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

[Nightwind]

We took our kids out...permanently. We were tired of 4+ hours of pointless homework a night. In 4th and 6th grades! Stuff like coloring pictures. Yeah, that teaches them some important things! :rolleyes: Tired of watching them fall farther and farther behind, despite endless parent/teacher and parent/principal conferences about it, and the schools not being equipped to handle learning-disabled kids. Tired of the school counselor urging Ritalin on a kid who isn't AD/HD, just severely-dyslexic-but-intelligent and completely frustrated with "dummy classes." He's 11 but was reading at a second-grade level at the end of school last year and his math was suffering from the fact that he always transposed numbers when copying problems.. So, out both kids went. We homeschool now. Severely dyslexic kid now reads at 5th-grade level, after just 6 months of intense work with him, two of them with a private dyslexia specialist, and is learning pre-algebra when the schools were having trouble teaching him two-digit by two-digit addition. Enough said.

 

The bonus is that we can cruise/vacation whenever we want. And the bonus of that is that we can tailor school to the places that we're traveling to, so that the kids know some stuff about the places they're going before they get there. For instance, they knew much about the history, culture, geography, wildlife, etc. of the Turks & Caicos Islands before they visited Grand Turk earlier this month. Homeschooling is hard, but the rewards are vastly worth it! Nothing compares to one-on-one attention, especially for learning-disabled kids. And...I'll get off my soapbox now. :) I just have little love for the public school system, I'm afraid, especially now with the emphasis on standardized testing.

 

Suffice it to say that there is far more to education that what a kid can learn in a week in school, and if the kids were still in school, I'd have no hesitation about taking them out for a week. Or more. It should be the parents' decision, anyway, not the school's.

[Catrin]

When my oldest son was three and four, we promised that those would be the last years of us taking vacations other than school vacations.....

 

BUT>>>> within a year, we realized that was not going to be the case. We have taken our kids out of school several times, and never regretted the choice. We only get two weeks a year, and yes, we are selfish. We decided to go on our cruises at off peak weeks to avoid crowds, high prices etc. The time that we have spent together as a family, experiencing different cultures and learning has been extremely rewarding to my kids. It is those times that they will remember forever.

We have been lucky so far, that the teachers, although they do not approve, have been supportive and provided homework and extra assignments for the kids.

 

We are going again this May.... taking our now 6th and 3rd graders out. Maybe by the time High School hits we will feel differently, but for now we are happy with our decision. BTW< our kids are A & B Students.

Catrin

[Knights on the Beach]

Typically, no, but we did take them out one year for a couple days. The cruise was for Thanksgiving week and they only missed two days of school as the other days were school holidays. It wasn't to save money (although I was surprised it was considerably less than a week during summer), but to cruise with extended family during the holiday. I don't regret it, and if circumstances were the same, I'd do it again.

 

I would NOT take them out of school during a time that there wouldn't be a lot of other kids onboard -- that's just wrong (for them as well as all the adult guests hoping for less kids). :p

[steveNcindy]

Yes, I will take the kids out of school for a vacation.

 

I figure when they are older they are much more likely to remember the week spent with family on vacation than what they did in math or english class had they stayed behind.

 

Like another poster said, Make memories with your kids.

[BeachTeach]

This is coming from a 2nd grade teacher. Wow, for those of you who think that taking your kids out for a week is ok you are nuts! Do you understand how much learning is lost in that week??? I know you all think "oh we can do the work with our child" or "we'll do the homework on the plane". Your kids are still missing the actual lesson which is the most important part. They are also missing out on grades too. If you take your kids out of school then maybe a day before break is ok. But a week is way too much. Taking your kids out of school to get a lower rate is not right.

[steveNcindy]

Wow, for those of you who think that taking your kids out for a week is ok you are nuts!

 

I guess I am nuts then.

 

I am certain though that my daughter and son will far longer remember and value our family vacations, regardless of when they were taken, than what they missed during that one week away from school.

[zqvol]

In our area if student miss three days during a semester, no matter what age, the actual time has to be physically made up after school, or they are back in that same grade the next year.

 

This includes illness, funerals, etc. There is no way that anyone here takes one out of school for a vacation.

[zqvol]

In our area if student miss three days during a semester, no matter what age, the actual time has to be physically made up after school, or they are back in that same grade the next year.

 

This includes illness, funerals, etc. There is no way that anyone here takes one out of school for a vacation.

[groffo2]

The teacher's Union holds their annual convention and meeting in early November. My argument for going on our cruise that same week is that the teacher's union could hold the meeting during the summer months-but chose to hold it during the school year.

 

Secondly, we are in farming, and in NJ you only get summer months t farm, so our family vacations occur in winter, usually coinciding with a break/holiday.

[cruisinqt]

My heart really goes out to you, I once mentioned on these boards that I occasionally took my kids out of school for a few days for a cruise. I got "flamed" royally.:eek: People were all over me! This is a VERY touchy subject for people, it's almost like the abortion issue, people get VERY hot over it and have very strong feelilngs about it.

 

That being said, I really, really, believe this is a case by case situation. There is no pat "yes" or "no" answer to this question. It all depends on many factors. How does your teacher or school feel about it? What about the laws, will you get in legal trouble? Also, how do you present the situation to your child so he understands your reasoning? And most important, will it effect your childs grades or cause him to get behind in school?

 

Everyone's situation is unique and different people will have different answers to those above questions. I work in our school and got the go ahead from both my children's teachers and the principal. :) After hearing how the kids while in Camp Carnival would learn about Mayan indians and build teepee's before we explored ruins in Cozumel, the principal was all for it. In Camp Carnival the kids always learn something educational about each port before we dock there. And while in each port we learn something interesting and educational about that island's culture.

 

We've taken our kids out of school numerous times for cruises and it had no ill effects. Their grades didn't suffer, they had no legal woes, and their teachers usually had them do oral reports on what they learned about other cultures for a grade. Overall, it worked for us, but like I said, every situation is unique and NONE of us should judge anyone else because we are NOT in their shoes and do not know the particulars about their unique situation.;)

[maddea20]

If I can just add my $.02 in here. I think the few people who think taking kids out of school for a week is crazy should really look at the big picture. A kid, esp a kid in elementary school is not really missing out on anything, esp if there making the work up anyways. Too say that it's wrong to take your kids out for a week I think is a lil harsh and really of no one's concern but that family. Too many people here in America look so deep into things and complain and moan and can't believe what others are doing. Don't worry about it. Just be concerned with your own family and well being.

[zqvol]

In our area if student miss three days during a semester, no matter what age, the actual time has to be physically made up after school, or they are back in that same grade the next year.

 

This includes illness, funerals, etc. There is no way that anyone here takes one out of school for a vacation.

[cruise_pirate]

I guess I am nuts then.

 

I am certain though that my daughter and son will far longer remember and value our family vacations, regardless of when they were taken, than what they missed during that one week away from school.

 

 

I'm with you , (NUTS) we have NO problem taking our son out of school for a week he gets a A's and we get his work a few weeks in advance for the week he will miss and does all of his makeup work before we go. We let his teacher know right off the bat we are traveling out of the country and they seem all for it they often ask for him to do an extra credit report on the different countries he visited and for us it is a Win Win situation. He knows if his grades are not good he does not go so it also gives him incentive to do well during the rest of the year to earn a bed on the ship.:)

[Riley's Mom]

I guess I am nuts then.

 

I am certain though that my daughter and son will far longer remember and value our family vacations, regardless of when they were taken, than what they missed during that one week away from school.

 

 

I totally agree with you. We lost a son to cancer and beleive me ,family time is far more important than school time.. Maybe this makes me a bad parent but I don't think so.. We take our kids out of school every April for a week cruise. This is "our" vacation time,. always has been..We have baseball/cheerleading in the summer ,plus it is just too darn hot to go to the caribbean in the summer.

 

As long as my kids don't have any unexcused absences during the year it is not a problem with the schools. Each of their schools allow 10 unexcused absences each year. They do their makeup work and have never had a problem.

 

Another plus with cruising in April is there are not too many other kids on board..such as spring break week..

 

Just my thoughts,

Carla

[GoinCruisin]

shut up please. when your kid gets in school and you have an understanding -- we'll talk.

 

Are you also teaching your children to tell people to shut up when they meet someone that has a differing opinion???? WOW!!! What grade are you in?? :p The poster you FLAMED just stated an opinion... I saw nothing wrong with that post. Everyone has a right to their opinion, without the fear of being told to SHUT UP because YOU don't like it :rolleyes: And many of us grew up taking vacations during the 3 months of "vacation" we were given by the school system, and we turned out just fine. Our schools systems here take education very seriously and if you miss x number of days, you fail... period. The no child left behind act has caused MANY school districts to crack down. But to tell someone to shut up because they take it seriously??? Is this what we are to teach the children???? What makes you think he'll change his mind?? PLENTY of parents don't pull their kids out of school for vacation... plenty grin and bear it, and go on vacation during the kids vacation time (which there is PLENTY of)... it's an individual decision and just because everyone doesn't do what you do, doesn't make them wrong.

[kiwihotchocolate]

As a high school sophomore, I've been very interested in these responses. I'm currently in a year-long research and presentation class, and my topic of choice is travel and the tourism industry. I've incorporated quite a bit of cruise information, and I know this topic is one of significant discussion and debate. I've also been looking at cruise rates, and I was amazed at the price drop for off-season cruises. For the past couple of family vacations, I've been doing my own research beforehand to find the best options and prices, so the cheaper cruise rates definitely made me consider suggesting an off-season cruise to my parents. As mentioned before, there are numerous factors involved in whether parents take their children out of school. However, I know that it would be hard for me to make up the work missed because of my personal schedule. My math and chemistry classes depend on lectures, and my language class is based on presentations. I'm also copy editor of the yearbook, and it would be hard for me to take much home in that class. I have friends who take vacations during the school year, and I would love to be able to take advantage of the benefits of cruising off-season; however, with the structure of my schedule, I know this would be difficult for me. Again, though, the decision to pull children out of school depends on numerous aspects -- including the ages of the children, the ability and ease of making up missed work and the school's guidelines -- and it's not up to me to decide this for a family. :)

[BeachTeach]

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.

[citcatt1]

I wasn't going to take my son out of school until I started checking airfare for April vacation and discovered it was about $2000.00 dollars, compared to $600.00 any other time.:( :eek:

[starketcher]

This is a moot point for us since my son is now a 19 y/o. I did take him from class a few times over the years...maybe 3-4. There is much more to education than what is learned in a classroom.

[BeachTeach]

I guess another reason I have a problem with this is testing. We have test every quarter on what is taught in the classroom. If a child misses a week then that's lots of info that is missed. The child scores low and the teachers look bad.

 

Stupid city and state testing. Thanks No Child Left Behind............

[PACURN]

I have to agree with Pisces11 (us Pisces think alike). I really didn't want to take my son (11th grade) out of school, but the cruise I recently booked happens to fall 1/2 on school vacation and 1/2 during school days. What are you going to do? Things happen. I think the younger they are the easier it is, but as long as his grades are OK and he hasn't missed many days then what's the big deal? Life's too short. Enjoy the time you have with your kids!!

 

I had to do the same thing on the last cruise I took to Hawaii. The sailing dates didn't match up to the vacation dates. They both had packets of work that had to be completed when they returned to school. My youngest is in 4th and the oldest in 6th. It all worked out. Most of the time I plan trips on their breaks.

[westmich]

Our kids are great students and one of the lessons we've chosen to teach them is that you can do a lot of fun things - as long as you're prepared to work for it.

.....Our kids make it a point to have even better grades when they've missed time - they want to cruise again to.

 

We used to take our older son out of school for a week-long vacation, throughout his school years. He has been to Florida, England, Croatia, and Rome. We always asked if he could get school-work ahead of time, which he completed. A good student, his grades never suffered.

 

A few years ago, I started teaching middle school. I never mind if students take time off as long as they have decent grades and make up the work within a week of their return. When they ask, I will try to have their work ready ahead of time. Unfortunately, sometimes my plans are not in place (or copies are not back from the copy center), and I am unable to get them all the materials they need before hand. It only bothers me when a D or worse student is taken out of school, for this usually means they will fail the marking period... Unfortunately, all teachers do not feel this way. However, I say take advantage of the cheaper rates, hold your child accountable to get their work done, and enjoy your family time!

[addicted2cruizin]

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?"

 

The teachers in my children's school district have quite a few personal days a year...who's to say they don't use those to take a week off during the year to cruise?:rolleyes:

[zachnlucy]

Golly. If a kid is a straight A student and his/her teacher gives the okay, what the heck is the problem with taking them out of school for a family vacation? My kids (now 10, 10 and 12) have fantastic memories of past vacations and talk about them often. Yes, we usually take one vacation during the school year, and one during the summer. Their teachers always give them a bunch of work to take with them and it's always done when they return to school. A family that stays bonded is just as important (sometimes more so) as school.

[honeywell]

I don't take my kids out of school just to get a lower rate on my holiday.

 

However, I do take them out - complete with homework assignments, reading and writing journals, art supplies, etc. - if it is the ony time we can go. Or I have taken them out two days extra at Thanksgiving to travel during the week. Leaving Saturday to go snowskiing and yep, taking them out of school. Paying more to cruise during their spring break in March than I would another time.