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

[njs]

I know what was said at the beginning of the thread... but not sure what that has to do with your post, condemning teachers that would do the same (going on vacation during the school year) I was referring to ONLY the posts that seemed to condemn teachers for doing the exact same thing parents wanted to do... I was not replying to the OP, or any of the other posts... I thought that was clear, I'm sorry it wasn't. I guess you wouldn't have felt that way or had that opinion had teachers not said what they did? I disagreed with your post that stated teachers should be punished if they took vacation during the school year.... they do it, and are not punished, nor should they be if they have approval from the school board, not the parents.

 

I stand corrected:o I guess I responded to the sarcasm of the post when the question was initially asked , but it was b/c I was having trouble getting around the fact that someone who was condemning parents for taking kids out of school was then asking about being allowed to do the same thing. I thot she was being sarcastic- hence my response. In our school system teachers do not take time off during the school year for trips (unless it is a school trip ) so was unaware that this is allowed elsewhere.

[njs]

sorry double post

I guess in my haste to enter my apology I hit the reply twice

Lest you think I am anti-teachers, I can tell you I am not. I volunteer for library help/research resource/ field trips/ bake sales etc when able

[Mrsosci]

Oh my gosh !!! I can not believe some of the comments on this thread. It has turned into an all out war.

 

I have been teaching 25 years. Sorry but taking your child out of school for any reason is a problem. They do miss out. Some of the posts on this thread make it sound like they don't do a thing in school. Wonder why kids go? Must be good for something. You seem to be able to write posts, use excellent verbs, adjectives, and are able to read the other posts. Perhaps you learned some of that in school?

 

Currently I have 6 different students out on vacations. Parents want the assignments 2 weeks in advance so work can be done BEFORE they go. That's impossible to do since we haven't learned the material yet. When they return they expect extra help to get caught up or lessons redone because their child doesn't understand. I tried giving assignments that fit the trip - most times parents do it or it is so poorly done.

 

If you want to take your children out that's your choice. Just know the consequences. I have yet to see students who return just jump right back in and know the material. Just don't tell me they don't miss anything.

 

Last summer on Liberty our CC bunch were mainly teachers who waited until vacation to go.

[BeachTeach]

And if the parents don't do what u suggest then what?

 

I would try to get the work together but if I don't have time oh well for them.

[hubofhockey]

Oh my gosh !!! I can not believe some of the comments on this thread. It has turned into an all out war.

 

I have been teaching 25 years. Sorry but taking your child out of school for any reason is a problem. They do miss out. Some of the posts on this thread make it sound like they don't do a thing in school. Wonder why kids go? Must be good for something. You seem to be able to write posts, use excellent verbs, adjectives, and are able to read the other posts. Perhaps you learned some of that in school?

 

Currently I have 6 different students out on vacations. Parents want the assignments 2 weeks in advance so work can be done BEFORE they go. That's impossible to do since we haven't learned the material yet. When they return they expect extra help to get caught up or lessons redone because their child doesn't understand. I tried giving assignments that fit the trip - most times parents do it or it is so poorly done.

 

If you want to take your children out that's your choice. Just know the consequences. I have yet to see students who return just jump right back in and know the material. Just don't tell me they don't miss anything.

 

Last summer on Liberty our CC bunch were mainly teachers who waited until vacation to go.

 

Don't you think that when teachers criticize parents, that is about as big of an insult as you can give to a parent? Do you understand why parents would react as they have here? As a parent, I see a very arrogant attitude on this thread on the part of many teachers.

[GoinCruisin]

Don't you think that when teachers criticize parents, that is about as big of an insult as you give to a parent? Do you understand why parents would react as they have here? As a parent, I see a very arrogant attitude on this thread on the part of many teachers.

 

There has been plenty of arrogance on BOTH sides of this argument... not just the teachers. I've seen the insults on both sides... I've seen the lack of respect on both sides. I've seen alot of parents just blow off any extra work it places on the teachers, or the disruption it causes...Only teachers know exactly what they have to do and go through, what extra work is created, etc. But don't pretend that the arrogance is only coming from the teachers. They carry quite a burden... educating our youth, educating our future... Nobody understands what they go through except them... I will say that this thread has definitely shown a lack of respect by many... the no child left behind act has made their jobs even tougher...

[Ladydee]

It depends on the kids. I am lucky that both my daughters are straight A students. I don't think twice about taking them out of school for a family vacation. However, if I thought they couldn't handle it or it would put undue stress on them to make up the work, I wouldn't do it.

[lyttleone1977]

I plan on taking my children out of school this October. My daughter will only be in kindergarten, but my son will be in 3rd grade. I look at the fact that how many kids his age will ever have the opprotunity to see the Panama Canal, or see where bananas come from. I know that this will be a vacation, but they are both going to be taking their homework with them (work on it to keep them occupied at dinner) and he can keep a journal of his experiences to write a report when he gets home. He will learn more about these countries in a matter of a couple of days then reading about them in a book over a year.

 

If we were just going to go lay on a beach it would be different.

 

Not all of us have the freedom to be able to travel during the summer, even though our children are out of school.

[hubofhockey]

There has been plenty of arrogance on BOTH sides of this argument... not just the teachers. I've seen the insults on both sides... I've seen the lack of respect on both sides. I've seen alot of parents just blow off any extra work it places on the teachers, or the disruption it causes...Only teachers know exactly what they have to do and go through, what extra work is created, etc. But don't pretend that the arrogance is only coming from the teachers. They carry quite a burden... educating our youth, educating our future... Nobody understands what they go through except them... I will say that this thread has definitely shown a lack of respect by many, and when the teachers are gone, just what will we do??

 

I won't pretend that the arrogance is coming from teachers. It is!!!! The first couple pages of this thread was criticism by teachers of parents for taking their kids out of school. I took it as nothing less than parents being labeled as "bad parents" harming their children for the almighty dollar. That's the biggest insult and the theme has driven so many parents up a wall. Some teachers had the gall to compare taking kids out of school with teachers taking off for a week. I have never seen such specious arguments. Comparing teachers with children is nothing less than silly and ridiculous. As the previous post suggested, all kids are different and all situations are different. However, your prior post was also filled with generalities. As a teacher, you ought to know better than to generalize. I don't think any parent has suggested that it's a good thing that their children miss classes. Most of us do our best to mitigate under the circumstances and turn the experience into a positive one for our families and children. We're not bad parents. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, if money were no object to parents, most of us would love to send our kids to the finest private prep schools around. Money is an object and a factor and that goes for vacations choices as well as choice of schools. We like to think we do our best as parents for our children. I am very grateful that my kids' teachers don't frown upon us taking our kids out and help us with materials and topics the kids are missing. They do it with a smile and not a value judgment.

[GoinCruisin]

I won't pretend that the arrogance is coming from teachers. It is!!!! The first couple pages of this thread was criticism by teachers of parents for taking their kids out of school. I took it as nothing less than parents being labeled as "bad parents" harming their children for the almighty dollar. That's the biggest insult and the theme has driven so many parents up a wall. Some teachers had the gall to compare taking kids out of school with teachers taking off for a week. I have never seen such specious arguments. Comparing teachers with children is nothing less than silly and ridiculous. As the previous post suggested, all kids are different and all situations are different. However, your prior post was also filled with generalities. As a teacher, you ought to know better than to generalize. I don't think any parent has suggested that it's a good thing that their children miss classes. Most of us do our best to mitigate under the circumstances and turn the experience into a positive one for our families and children. We're not bad parents. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, if money were no object to parents, most of us would love to send our kids to the finest private prep schools around. Money is an object and a factor and that goes for vacations choices as well as choice of schools. We like to think we do our best as parents for our children. I am very grateful that my kids' teachers don't frown upon us taking our kids out and help us with materials and topics the kids are missing. They do it with a smile and not a value judgment.

 

Wait a minute... when did I become a teacher???? (but I am glad I wasn't on vacation the day they taught us not to assume :D) You seem to think that anyone that disagreed is a teacher... alot of the posts on the first few pages were not from teachers. Like I said, I could care less what you do with your kids... but there have been many slams at the teachers in this thread as well. There have actually been very few teachers post in this thread.

[GoinCruisin]

BTW, I believe there were all of 2 teachers that posted in the first 3 pages of this thread...

[realtreebar]

i wish we were able to go in the summer but we take our child out for 8 days every january. we talk with the teacher every year at the begining of the school year, so its no big SUPRISE when we go in january. i tell the teacher in november to remind him/her that we are going on this family vacation in january, as we talked about at the begining of the school year. this way the teacher has ample time to prepare home work and such. i agree that the child does not come back and pick up where they left off! but some people home school, some people think its wrong to take kids out of school,and some just do not care either way!! but my self think that i am not going to go any where with out my child. i want her to learn about the world and see all the places my parents were too LAZY or SELFISH to take me to when i was a child. i see this a lot as i own a bar and resturant and see lots of parents that would rather go out and party and call the 4th of july celabration fun when all you have in the cooler is beer and you stop by the house to pick up the kids at twilite! or you stay at the bar all week as you took vacation in the summer and the idea of vacation is PARTY!! right wrong or otherwise enjoy those kids you have and let them seek adventure take them along it is still learning even if they are not behind a desk. the biggest problem i have faced is that the people that think my child should not go on these trips is either jealousy or just controling!! just my 2 cents

[GoinCruisin]

Edumacation is impotent :D

[realtreebar]

Edumacation is impotent :D true very true! but is life not just that in it self?

[GoinCruisin]

Edumacation is impotent :D true very true! but is life not just that in it self?

 

I'm afraid I don't understand??? :confused:

[realtreebar]

an education

[RockerWife]

Our family has homeschooled for the last 16 years so fortunately for us, pulling them out of school is not an issue. We do have to reschedule things like piano lessons and Math tutor but it is certainly never a problem.

 

My kids have been able to do things they wouldn't normally be able to do if they were in school, public or private. I just feel sorry for the parents who have different kids on different tracks!

[VentureMan_2000]

Our family has homeschooled for the last 16 years so fortunately for us, pulling them out of school is not an issue.

 

 

Can you squeel like a little piggy...?

[arf2005]

BTW, I believe there were all of 2 teachers that posted in the first 3 pages of this thread...

 

One of the two who posted in the first 3 pages said that he/she felt it was a decision best left to parents. How is that arrogance on the part of teachers in the first part of this thread? Your argument regarding the arrogance of teachers on this thread doesn't hold any weight njs. Go back and reread what you have referenced.

[dyslexic pirate]

My son who is in the 7th grade is so excited about our cruise that starts Sunday.

 

His teachers were delighted that he gets to go on the cruise. All week he's been getting his advance homework slip filled out. Ironically 3 of his seven teachers will also be on vacation next week and told him not to worry about homework as the subs will just have the kids doing "study packets." (busywork)

 

His grades have really improved this year the closer we got to the cruise date as he wanted to make sure his teachers would not be upset with him taking an extra week of school off.

[arf2005]

Edumacation is impotent :D true very true! but is life not just that in it self?

 

If that's the case, then we don't have to worry about edumacating a new generation - and the OP's question would never be asked!

[hubofhockey]

Wait a minute... when did I become a teacher???? (but I am glad I wasn't on vacation the day they taught us not to assume :D) You seem to think that anyone that disagreed is a teacher... alot of the posts on the first few pages were not from teachers. Like I said, I could care less what you do with your kids... but there have been many slams at the teachers in this thread as well. There have actually been very few teachers post in this thread.

 

It doesn't make a difference whether you're a teacher, you generalized and sought to impose your values on others. Whether posts come from teachers or others who somehow know what is best for someone else's kids, it's simply arrogance for you to believe you have all of the answers.

 

There may have been only a few users on this thread who claim to be teachers. But those posts stick out as the most judgmental, overly critical, self-centered, and arrogant posts I've seen. As far as slams at teachers go, I haven't seen them. Despite my disagreeing with the teacher posts on this thread, the teachers in my kids' school have been great about this topic and extremely helpful. It's to the point in our younger grades that teachers consider it part of the process that parents will take kids out for the week. If it's an exception rather than the rule, it's a very large exception. Also, as I wrote earlier in the thread, if money were no object in my household, I would be sending my kids to a top private school. I don't consider myself selfish for buying a house in nice neighborhood. Sure I could live in a less desirable neighborhood or town and then have been able to afford private school tuition. I guess it's a selfish choice I made at the expense of my children's educations.

[kgk]

We all have way too much free time... Happy cruising to all (with or without kids)

[njs]

I was just wondering how many people actually take their kid's out of school to get the cheaper rates. If you do, how do their teachers react?

 

Wow, you really pushed a hot button here. Perhaps it was because you asked if people take kids out of school for the cheaper rate. :confused: A number do take them out of school, but I think alot do so because of parent work schedules/or difference in sibling break times.

 

Since your initial question was listed as a poll, but there was no poll to input, I went thru the posts to give you an idea (my interpretation of answers, please dont flame me if I read some wrongly)

 

18 - 20 posters disagree with taking kids out of school (a few had done in the past, but said they wouldnt presently)

 

50 (or a few more maybe) said they had taken kids out of school (for various reasons

 

Most would agree that the parent's decision should be made with ability and marks as a factor (also primary vs middle/secondary/post secondary education)

[madisonswims]

I do pull my daughter out of school. She does do independent study, so she does not miss any of her lessons.

 

I don't feel bad about this because I truly believe that she is learning so much on trips. She is exposed to other cultures, learns about geography, history, different architectures, etc.