me tell you about my daughter's concerns (and mine as well). She is afraid being out so early will be a bad first impression to teachers, as well as the fact that she may miss vital lessons. She VERY responsible and conscientious. She has such mixed feelings. She really wants to cruise and knows that it may be the last chance for our whole family to go together, because my son is 20 and his future plans will probably prevent a future vacation for all of us. On the other hand, she really does not want to miss any school either.

 

 

Thanks everyone.

[Terri102066]

Apple Valley Cruisers,

 

Yes, I do think other cultures are important for children to experience. My son, that will be a senior in high school next year, left yesturday going to Europe for 14 days and in July the family will be going on a cruise. I just think it is important to set a standard of what the rules are and not to break them. Yes, that might seem extreme and everyone must make there own decisions this just happens to be mine and my husbands.

 

Terri

[AppleValleyCruisers]

Well said Terri, and I respect your opinion, beliefs and decisions.

 

 

Tim

[halos]

My daughter (in her junior year) went to Costa Rica for 2 and a half weeks as an exchange student. This 2 and a half week period fell around their spring break so they only missed a little over a week of school. This was done through the school. We, in turn, hosted the Costa Rican student for over two weeks around our Christmas break.

Obviously, this was for her Spanish class....she was immersed in Spanish for that 2 weeks.

She missed all her other classes...

This was an amazing experience. As far as what she learned...well, she is in college and did not keep up with foreign language and although she retains some of the Spanish she knows...you know how it is with a language, if you don't use it, you lose it.

It was slightly difficult for her to catch up with her work but not all that bad. She maintained honors that year with a bit of effort.

My point is that although this week in Costa Rica was deemed educational by the school..it really was no more educational than if I had taken her to Costa Rica for 2 weeks myself because she lost all the Spanish she picked up there anyway...but what was educational was the EXPERIENCE...it is something she will cherish for a lifetime...and so will I. Having that Costa Rican child here for those couple weeks was a joy I can't even describe. Imagine experiencing the look on a 17 year old child's face the first time they see snow falling. I get filled up every time I think about the wonder and amazement in that girl's eyes.

There is so much more to learning than a classroom can provide......an open mind that isn't anal and stringent being one of them.

[blackwing]

No problem Apple Valley, it's great that everyone has their opinions - I enjoy hearing everything.

 

To the OP, personally I'd be concerned about missing school, but it depends on what is important to you and your daughter. You just have to weigh last chance to cruise together versus making a bad impression on teachers. If I were a teacher, to be honest, I'd probably find it odd that someone was missing school during the first two weeks. I'd wonder why this didn't occur during the three months of summer vacation.

 

I recognize that a vacation is part of the "educational life experience", but seriously, when the school officials created the "educational opportunity" exception, I doubt they were thinking of vacation. They were probably thinking of a mini course at the local community college, a church group retreat, or something like that.

[Terri102066]

AppleValleyCrusier,

 

I agree that traveling and seeing different cultures is much better than reading them in a book. My son is currently in Europe for a 14 day trip and in July we will have a family cruise vacation. I do consider my son's school as his job and I do think you have to follow the rules. Some school districts are not as harsh when it comes to this subject as others. I just don't think is is good to set a standard of allowing people not to follow the rules. I would never call in sick unless I was truely sick or had a doctors appointment, this is just the way I am. That doesn't mean that I am correct and other poeple are wrong. It is just my opinion.

 

Terri

[AppleValleyCruisers]

Don't they have semesters at sea? I am pretty sure they do for college's that have Marine Engineering, Marine Biology etc majors, but not high schools. Too bad, that would be the best of both worlds. But the cost:eek:

 

And what would the tipping policy be? :D

[wrp96]

Children miss school for a variety of reasons. I don't think going on a cruise is any worse a reason to miss school than any other. Sometimes getting out of the classroom and into the world can be very educational, plus many times the child will be more refreshed and better able to learn.

 

That being said, be very aware of your school's policy on absences. If they only allow so many absences, it may not be worth it to use that many of them that early in the school year. My senior year in high school I ended up missing several days of school both semesters due to illnesses that came up in the middle of the semester. If I hadn't gone to a private school that was able to work with me, I would have been in danger of having to repeat my senior year.

 

Also, be sure to check with each of her teachers to see what their policy is on making up class work. When my father died when I was in junior high, I missed school for 3 weeks which was ok with the school. But I had one teacher (out of 6), that would not let me make up the work and attempted to fail me (it was P.E. not math, english, or science). We were able to sort it out, but the school wouldn't have been willing to do it if I had just missed for a vacation.

[blackwing]

Don't they have semesters at sea? I am pretty sure they do for college's that have Marine Engineering, Marine Biology etc majors, but not high schools. Too bad, that would be the best of both worlds. But the cost:eek:

LOL. They do have the Semester at Sea program still, I think. But I remember when my college decided it would no longer award a semester's equivalent credit, because they decided it was too much "fun" and not enough "education". hehheh. :)

[big_duck]

It would have been better if my Parents took me with them when they went away, then what went on at home when they were gone.

 

... trust me

[AppleValleyCruisers]

It would have been better if my Parents took me with them when they went away, then what went on at home when they were gone.

 

... trust me

 

Ain't that the truth!;)

[sharih]

I beleive they should be attending school during scheduled school days, and that makeup work is too stressful on them on their return.

[skelley402004]

I have two 13 year old girls, one 11 year old boy. We are going Sept 11, 2005 on the Victory, Western. We got such great prices, that we decided to go back on the same ship and the same ports. We want our children to experience the places that we have seen. They are taking work for school on the way down from Augusta, GA to Miami. We don't expect them to do anything on the cruise or on the way back. Our school told us it is fine as long as the children have good grades. Our children are A Honor Roll. Also on the cruise they plan to keep a diary.

[hstrybuf]

I grew up in an era where vacations were planned to coincide with days when school were not in session. Otherwise, only funerals, illness and family emergencies were excusable. We never missed more than a day. As a parent myself, with children's whose activities required occasional travel out of town, my children were allowed to miss 1/2 to 1 day of school. We worked with teachers to be sure the kids were current on their school work or to see if they needed to take homework with them. We did NOT take our children out of school for a week of vacation.

 

These days, I see all kinds of excuses for taking the kids out of school and I actually understand SOME of them. There are lots of things to take into consideration. How are the kids doing in school? What is the school district's policy on missing school for vacations? Is this the only time the family can vacation?

 

In the end, I don't agree with taking children out of school for vacations, but it isn't my kids or my call.

[We_B_CruzN]

we will be on that cruise with you gabs so no worries;) :D

 

 

 

 

[srambus]

Im taking my kids on a cruise this September also. I didn't even think twice about it and I'm a substitue teacher. The cost will be almost half of what I would've paid in July (my first choice), and by doing it in September they have something great to look forward to all summer.

BTW, the first month back to school is typically a review of the last year anyway.