Poll: Do you take your kid's out of school...

[gg3]

But that is the issue several people have expressed. Some don't have the flexibility. Some don't have the funds to go when everyone else does. Sometimes the parents make sacrifices for the good of the family. Sometimes the children have to make those sacrifices. In many cases, as the parents have pointed out, it has not been a sacrifice for the child to miss school. In some cases the child actually learns more out of school then in school.

 

It is easy to tell someone to plan around a child's school schedule when you have total flexibility to plan your vacation, or even better, work for the school, and thus your vacation matches up perfectly with the child's.

 

How about baseball players for example (this is just one example). Are they not allowed to vacation with their children? Baseball players cannot take the summer off. They also cannot take Easter off.

 

Some people work in a setting where seniority determines who gets first choice of vacation time. If the person is low in seniority, then they can only take vacation when there is an open slot. Then they have no choice but to either vacation at home, or pull the kids out of school.

 

There are too many people who just cannot take vacation at the same time as the school does. It is up to the parent to decide what is best for their family, not you, not me and not the government.

 

 

I hear everything you are saying.......but that was not the OP's question. It was how many take their kids out of school to get the cheaper rates ?? The question was not how many take their kids out for a family trip when it is the only vacation time the parent has. That is a whole different question than the OP asked. I think very few really do, and for all the sound reasons so many have listed. Now yes, we can beat this to death and give every "but what if" scenario in the book, but that was not the original posts, but like so many threads, this one has a heartbeat all its own. Are there absolutes to everything in life. Of course not and I am not here to tell any parent what to do, just to give my opinion, as you have. As with all family decisions, they are personal, each decision is their own business. You can talk about flexibility, schedules, sacrifices, learning more on vacation than in school, and on and on to infinity.........Personally........and that was the question.....I would not take MY KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL FOR CHEAPER RATES. I have for family illnesses, deaths, funerals, but not for a pleasure trip. Now heh, we have beat that question to death.....shall we move on. gg

[knb0628]

I don't have kids, but I would definately take them out of school for vacations. Of course, I wouldn't let it get excessive. I'm an elementary ed major, and I was a kid who was taken out of school to go on vacations. I think cultural and world experiences can be just as important for children as what they learn in the classrooms. Obviously, though, if your child is struggling with the basics like reading/writing/etc. they should not be taken out, but kids who are with or ahead of the class can easily take some work to do with them and stay caught up.

[dyslexic pirate]

I asked the three teachers who took time off to accompany our group on our last cruise what they thought of this issue.

 

They said it's great! It's a non issue as far as grades go or how much extra work it might make for them. They say the kids who get to go on family vacations, regardless of what time of year it is, are usually the better adjusted kids that are doing well.

 

They say the kids who they have problems with are those with parents that are separated/divorced. They said maybe those kids would be doing better if their parents had taken time off to go on vacation together as a family. (not the first time I've heard this from teachers!) As it is those kids wind up missing many days/weeks while the parents act like they are children and put the kids in the middle of their drama.

[celle]

To the OP:

 

I have not taken children out of school just to get cheaper rates, or to go on a cruise.

 

However, as far as the schools' reaction to kids taking time off, I offer this:

 

DH had to go on a prolonged business trip (from New Zealand to the US) during school term time. We decided to combine this with some vacation time.

 

We discussed with our 3 teenagers (13, 15, 16 at the time) and with the schools, and decided to take our kids out of school for a month, so that they could accompany us on an extended tour of the States.

 

The teenagers all agreed (with their teachers' co-operation) to submit assignments before the due dates, prior to travel, and to do school work while away. They travelled with their carry-ons full of school books, and did their school work for about 2 hours a day, wherever we were.

 

They visited Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, Orlando, Cape Canaveral, New Orleans, and Las Vegas, doing all the touristy things and seeing all the scenic wonders at each place.

 

Did they gain anything from the trip? Oh yes! Confidence, knowledge of other cultures, appreciation of different customs, hightened awareness of geography.

 

Did they lose anything, or did their schooling suffer? Not at all. They all passed their assessments/ grades for their year, they all graduated high school with good grades, and they all went on to University to get degrees.

 

Did the schools react negatively? No, because the kids made themselves responsible for their own catch-up, and they did school work along the way. It might have been a different story if the kids had allowed themselves to fall behind.

 

Would I do it again? Yes, at the drop of a hat.

[kitty9]

Here's one point I would like to make. So many parents here say that cruising is all about family time. True, to a certain extent, but I would like to ask you all this question: How many of these same parents put their kids in the kids program for hours on end----how many put their kids in the program during port days so they can do tours without the kids----how many put their kids in the clubs for the entire evening so they can dine without the kids? With the popularity of the kid's programs on all ships, and with so many parents seeming to have the operating hours of the kids clubs as a priority, I wonder how much "family bonding time" actually happens on cruises? I would venture to guess that there's really not all that much---otherwise, the kid's clubs wouldn't be so very popular and well attended for all hours.

[Cuizer2]

I hear everything you are saying.......but that was not the OP's question. It was how many take their kids out of school to get the cheaper rates ?? The question was not how many take their kids out for a family trip when it is the only vacation time the parent has. That is a whole different question than the OP asked. I think very few really do, and for all the sound reasons so many have listed. Now yes, we can beat this to death and give every "but what if" scenario in the book, but that was not the original posts, but like so many threads, this one has a heartbeat all its own. Are there absolutes to everything in life. Of course not and I am not here to tell any parent what to do, just to give my opinion, as you have. As with all family decisions, they are personal, each decision is their own business. You can talk about flexibility, schedules, sacrifices, learning more on vacation than in school, and on and on to infinity.........Personally........and that was the question.....I would not take MY KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL FOR CHEAPER RATES. I have for family illnesses, deaths, funerals, but not for a pleasure trip. Now heh, we have beat that question to death.....shall we move on. gg

 

Some people do take there kids out of school to go on a cruise because they cannot afford to do so when everyone else is doing it (supply and demand). That is one of the reasons I was thinking of when I said not everyone has the flexibility to cruise when there is a school vacation.

 

There are other issues. If you want to cruise Antarctica you cannot not do so during the summer. Because when it is summer here, it is winter there, and nobody cruises to Antarctica in the winter.

 

The bottom line is, if you can only afford to cruise during school time, then you have three choices:

 

1) Pull the kids out of school

2) Take a "family" vacation without the kids

3) Don't cruise

 

It is up to the parents, not you, me or the government, to decide what to do. If a parent decides to pull his/her child out of school for a week to take a cruise, or for any other reason, then I support that decision. If the reason for the decision is financial, so be it. Nonetheless, it is not my business nor your business why they did it. Unless a court says they don't have their parental rights, then it is there RIGHT to do this, and no one else has the RIGHT to question this.

 

HOWEVER, I understand that in this country other people have the privilege and opportunity to question someone else's behavior and motives for that behavior. But they don't have the right to interfere with that parent's right to pull there child out of school, for a short period of time, even if the parent's reason for doing so is financially motivated.

[gg3]

Oh my gosh Cuizer 2 - how far off subject can you possible go ?? What was the OP. It was "would you pull kids out of school to get cheaper rates?". It was not about Antactica, or Timbuktu, or the federal government or me judging you or you judging me...........IT WAS ABOUT CHEAP RATES AND PULLING KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL for that one single reason. It was not stated that it was the only time they could cruise, etc. etc. etc. It was a question asking for a personal opinion. As with so many responders on these boards, you have decided to take a thread and ramble about things that don't even have ANYTHING to do with the original thread.....and to argue for argument sake. Enough, I have many more important issues in my life to address, but if you want the last word, go ahead....I won't return to read it. :eek:

[Cuizer2]

Oh my gosh Cuizer 2 - how far off subject can you possible go ?? What was the OP. It was "would you pull kids out of school to get cheaper rates?". It was not about Antactica, or Timbuktu, or the federal government or me judging you or you judging me...........IT WAS ABOUT CHEAP RATES AND PULLING KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL for that one single reason. It was not stated that it was the only time they could cruise, etc. etc. etc. It was a question asking for a personal opinion. As with so many responders on these boards, you have decided to take a thread and ramble about things that don't even have ANYTHING to do with the original thread.....and to argue for argument sake. Enough, I have many more important issues in my life to address, but if you want the last word, go ahead....I won't return to read it. :eek:

 

My post was several paragraphs, and apparently you only read one. I addressed the financial issue at length, but your entire post addresses one side comment I made.

[veryhotred]

Please understand that I am not being "critical", just giving my opinion. I think a child does get "vacation" from their school job: Summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, Snow Days.....wouldn't we all love that type of "job". And I am a parent and grandparent who LOVES every precious moment spent with my family. I have worked in the public school system since 1980 and I know first hand how difficult it is on teachers AND kids when they take a family trip for whatever reason, during their scheduled In-school days. Enough said....I will not demean those who choose to take their child out of school for whatever personal reason......I am just taking the stand that truly we can plan vacations when our children are out of school, since they do have so many days off throughout the year. :) gg

 

Did you ever take ANY time off for weddings, vacations or anything when you were/are working as a teacher??

[ms-getaway]

I have tried to plan vacations around school vacations , but on occassion if my daughter needed to miss 1-2 days, I just give the teacher PLENTY of notice. The teacher then prepares a package of Classwork and homework that my daughter completes before we leave. A couple of times her writing assignments was to write a trip report. I would never let her miss an entire week of school for vacation. I think it all boils down to judgement and proper preparation.

[Nurse4heartkids]

Here's one point I would like to make. So many parents here say that cruising is all about family time. True, to a certain extent, but I would like to ask you all this question: How many of these same parents put their kids in the kids program for hours on end----how many put their kids in the program during port days so they can do tours without the kids----how many put their kids in the clubs for the entire evening so they can dine without the kids? With the popularity of the kid's programs on all ships, and with so many parents seeming to have the operating hours of the kids clubs as a priority, I wonder how much "family bonding time" actually happens on cruises? I would venture to guess that there's really not all that much---otherwise, the kid's clubs wouldn't be so very popular and well attended for all hours.

 

I understand what you are saying. However, in our case it is about family bonding. We just got back from the Pearl and I would like to address your questions. We were on a 9 day cruise with 5 ports. Yes my children went to the kids club, but they went when they wanted to go not when we made them. We ate dinner as a family every night with the exception of the one night the kids club had a "dinner party". We never left them while we went and did an excursion. We took them on all excursions and geared the excursions to be educational and fun for the whole family. If we want a non-kid vacation we can leave them with the grandparents at home. I certainly would not pull them from school just so that I can dump them at the kids club for the whole trip.

[melika091900]

Originally Posted by kitty9

Here's one point I would like to make. So many parents here say that cruising is all about family time. True, to a certain extent, but I would like to ask you all this question: How many of these same parents put their kids in the kids program for hours on end----how many put their kids in the program during port days so they can do tours without the kids----how many put their kids in the clubs for the entire evening so they can dine without the kids? With the popularity of the kid's programs on all ships, and with so many parents seeming to have the operating hours of the kids clubs as a priority, I wonder how much "family bonding time" actually happens on cruises? I would venture to guess that there's really not all that much---otherwise, the kid's clubs wouldn't be so very popular and well attended for all hours.

ok, but my daughter wanted to go to the kids club everyday .. mind you we did have 9 sea days and alot of the days it was cold and she had the best time ever in the kids club, she got off at the ports with us, and did everything with us while in port, but the other time, she wanted to go to the kids club, so I let her,

our 1st cruise we took her on, she never went to the kids club and she was bored.... really bored, shes only 6.. so I would definetley try to let her have a good time ,, so she was in the club,,on her 2nd cruise

I dont see anything wrong with it, kids are having fun, parents are enjoying it also ..

theres still bonding and family time all the time,

i see your opinion though,

melissa

[melika091900]

I understand what you are saying. However, in our case it is about family bonding. We just got back from the Pearl and I would like to address your questions. We were on a 9 day cruise with 5 ports. Yes my children went to the kids club, but they went when they wanted to go not when we made them. We ate dinner as a family every night with the exception of the one night the kids club had a "dinner party". We never left them while we went and did an excursion. We took them on all excursions and geared the excursions to be educational and fun for the whole family. If we want a non-kid vacation we can leave them with the grandparents at home. I certainly would not pull them from school just so that I can dump them at the kids club for the whole trip.

 

totally agree 100%

we did the same, every excursion she went,

and if we did want to leave her home with grandma we could have, but chose not to since she wanted to go to hawaii really bad...

and she got to see volcanoes national park, and learn about lava tubes, and volcanos of course. and seeing how macamdemia nuts grow and are processed, and orchid gardens , etc etc...

so i agree.. take care

Melissa

[melika091900]

and i would book a cruise according to iten and dates. if she misses school, then she takes homework with her ,,

[im4crusin]

I agree with the last post. My family was all over seas and we travelled yearly to see them. While there, we got to experience almost all of Europe, the foods, the cultures, the people - what an experience.

I am taking both my sons (5 and 7) out of school for a week next month, they both have journaling to do and then they will share their journals with their classes when we get back (great opportunity to work on public speaking. The principal and the teachers are supportive of the trip and are looking forward to hearing of their adventures. They will make up the work from school when we get back because the district policy is that work can not be given out early.

I know the response varies from teacher to teacher, be proactive in the promoting the experiences and not the "vacation".

Good Luck!

[Mumof2]

What if I was your childs teacher and I took a week off of school? I bet many of you would have a different opinion if it were turned around. I can see all the parents saying "Can you believe Mrs. ***** took the whole week off of school to go on a cruise?"

 

I also believe we have Spring Break, Winter Break, and Summer Break for a reason.

 

I wish all of you who knew how hard it is to catch up a child who has missed a week of school. Children who miss a day often miss 2 teaching days. This is because they are absent 1 day and the 2nd day they are trying to catch up and figure out what is going on.

 

Since I'm a teacher I guess a see a different side of this arguement. Everyone is going to do what they think is right and I agree it is up to the parents.

 

 

Well, Beach Teach...guess what? My daughter's second grade teacher DID take more than two weeks off to...go on a cruise and land vacation to Hawaii! :eek: And... it didn't matter...another teacher filled in for her. No biggie. No one complained. The kids were not affected. :D Not surprisingly, she (and the other teacher) were very supportive about us going on a family holiday during school time. We took her out for two weeks for Disneyworld - very educational, lol!! She is a good student, and if it were to hurt her academically I wouldn't do it, but it doesn't, so I'm not about to pay double or triple to go over Christmas break!

 

I hate the preaching and black and white opinions...there is no way that it is always wrong to take a kid out of school. Give me a break. Sounds like some of you have a chip on your shoulder for some reason. Lighten up people! How about teaching kids to ENJOY life and RELAX too! Then get back to work when we return. No biggie. No college ending move. No futures destroyed. Just a week (or two if you're lucky) at sea. That's it.

 

Carpe diem dude.

[AmberMarie]

I took a week off of school last semester to cruise. And I'm doing it again this year. I just do the 2nd week of school because I know there will be no tests. I just let my professors know ahead of time. But this may be a different case because it's school that I pay for and I am only REALLY missing two days in each class.

[mrsraggy]

My daughters are in high school. I took them out the week after Thanksgiving for a 7 day cruise on Princess. They both contacted all of their teachers beforehand and were done with most of their "make-up" work before we left. It was after mid-terms and well before finals, so they really didn't have any troubles. Plus it was the only week I could go for about 6 months! They'll be off to college in 2 years, so any time I can have them all to myself is a blessing. They are honor students. If they were struggling in school, I wouldn't do it.

 

Happy Sails!:D

[vijoge]

If they were struggling in school, I wouldn't do it.

 

Happy Sails!:D

 

 

Shoot, dumb kids need vacations, too. :)

[karfest]

Shoot, dumb kids need vacations, too. :)

 

Am I bad for snickering at the above remark?? :D

Anyway, we took our 2 daughters out of school for vacations almost every year. Sometimes it was a week, sometimes just a few days. We planned well in advance, talked to the teachers, etc. It wasn't becuase the rates were lower, it just fit well into our schedule.

 

Daughter number 1 has successfully graduated from college and is gainfully employed. Daughter number 2 is in college, doing well, and working full time. I don't think missing a few days here and there permanently damaged them.

 

This is a decision only you can make because you know your kids better than strangers on the internet, but we sure had a great time and made lots of memories:)

[vjmatty]

Our kids are missing the last two days of school for our 6/21 cruise... but they are half days so they should only count as one ;)

[DeeT]

Shoot, dumb kids need vacations, too. :)

 

LOL!

[bplazo]

I have always taken my daughter out of school when I wanted to go on a vacation with her. I felt it was no ones business but my own on what I do.

[crystalblue0610]

I always wondering about this too since so many go on cruises throughout the year. Me, I preferred not to miss school so I never did. In a way, I REALLY wanted to go on a cruise in high school but now that I'm in college I think I'll appreciate it more.

 

I'm only missing the first week of summer school which is a no big deal class that I'm taking just to get ahead for the fall and my professor is being really helpful.

 

But I'm glad that my first cruise is when I'm an adult...no Camp Carnival for me:D