For those who have actually taken their children out of school

[Ellanora]

To lighten this up a little, is there anyone out there who will admit to taking their child out of school and say their child is a lousy student. Why is it for 13 years I have been on this board, no one has a child who is not an A or B student.

 

LOL. Good point, although I think it is quite possible that parents who work hard enough in life to afford to take their families on cruises tend to have kids who generally do well in school, due to the example set. :o

[KerCar]

To lighten this up a little, is there anyone out there who will admit to taking their child out of school and say their child is a lousy student. Why is it for 13 years I have been on this board, no one has a child who is not an A or B student.

 

Hmmm. . .I guess there really is a positive correlation between parents who travel with their children and good grades;)

 

Flagger:

 

Here's what I intend to write to DS's teacher:

 

Dear x:

 

x will be out of school from May x-x. We will be taking part in a three generation family cruise. As previously discussed, we will make up all missed homework upon our return and do a journal assignment while we are away. In addition to the journal, we intend on making our trip a learning experience for x by exposing him to the culture and traditions of the places we visit. Please forward this letter to the school nurse so x's whereabouts will be accounted for during his absence. I will call the school's attendance hotline the day before we leave. I would love to set up a time to come in once we return to help x share our experiences with the class.

 

 

Sincerely,

[sunrise&set]

To lighten this up a little, is there anyone out there who will admit to taking their child out of school and say their child is a lousy student. Why is it for 13 years I have been on this board, no one has a child who is not an A or B student.

 

My DD is a B student with an occasional A or C. She took her midterm exams last month and did very poorly on her Science exam and it was just a few days after making final payment. I was so tempted to not let her go, and also nervous about now telling her principal/teachers that I'm taking her out for a week! I won't be doing this again, it's just the way it worked out this time. Her perfect attendance was definitely a factor.

[mindy2]

Hello.........first time poster on this board, but would like to comment on this post.

 

I would think that a child in Kindergarten would be fine to miss two weeks of school, of course by the sounds of it some schools have some very different policies than we do in Canada.

 

I took my kids out of school a few years ago to take them to an all-inclusive in the Mayan Riviera. It was during Spring Break and we went for two weeks, therefore they missed a week of school. I had a son in grade 10 and another in grade 8. I made sure that all their work was up to date when we left and they did not take any work with them. The teachers did not give them any, and I for one, do not think doing a bunch of homework on a vacation is a vacation. The son that was in grade 10 is an average student and missed so much in that week, that he struggled for the rest of the year. Honestly, it was horrendous.

 

So, that being said I would not do that again. The average son is now in college and my younger is an A student in grade 10 in advanced classes. But there is no way I'd have either of them miss school for a vacation again. We have planned our first cruise for Dec/08 when both will be out of school for xmas. I'm really hoping there'll be enough to keep my 18 year old occupied as I'm sure this will be the last time he'll vacation with mom & dad for a very long time.

[sdfamily]

I take my kids out of school all the time for vacations. Of course, they are still young - 1st and 3rd grade.

 

In our district it's a matter of funding from the state. We're in San Diego county in California. If a sick child misses school, they don't get paid from the state. If you are missing school for vacation, and don't tell them in advance, they don't get paid. BUT, if you tell them in advance, their teacher can write an 'independent study contract', have it "approved" by the principal and then they still get paid from the state. No big deal.

 

Your cruise is from San Diego, so maybe this will apply to you.

[lovemylife]

My dd is in 6th grade, my ds, in 3rd. I actually just finished typing letters to both kid's principals for our Spring Break trip. In our school district in NC, I had to write letters explaining the educational opportunities that will be available in each port. Now it's up to the principal to decide whether or not to excuse the absence. My kids really do get all A's, so even if the absence is not excused, and they can't make up the work they miss, they aren't going to fail. (I'm pretty sure they'll be excused)

Have a great time planning!!

 

I actually have one more thought for the op regarding my experience with my daughter, I'll come back after ds is in bed!:)

[lovemylife]

We went to Disney at the end of September when my daughter was in pre-k, for a little over a week. Great trip, teachers were totally supportive, the trouble started when we got home.

 

She had trouble "finding her place" within the class. The other little girls got used to her being gone, school hadn't been in session that long, so she hadn't had time to form close friendships, and when we got back, they weren't that interested in her any more.

 

If I had it to do over again, I would have had her keep in touch with her classmates, (by email). I know it can be pricey, but if you get her teacher involved, she can exchange emails with her class, which will help her transition back after your trip. JMHO:D Have fun!

[dolphinwyo]

Just a few devil's advocate questions:

 

Many of you spoke of cherished memories of family vacations. Is there any reason (besides cost) why these memories need to be created during the school year instead of vacation?

 

Do you lie to the school about the reason for the absence? If so, how do you explain that to your child? (and please don't think they haven't figured it out, especially if you have to coach them about what to say)

 

How do you explain to your child that a family vacation is more important than education? And when you start receiving truancy notices from the high school in a few years, will you accept Junior's explanation that a day at the lake was a better use of his time than a day in school?

 

If you consider cruising educational (a dubious proposition at best), why is it not educational during school vacations, but only during the school year?

 

Do you consider the effect on your child's educational progress? Missing a week in elementary school may seem minor (after all, what's the big deal about missing the 2's times tables?). But primary school is about teaching foundational material, and what seems like a very slow pace to us adults is highly challenging to them.

 

Do you consider the effect your child's voluntary absence has on the teacher, who must often do extra work to accomodate your vacation?

 

Is there any reason -- besides cost and crowd avoidance -- why a cruise must be taken during the school year? If those are good enough reasons to pull your kid out of school, don't try to rationalize to yourself that your trip is about education. Admit that it's about you. ;)

 

 

We have taken our daughter out for a week of K and an upcoming week of 1st grade, but our reason is because of restraints at work. We have to take a vacation when my DH's work allows, and it doesn't always match up with school vacation periods. We absolutely cannot travel in summer, due to his work. I am sure there are MANY valid reasons that you may not be aware of - let's not start judging.....the OP wanted positive comments on how it worked out for people who did take kids out.

[CanadianTwosome]

Just a few devil's advocate questions:

 

Many of you spoke of cherished memories of family vacations. Is there any reason (besides cost) why these memories need to be created during the school year instead of vacation?

 

Yes. Due to scheduling restrictions, seniority issues, and obligations that either my husband or I could not miss, we could not travel during elementary school holidays on our most recent trips.

 

Do you lie to the school about the reason for the absence? If so, how do you explain that to your child? (and please don't think they haven't figured it out, especially if you have to coach them about what to say)

 

We live in Canada, where travelling with family is an excused absence. I have no need to lie and certainly would never instruct my child to do so. While I would make every effort to move if I found myself in an area where I was not allowed to make my own decisions concerning my child, in the meantime we would follow the rules.

 

How do you explain to your child that a family vacation is more important than education? And when you start receiving truancy notices from the high school in a few years, will you accept Junior's explanation that a day at the lake was a better use of his time than a day in school?

 

This is not something I have to explain to my child, since I do not believe missing a week of school is the same as 'education not being important'. We stress in our home that our daughter's 'job' is school, and as such, we expect her to attend every day just like we do, and when we plan a vacation, we give her school and teacher (we inform the office and the teacher both) the same respect that we do our employers. I believe that a very important aspect of formal education is learning how to function in environments that resemble a workplace, and learning how to handle absences, whether planned or unplanned, is part of that learning. We do not 'skip' work to go to the lake, nor do we call in if we are not sick, so why would our child think that was okay? Even at nine, she is capable of comprehending the difference between driving in a car for twenty minutes (which can be accomplished on a Saturday) and flying in a plane all day for a week in a foreign country (or on a cruise ship).

 

If you consider cruising educational (a dubious proposition at best), why is it not educational during school vacations, but only during the school year?

 

Why would you think that we (my husband and I, because I can only speak for us) would not consider an educational experience just as educational at any time it is available? That's silly. Our reasons for travelling outside of scheduled holidays have nothing to do with what we feel is educational about those travels.

 

Do you consider the effect on your child's educational progress? Missing a week in elementary school may seem minor (after all, what's the big deal about missing the 2's times tables?). But primary school is about teaching foundational material, and what seems like a very slow pace to us adults is highly challenging to them.

 

Of course we consider the effect on our child's progress. Again, I can only speak for us and we can only make decisions for our child. At the moment, she is ahead of her class in many of the subjects and caught up in all the others, even though she missed school in January for our last holiday and she's been sick with a throat infection for the last week. I may not be able to say that in three years, but if that is the case, then I won't be taking her out of school. By the way, I think it IS a big deal to miss the 2's times tables. As foundational material goes, multiplication is one of the most important concepts in mathematics. As for the 'slow pace', that depends on the child. As I said, we can only evaluate our own.

 

Do you consider the effect your child's voluntary absence has on the teacher, who must often do extra work to accomodate your vacation?

 

Again, of course we do. We were unable to discuss our last trip in any detail with our daughter's current teacher, since he started the first day of classes in the new year, which was only three days before we left. We did not expect him to do any extra work, and he hasn't. We accepted responsibility for any additional attention our daughter needed upon her return. She didn't need any. The only thing that she was actually behind on when we got back was a book they'd started while we were away, and she still finished reading it before most of the other students.

 

Is there any reason -- besides cost and crowd avoidance -- why a cruise must be taken during the school year? If those are good enough reasons to pull your kid out of school, don't try to rationalize to yourself that your trip is about education. Admit that it's about you.

 

There are many reasons, and they vary among travellers. Yup, it's about us. In our case, it's about our schedules and the difficulties we have finding the time when both of us can get away at the same time. The fact that we put effort into making every experience we can somehow educational for our child doesn't mean we plan things solely with education in mind. That would be insane. I can't imagine what that sort of thing would do to a child's development. (then again, I don't recall ever reading a post that claimed that any vacation was booked for the purpose of education, which is quite different than finding educational value in a vacation booked for fun) We make a point of noticing things (all the time, not just on vacation) that we feel will help our daughter to understand her world, become the best person she can be, and support the fundamentals of learning. On our last trip, we saw the cliff divers in Acapulco. One of the things we took the opportunity to discuss was the various heights the divers climbed to and their proportional relationship to each other. We also made a point of talking about the fact that some of the boys who were there working were not much older than her, but had to earn a living while she was fortunate enough to be on a holiday. We tend to think that learning to be grateful for what she has and the freedoms and benefits of living in Canada is an extremely valuable lesson. :)

 

;)

 

Even though this has already been a long response, I want to address again the idea that missing a week of school to take a vacation somehow gives a child the idea that education is not important. One week in the context of an entire school year is, in my opinion, not enough to make such an assumption. I find this particular argument against taking children out of school for travel particularly illogical, since it is not single decisions that teach children, but how we behave year round. In the case of education, allowing a planned and informed absence is trivial compared to how a child is expected to act during the rest of the time when they are at home. If they are consistently required to attend every day unless sick, do their homework, respect their educators and classmates, and strive to do their best, THAT is what teaches a child that education is important. :)

 

Apologies for the long post.

[crusinmama06]

Just a few devil's advocate questions:

 

Many of you spoke of cherished memories of family vacations. Is there any reason (besides cost) why these memories need to be created during the school year instead of vacation?

 

Do you lie to the school about the reason for the absence? If so, how do you explain that to your child? (and please don't think they haven't figured it out, especially if you have to coach them about what to say)

 

How do you explain to your child that a family vacation is more important than education? And when you start receiving truancy notices from the high school in a few years, will you accept Junior's explanation that a day at the lake was a better use of his time than a day in school?

 

If you consider cruising educational (a dubious proposition at best), why is it not educational during school vacations, but only during the school year?

 

Do you consider the effect on your child's educational progress? Missing a week in elementary school may seem minor (after all, what's the big deal about missing the 2's times tables?). But primary school is about teaching foundational material, and what seems like a very slow pace to us adults is highly challenging to them.

 

Do you consider the effect your child's voluntary absence has on the teacher, who must often do extra work to accomodate your vacation?

 

Is there any reason -- besides cost and crowd avoidance -- why a cruise must be taken during the school year? If those are good enough reasons to pull your kid out of school, don't try to rationalize to yourself that your trip is about education. Admit that it's about you. ;)

 

OK, I'll bite ;)

 

We take cruises at all times of the year. Our last one was before school started, the one before during school. During the summer months, we travel to land vacations that we can't get to during the winter months.

 

Never had to lie to the school. When they were in private school I asked the principal if she'd mind that I took the girls out for cruises...she said "Why would I? I know where you are". When I switched them to public school, we have EXCUSED absences for FAMILY vacations. Specifically in the district's rule book it says that they believe in the importance of families taking vacations together. :)

 

It's educational that it at least shows my children that there is a world beyond the small little town that most of these kids around here are exposed to.

 

Extra work for the teacher? To date we haven't ever been given missing work when we take them out. They all say "Oh don't worry she can do it in class".

 

In the working world there is always extra work out there. Do you think I like getting calls from clients at 8pm every Thursday night and giving me details for ads that are deadlined for Friday morning, meaning I will be up till 2am to complete the work? But that's what I get paid to do...to take care of my clients requests. And teachers are paid to take care of the parent's request as long as it isn't totally off the wall.

 

Don't worry about the kids who have parents that taken them on vacations. They'll be fine.

[crusn2gethr]

OK, I'll bite ;)

 

We take cruises at all times of the year. Our last one was before school started, the one before during school. During the summer months, we travel to land vacations that we can't get to during the winter months.

 

Never had to lie to the school. When they were in private school I asked the principal if she'd mind that I took the girls out for cruises...she said "Why would I? I know where you are". When I switched them to public school, we have EXCUSED absences for FAMILY vacations. Specifically in the district's rule book it says that they believe in the importance of families taking vacations together. :)

 

It's educational that it at least shows my children that there is a world beyond the small little town that most of these kids around here are exposed to.

 

Extra work for the teacher? To date we haven't ever been given missing work when we take them out. They all say "Oh don't worry she can do it in class".

 

In the working world there is always extra work out there. Do you think I like getting calls from clients at 8pm every Thursday night and giving me details for ads that are deadlined for Friday morning, meaning I will be up till 2am to complete the work? But that's what I get paid to do...to take care of my clients requests. And teachers are paid to take care of the parent's request as long as it isn't totally off the wall.

 

Don't worry about the kids who have parents that taken them on vacations. They'll be fine.

 

 

Well put! That is all there is to say!!!!!!

[Cruisin' Chick]

Even though this has already been a long response, I want to address again the idea that missing a week of school to take a vacation somehow gives a child the idea that education is not important. One week in the context of an entire school year is, in my opinion, not enough to make such an assumption. I find this particular argument against taking children out of school for travel particularly illogical, since it is not single decisions that teach children, but how we behave year round. In the case of education, allowing a planned and informed absence is trivial compared to how a child is expected to act during the rest of the time when they are at home. If they are consistently required to attend every day unless sick, do their homework, respect their educators and classmates, and strive to do their best, THAT is what teaches a child that education is important. :)

 

Apologies for the long post.

 

Great answer.:)

[CanadianTwosome]

Thanks, Chick. From what I've seen on this board, ALL of the parents here are very concerned with their children's well being, with getting the most out of experiences for them, and with ensuring that their behaviour is the best it can be. From my perspective, that naturally translates into placing great importance on education, both in the classroom and in less formal environments. :)

[KC_fn]

I agree. But that doesn't answer my question about timing: Why can't the cruise be taken during a school break? That way the child could have the best of both worlds: formal instruction at school AND whatever educational benefits could be gained from a cruise.

[dkjretired]

I agree. But that doesn't answer my question about timing: Why can't the cruise be taken during a school break? That way the child could have the best of both worlds: formal instruction at school AND whatever educational benefits could be gained from a cruise.

 

Because in some cases the parents are unable to take vacations during regular school periods as they have job committments which prevent it. It is the same as those teachers who complain they can't take a cruise without going with a lot of children due to their work schedules.

 

Dare I say it which I'm sure many are thinking. With the state of education in the US why not take the kids out, they will probably learn more anyway.

[QuasiTova]

Oh, also, in Texas homeschooling is overseen by the state.

 

This is NOT true.

 

In Texas, homeschooling is not overseen by the state!!!

 

If you live in Texas, you are in the BEST state in the union for homeschooling! Just turn around three times, click your heels together, and say "My homeschool is a private school."

 

That's right! In Texas, homeschools are considered private schools. As such, they are not regulated in ANY way by the state! (Did you know that Texas private schools are completely unregulated? I'd bet some families spending a lot of money on private schools would be surprised to know that.)

 

Texas law basically states that as long as your school doesn't take state money, then the state cannot tell you what to do with your school. Homeschools and private schools are treated the same.

 

The state constitution clearly designates state powers to public schools only. Therefore, homeschooling is protected by the state constitution and has always been legal and unregulated. That hasn't stopped some of the school districts from trying to impose upon homeschoolers, however. So, in 1987, a group of homeschooling families filed a lawsuit against the Arlington Independent School District. The result was a three-measure standard that makes a Texas homeschool legal. This standard was upheld by the Texas Supreme Court in 1994. So what's a Texas homeschool?

Bona Fide -- Education should be occurring in a good faith manner, using a...

Curriculum -- Formal or informal, from any source, including video and computer or internet-based instruction, and teaching the following...

Required Subjects -- reading, spelling, grammar, math, and good citizenship (although there is no standard as to how these subjects should be taught).

 

That's it. There's no filing with the school district, no testing, no fees, no nothing!

 

The best part is that you are not required to prove that you are doing any of the above things!

 

Please note, that only a few schools have attempted to cause trouble for homeschooling parents. Do not go into the situation assuming you will have a difficult time. Many schools are understanding and aware of homeschooling in Texas, even if they do not necessarily agree with the choice.

 

You can keep as detailed or as relaxed records as you wish. If your children have college in their future, you will want to keep more detailed records for that purpose.

 

Texas private schools set their own standards for graduation! That means you too. If your children plan to attend college, then take a look at what your prospective colleges require in the way of high school credits and plan accordingly. The good news is that ALL of the major colleges and universities are actively recruiting homeschoolers because they tend to do very well in college studies.

[QuasiTova]

That is OUTRAGEOUS!! They are YOUR children not the STATES!!

 

Do not feel bad for giving your child an education outside of the classroom! Go and enjoy yourselves!:)

 

I agree 100%. Kids learn more from visiting other countries, and spending time with their family and friends EXPLORING the world than they do sitting in a classroom all day.

[QuasiTova]

I'm an investigator for CPS

 

So, for those of you who claim that parents "have the right" to "pull" their kids out of school for vacation- you're dead wrong, at least in my state.

I certainly don't advocate taking kids out of school for vacation, but if you have to do it, I say lie and say they're sick or something. You seriously don't want a visit from the state. You'll end up with them all over you for a year or longer.

 

A CPS investigators advice to parents?

"LIE" to the schools, and say your kids are sick... UGH!!!

[KC_fn]

Because in some cases the parents are unable to take vacations during regular school periods as they have job committments which prevent it.

 

Fair enough. Is this true for every poster on this thread who has taken, or is planning to take, their kids out of scheduled school in order to cruise?

 

 

I agree 100%. Kids learn more from visiting other countries, and spending time with their family and friends EXPLORING the world than they do sitting in a classroom all day.

 

Since you have such a low opinion of professional teachers, I assume that you home-school your kids.

 

And since you are obviously concerned about educating your children about the world, may I suggest a land-based vacation instead? A cruise is a week on a floating hotel/mall combined with a few hours at some sanitized tourist traps, and is a poor way to learn much about any culture. Fun and relaxing? -- absolutely! Educational? -- not so much.

[QuasiTova]

Originally Posted by crusn2gethr

I agree 100%. Kids learn more from visiting other countries, and spending time with their family and friends EXPLORING the world than they do sitting in a classroom all day.

 

Actually, it was ME who said that, not crusn2gethr.

 

Since you have such a low opinion of professional teachers, I assume that you home-school your kids.

 

Yes, I do... and very proud of it :)

 

And since you are obviously concerned about educating your children about the world, may I suggest a land-based vacation instead? A cruise is a week on a floating hotel/mall combined with a few hours at some sanitized tourist traps, and is a poor way to learn much about any culture. Fun and relaxing? -- absolutely! Educational? -- not so much.

 

As a matter of fact, this is the FIRST cruise we have ever taken. All of our other "adventures" HAVE been land-based. And, even this one is primarily land-based as well, since we will be traveling to Alaska for 21 days, and only on the cruise ship for 7. The only reason we decided to add the cruise into our plans was because we wanted to visit the port towns as well, and other than ferry, cruise ship is the only way to cost effectively visit them. Plus, there is still a lot to learn on a cruise ship too.

 

Everything is educational in it's own way... I guess it just depends on how you view things... and how you approach them.

[KC_fn]

QuasiTova:

 

Thank you for your reply, and sorry about the mis-attribution. This was my first attempt at multi-quoting, and obviously I need a little more practice! :D

 

I applaud you for home-schooling. I'm sure I don't have to give you the stats about how well home-schooled kids do in college and beyond. I wish I had your patience! Fortunately, my DD is in the IB program at an excellent public school and is getting a great education there, so we don't have to find out just what a miserable teacher Mom would be!

 

Of course, for you, school schedules are a non-issue. And I agree that 14 days on land in Alaska will be a very enriching, and indeed educational, experience for your young'un(s). I do hope you will find that the 7 days on the ship are great fun as well, but I'll be interested to know if you agree with other posters that they were educational. Please check back afterwards and let us know what you thought.

 

I'd be interested in hearing from other parents.

[crusinmama06]

 

I'd be interested in hearing from other parents.

 

KC I have to say that I have read your posts in the past and I know you are a very loving and sensible mom. You set rules. You do the absolute best for your daughter. And I usually agree with you 100%. So now we'll just have to say that I agree with you 99.8% of the time. :D ;)

 

I guess we just all come from different backgrounds and different beliefs. That's what makes this family board great.

 

My background, we traveled alot when I was a kid. Yes even during school times. I don't know if it was the traveling I did but now as an adult I have a very independent spirit. When I want to accomplish something, I just do it. When I wanted to create an ad agency at 25 and everyone said I was too young...I just did it. And the agency is still going strong 8 years later.

 

So since we are all spilling our guts and past history....did your parents travel alot with you when you were a child?

[QuasiTova]

Thank you for your reply, and sorry about the mis-attribution. This was my first attempt at multi-quoting, and obviously I need a little more practice! :D

 

No problem... I just didn't want that other person to think I was putting words in her mouth... lol :)

 

I applaud you for home-schooling. I'm sure I don't have to give you the stats about how well home-schooled kids do in college and beyond. I wish I had your patience! Fortunately, my DD is in the IB program at an excellent public school and is getting a great education there, so we don't have to find out just what a miserable teacher Mom would be!

 

Thank you... it definitely isn't for everyone, but I cannot even imagine another way of life for us.

 

As parents, we are teachers to our children every day... although sometimes there is a question of who is teaching who... lol

 

I swear I have learned more from homeschooling my daughter than I did when I was in school... I guess I am getting another chance to learn all that I slept through during those first 12 years.

 

Either way, we have fun... learning things TOGETHER... and my daughter ENJOYS learning... something I do not hear from many public school kids.

 

Last year, several of my daughters friends would BEG to come over to our house in the evenings to do "lessons" with us... even after they had been in school all day. One of the moms told me that her daughter was learning more from being at my house than she did in school, and practically begged me to homeschool her as well. I did not want to take on that responsibility, but I told her that ANY kid will always learn something at my house any time they visit :)

 

Of course, for you, school schedules are a non-issue. And I agree that 14 days on land in Alaska will be a very enriching, and indeed educational, experience for your young'un(s). I do hope you will find that the 7 days on the ship are great fun as well, but I'll be interested to know if you agree with other posters that they were educational. Please check back afterwards and let us know what you thought.

 

I am sure we will learn plenty on the ship as well... even if they are just "social" lessons. My daughter is 15, and we seem to be learning A LOT of social lessons these days... lol

[QuasiTova]

ooops, double post

[Suzanne74]

I would not worry about 2 weeks for kindergarten. Your child will be fine and probably learn more during your trip then sitting in the classroom. My daughter missed a week in kindergarten and didn't miss a beat.

 

I think they only time I would personally not consider it, is if I had a child that was just on par or struggling in his grade. Then I think 2 straight weeks might be really hard to catch up on.

 

My daughter is very smart and I thought she would be fine missing just 4 days in 1st grade to go to WDW this past November. Well, she is in the high end math class and they started subtracting with regrouping into the thousands while we were away. YIKES! That was a tough week or so after to get her back on track. I wouldn't not do it again but I definitely would consider what was going to be taught prior to leaving. Our district does not allow children to receive homework they haven't been taught yet so she was only given review work and asked to write a journal.

 

I know this doesn't apply to the OP, but to others, make sure you consider when they do testing - especially in older grades. Kids are to not miss testing weeks and most of them happen in early spring. Most kids also receive big tests right before the end of a marking period so I wouldn't pull them out then either. I think the best time is right when a new marking period is starting.