Poll: Would you/do you take your kids out of school (yes, I know...) for vacation?

[Dinsfamily]

I haven't read past the first page...

 

In 6th grade, my parents took us out of school to go to Australia for 3 weeks. It was amazing for our lower middle class family to do that and I'm so glad they did. They felt that once I got to 7th grade, I couldn't miss any more school for vacation. I would do that in a heartbeat for my dc.

 

However, we have such strict truancy laws here that it wouldn't be possible and even being gone for a week means no sick days or they will incur penalties. Evidently, Dr. notes don't mean squat even though they are required for illnesses. It is one of the biggest complaints I hear from my ps school friends. My best friend was one tardy away from a monetary punishment two years ago.

 

Now my sis (who lives in another state) is pulling her K'er out of private school for a couple of days this fall to visit us. The school doesn't care and is going to send any work with her. I doubt a K'er will have much, but they appreciated the attitude of the school staff.

[FaithManor]

Actually, I think for many of us who do it we realize the value of education outside the classroom as much as in it. Pretty much without exception, the students who seem to have the best overall education also travel. If their folks can plan that travel within school vacations, fine, but not everyone can or chooses to do so.

 

I, personally, think my son AT Volcanoes NP learned a bit more about volcanoes than his book-learning in the school counterparts. Of course, we've also been to other volcanoes too (MT St Helens, Lassen, etc).

 

We take learning VERY seriously in our household. I just don't feel being in school every day it is open is the be all, end all of learning. My kids are considered geniuses among their friends. Are they more academically talented? I'm not so sure, but they certainly have had better opportunities. Our trips are a big part of that. ;)

 

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

And frankly, in our local school district's K-6 educational system, the superintendent readily admits that out of a six hr. school day (k'ers are full day here), only 1 hr. and 15 min. is spent on academics. NO JOKE! Here is the published break-down - 30 min. math, 20 min. reading, 15 min. grammar or writing, and 10 min. spelling....ALL assignments are homework because, again admitted to by administration, the bulk of the day when not in PE or the 30 min. once per week music or art class, or the 30 min. once per week library period, is spent on standardized test prep. The kids do multiple choice worksheets for the majority of the day plus drilling with the calculator so their "stats" will stay high. Of course all that happens is that the elementary school keeps high "scores" and then when they hit the wall in middle school and they actually need to understand basic concepts and not guess the right answers, scores start dropping until by the time they've spent a single year in high school, an unconscienable percentage of them are reading and mathematics illiterate and are assigned to remedial classes.

 

Thankfully, our children are not relegated to that system. If they were, it would not be a system I would take so seriously that I wouldn't take them to the Nation's Capitol or the Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry during the school year. If I had a major opportunity for travel out of the country and could afford it, absolutely we would "ditch" school. Except they wouldn't be "ditching" in terms of schoolwork because we would have them do the assignments ahead of time.

 

Faith

[Kari C in SC]

My oldest went to school for 5 years. I took him out on several occasions for a trip. It never occurred to me that I shouldn't. I have no idea why... maybe I was already programmed to be a homeschooler. When I look back at JUST the last year of my life and our travels - a ton of it has been during the typical school year. We have been to Disney and FL to see our family and our oldest son's friends (that know him and miss him). We have also been to the beach on low season with 27 homeschoolers staying in one beach house. We could have never afforded on Summer season. We did some day trip traveling for different homeschool days here and there with overnights. My dd has had out of town competitions that we took an extra day to go antique shopping with my mom. I will tell you spending the day shopping with her Grandma will make far more of an impact on her life than any day at school. Looking ahead at our upcoming year... we are headed to DC the last week of August when everyone is back in school. I hear the crowds will be non-existent that week. Then we are heading down to Disney with 3 other homeschool families the first week in October (over my kids' birthdays). While we are in FL - we will get to see my oldest ds' friend get married and see so much of our chosen family. I am sure there will be a spring trip thrown in there somewhere and back to the beach in early May. I know there will be some other trips too. I just can't travel when there are crowds or when it is expensive. Here is one other point.... the last time we saw our oldest alive was the first week of December 2009. He had just gotten home from Iraq and went to FL to be best man in his friend's wedding. Our whole family including my mom and my sister went to FL for the wedding. Then he treated us to a week at Disney. If I had said that we had to wait until the kids were out of school, it wouldn't have happened. He had to be there December 6 for the wedding. I have NO REGRETS and if anything it has made me aware that we have one life, one childhood with our kids. Make the most of it.

[Parker Martin]

I would do it without thinking twice. If you let the teachers know in advance, they will provide the work that will be missed so that the child can do the work on vacation. My family did this when I was a child.

[Laura Corin]

Actually, I think for many of us who do it we realize the value of education outside the classroom as much as in it. Pretty much without exception, the students who seem to have the best overall education also travel.

 

My children grew up overseas, after all, and have travelled extensively. When they are enrolled in school, however, we travel in the school holidays. Education is their job and we, as a family, have decided that school is the place where the formal element of that takes place. The holidays are the time for enriching travel, for us.

 

Laura

[dm379]

Last year, I put the kids in ps. A month before our vacation, I went to the principal and teachers and said that they would be missing 2 week because dh would be home for r&r. Teachers were fine with it. Principal said he would call the truancy officer. I explained that it was the only 2 weeks the kids would get to see their dad in a year and a half. He said he didn't care. I told him where he could shove it (politely!) and took the kids out that day. So much for our ps experiment.

[Ipsey]

Absolutely.

I've done it before and will continue to do it for my ps kids. My kids aren't in high school yet, and, to my way of thinking, only then does it really matter because of possible grade/scholarship issues. I road-school when we need to on vacation.

So, yep, I have, do, and will.

:)

 

ETA: I let the teachers know ahead of time, and they typically send work and assignments for my kids to do. For instance, when I took my 3rd grader to Scotland and England this spring, he had a page or two of math every night and was required to write 5 sentences about what we did each day. That was assigned by his teacher, and it sounded good to me!

[abacus2]

I voted other. In theory, I would do this, but in reality I probably wouldn't unless it were something BIG. Priorities for me when scheduling a trip go like this:

 

1. Work schedule.

2. Opportunity's available timing.

3. School schedule.

 

It's not that I don't respect the school schedule, rather I think some things are a higher priority.

 

Schedule flexibility is one of the main reasons we homeschool, but I certainly do not look down on other families who don't homeschool, but still prioritize family time over the school schedule.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

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[FaithManor]

My children grew up overseas, after all, and have travelled extensively. When they are enrolled in school, however, we travel in the school holidays. Education is their job and we, as a family, have decided that school is the place where the formal element of that takes place. The holidays are the time for enriching travel, for us.

 

Laura

 

 

I understand that philosophy, I really do and under many circumstances, that would work. However, I don't think it always plays out for every family in real life. It does if you can take your vacation during the school vacations...if that is something you can dictate to your employer.

 

Here, one does not dictate to the employer, one applies for vacation and HOPES it gets approved for those dates, or it is assigned. DH RARELY can have a day off in the summer. This year was his first in five years because they decided that it was okay for him to attend SLI training at Marshall Space Flight Center in July. Normally, this would.not.happen.

 

A dear friend works for UPS. He has assigned vacation. He cannot have vacation at any other time for any reason. He is assigned the third week of February and the first week of October. No discussion. So, should he therefore never travel with his children from the age of 5 to 18? I find that very difficult to swallow, that school attendance ALWAYS trumps family, always.

 

DD is a paramedic, she cannot have vacation during any holiday. The holidays are typically a time when there is more drunkeness, more drugging, more car accidents, and at Christmas, more suicides. EVERYBODY has to work. So, if she were to have children and adopt the philosophy that children should not miss school for a family event or an opportunity to travel with family, then by the time such an opportunity would actually be meaningful to the child, it would never happen. A childhood without ever having time off with mom and dad...sorry, assignments can be made-up, one cannot get back those years.

 

When I look at the employment situations of most of our friends, only about 20% of them can have vacation during the summers or at Christmas except Christmas Day or New Years Day. Actually, only those that are government employees can say when they want their vacation and adapt it to fit the school schedule. Those that are employed privately cannot. Our veterinarian, one in a partnership of 9 vets, gets his in January - again, during the school year.

 

Dh had to apply for his for May so we can travel with the competitive rocketry team at the National Finals. He now is in the system to ALWAYS have to take his vacation in May.

 

Faith

[Catwoman]

There are many school districts in this country where it isn't about individual choice. My sister took my niece out of school for a week, to go with our whole family on a trip to Disney World. She was in KINDERGARTEN. She informed the school, did the paper work, they did not give her work to bring along, but they said the absences would be unexcused. When she got back, she received a letter from the "whoever" saying "Your child has missed 5 days of school that are unexcused absences, if she misses more than 10 days in a school year, you will be brought to court for truancy." She would have to pay a hefty fine and could face jail time. All because she wanted to take her OWN child on vacation on her OWN schedule.

 

THAT is crossing the line. It may not be in Europe. But America is supposed to be a Democracy, where the people have more freedom to make their own choices. The government fining you and threatening to put you in jail because of a CHOICE you make regarding vacation and YOUR OWN CHILD, is ridiculous. They can take their truancy laws and shove it.

 

Still just on my soapbox, not trying to offend anyone :)

 

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

That is HORRIBLE!!!

 

That would be enough to make me start homeschooling my child, even if I'd previously been anti-homeschooling.

[jamijoy]

My husband is in the Air Force and trying to fit in a vacation between his deployments was more important that working with the school schedule. He went on 2 1/2 month rotations back then with them happening two to three times a year.

 

This is one of the reasons we started homeschooling. My oldest son went to public school in kinder and first. We took him out of first grade for two weeks to go visit family. We lived in Nebraska at the time with family in Florida, so we met our family at Disney World and made a real vacation out of visiting family. With four days of driving, we didn't want to make the trip shorter than two weeks. His teacher gave us what worksheets he could make up and we had no problem taking him out.

 

And I won't go to Disney World when public school is out on vacation. :)

[*lifeoftheparty*]

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[PeacefulChaos]

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Edited August 18, 2012 by PeacefulChaos

[Retired]

I guess that you put the school system above family time. I do not. I pulled my kids from school for vacation and to attend family birthday parties (4 hours drives)

 

My dh and I both work jobs that do not give us summer vacations. My kids attended a YMCA day camp throughout the summer.

 

SO yeah I pulled my kids whenever I wanted too.

 

Its kinda of funny this question coming from a home schooler. You don't have to be in a classroom 180days per dictated by your state or your kids will be ruined for life

 

Sorry just don't see your point

 

And I will add that one school system we were in sent me a nasty letter saying I would need to attend parenting classes if my son missed school again(without the teachers permission-needed prior approval from the teacher -who knew:tongue_smilie:) American who is the parent. This crap is what initially got me thinking about homeschooling. We give all our parent rights away to the government when they pass compulsory education laws

 

I'm just to anti big government for that and if my kids were struggling I may feel different but my strait A kids got pulled all the time for family stuff:lol:

[RoundAbout]

Last year, I put the kids in ps. A month before our vacation, I went to the principal and teachers and said that they would be missing 2 week because dh would be home for r&r. Teachers were fine with it. Principal said he would call the truancy officer. I explained that it was the only 2 weeks the kids would get to see their dad in a year and a half. He said he didn't care. I told him where he could shove it (politely!) and took the kids out that day. So much for our ps experiment.

 

Good for you! That is absolutely horrible. A lot of people make noise about supporting the military and military families but when it comes right down to it they just don't get it. It's easier to tie on a yellow ribbon than actually meet the unique needs of a military family. My husband has missed birthdays, Christmases, and this birth of his own child to serve (along with being blown up and shot at), so I figure a public school should at least try to cope with a few missing days.

 

That said, this is part of the reason we homeschool. Our vacation often comes in big blocks before or after deployments and we want the flexibility to travel and "see" each other after the long absences.

[Desert Rat]

I would pull them out for a week's vacation if they were grade 8 or lower. My parents did the same with us. We actually got homework from the teacher and worked on it in the car/plane. It worked fine for us.

I would not pull a high schooler out of school for a vacation, at least in my state. The school district is very strict about absences and I wouldn't want to run the risk of using up so many days then having them get sick later. Like I said, they are super strict!

[Paige]

It IS horrible! I guess not every state/county does that and because it has happened to my sister a few times, I'm more familiar with it and that's why this subject riles me up.

 

She lives in North Georgia, and for the few years (they just moved to a different county this year, 4th grade) they were in that school district, she was treated like a criminal, neglectful, parent for taking her child out for vacation. She hasn't had to take her out yet, at the new school, so I don't know if they have the same laws, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

 

But, our whole family vacations together, we always have. We live in GA, MD and LA. We can't always get together in the summer and if that was the ONLY time we could, we would never see each other. Screw the schools.

 

We lived in N. GA and I know people who have been told they should withdraw their child if they want/need to go on a vacation during school. Then, they can re-enroll when they return to avoid the truancy hassle. I don't know anyone who has actually done it, but it is what they were told. We took the kids to Disney when when they were in K and 2nd. It was to see family who we wouldn't see for another 5 years if we didn't go. The school was very kind and didn't give us any trouble at all.

[LibraryLover]

I did, but they were younger. Business trips with Dad (We couldn't exactly pick his travel times, or say no to a free hotel). The school was fine with it as well.

Edited August 19, 2012 by LibraryLover

[sweetstitches]

I voted "other." I would pull them out in a heartbeat in elementary or middle school, but not high school unless it was an amazing opportunity.

[LibraryLover]

My sons attended a b & m high school. There would no way we could have pulled them out for even a few days. It was not just school work, it was also all the extras. You miss a week of music or AP chem labs= big problems.

 

 

But before middle school, I vote yes.

Edited August 17, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Laura Corin]

I understand that philosophy, I really do and under many circumstances, that would work. However, I don't think it always plays out for every family in real life. It does if you can take your vacation during the school vacations...if that is something you can dictate to your employer.

 

Here, one does not dictate to the employer, one applies for vacation and HOPES it gets approved for those dates, or it is assigned. DH RARELY can have a day off in the summer. This year was his first in five years because they decided that it was okay for him to attend SLI training at Marshall Space Flight Center in July. Normally, this would.not.happen.

 

A dear friend works for UPS. He has assigned vacation. He cannot have vacation at any other time for any reason. He is assigned the third week of February and the first week of October. No discussion. So, should he therefore never travel with his children from the age of 5 to 18? I find that very difficult to swallow, that school attendance ALWAYS trumps family, always.

 

DD is a paramedic, she cannot have vacation during any holiday. The holidays are typically a time when there is more drunkeness, more drugging, more car accidents, and at Christmas, more suicides. EVERYBODY has to work. So, if she were to have children and adopt the philosophy that children should not miss school for a family event or an opportunity to travel with family, then by the time such an opportunity would actually be meaningful to the child, it would never happen. A childhood without ever having time off with mom and dad...sorry, assignments can be made-up, one cannot get back those years.

 

When I look at the employment situations of most of our friends, only about 20% of them can have vacation during the summers or at Christmas except Christmas Day or New Years Day. Actually, only those that are government employees can say when they want their vacation and adapt it to fit the school schedule. Those that are employed privately cannot. Our veterinarian, one in a partnership of 9 vets, gets his in January - again, during the school year.

 

Dh had to apply for his for May so we can travel with the competitive rocketry team at the National Finals. He now is in the system to ALWAYS have to take his vacation in May.

 

Faith

 

I certainly can't dictate to my employer either, but it seems strange that companies are so badly organised that taking time during school breaks is impossible. If the vet is one of nine, and the school summer holidays are three months long, there should be time for at least one week away. Why doesn't UPS rotate holiday times, or give one week during school holidays, one week during the school term?

 

ETA: I've just realised that there is a slight linguistic misunderstanding. You talk about paramedics not being able to take time off during holidays. When Brits use the word 'holiday' we mean vacations or school breaks. So I understand that a paramedic can't take time off at Christmas or Thanksgiving, but what about the summer?

 

Laura

Edited August 17, 2012 by Laura Corin

[elegantlion]

My children grew up overseas, after all, and have travelled extensively. When they are enrolled in school, however, we travel in the school holidays. Education is their job and we, as a family, have decided that school is the place where the formal element of that takes place. The holidays are the time for enriching travel, for us.

 

Laura

 

Can I ask when the school holiday time is scheduled? Do they do terms with several periods off during the year?

[Laura Corin]

Can I ask when the school holiday time is scheduled? Do they do terms with several periods off during the year?

 

They get roughly six weeks in summer, a couple of weeks at Christmas and a couple of weeks at Easter. The year divides into three terms. In the middle of each term there is often a short break (called a half term holiday) of a few days or sometimes a week. The school year is about 39 weeks long in the UK.

 

Laura

[sparrow]

My parents ran a business (the business my family is running now) and we were only able to vacation during the school year. My parents took me out of school with no regrets. I learned tons.

[elegantlion]

I guess that is where the difference in what I'm seeing lies. Rather than seeing people who are prioritizing family time, I feel as though these are parents being selfish because 'the company is paying for us to go to the beach, and there is no way DH is going without me, even if it means taking the kids out of school'.

Granted, these area the same type of people who would drag their kids along to something age inappropriate just so both the parents could go along as leaders. And who complain because their time to socialize is interrupted by having to take their kids to class at church. So it could be that this type of person just drives me nuts because i feel as though they don't understand that in general parents have to make sacrifices for their children - it comes with the job.

So it's entirely possible that my feelings on this center around a particular situation, as opposed to the idea as a whole. (though, when my kids were in PS, we never took vacations during the school year. But that was our choice. )

 

My dh's busy season was summer. In construction that was prime money making time. His work sometimes wouldn't slow down until October or November, then he needed a vacation.

 

Of course, we do homeschool for some of the perks of family time. Dh's father died when dh was nine and he cherishes every moment he gets with ds. It has influenced ds's schooling, his bedtime, and he's even traveled with dh for work. We feel those childhood moments with parents are priority as much as education and we steal them whenever we can. As Kari stated earlier, we don't know what tomorrow will bring. Before ds was born I noticed a lot of teens who had no idea what their parents did for a living, or who their parents really were. We opted to not let that happen. The time together has made a huge difference in our relationships. I would not hesitate, at any level, to pull ds out to spend more time with family.

 

I also get that some schools have strict attendance policies. I do tell ds his education is his priority right now, I also have told my parents I can't just take off school out of the blue like we have in the past. They generally call once a month and just want to do something for the day. I don't mind that, but I've reminded them it needs to be scheduled.

[elegantlion]

They get roughly six weeks in summer, a couple of weeks at Christmas and a couple of weeks at Easter. The year divides into three terms. In the middle of each term there is often a short break (called a half term holiday) of a few days or sometimes a week. The school year is about 39 weeks long in the UK.

 

Laura

 

Thank you.

[Lily of the Valley]

I have taken my kids out and would again. School is a part of life but not the point of life. I wouldn't take them out if they were struggling but I think most kids can skip a week here or there and be fine and it can enrich their lives. IMO, it is selfish and presumptuous of schools to think that school is the most important thing in everyone's lives all the time.

 

:iagree:

 

We have taken our kids out of school for a week almost every year they've been in public school. We let the school know ahead of time, arrange for assignments, and it's always been fine. In addition, we will miss a day or two here and there throughout the year for short trips to visit family.

 

We do feel school is very important. However, we don't feel it's the most important thing in life. Family experiences and making memories together are just as important. My dh misses important things at work when we're on vacation that he has to make up when he returns, but that doesn't prevent us from taking a vacation. School is no different, imo.

 

We often vacation during the school year because it's usually the off-season. Things are less expensive, less crowded, and much more enjoyable.

[Disney Dreaming]

There are many school districts in this country where it isn't about individual choice. My sister took my niece out of school for a week, to go with our whole family on a trip to Disney World. She was in KINDERGARTEN. She informed the school, did the paper work, they did not give her work to bring along, but they said the absences would be unexcused. When she got back, she received a letter from the "whoever" saying "Your child has missed 5 days of school that are unexcused absences, if she misses more than 10 days in a school year, you will be brought to court for truancy." She would have to pay a hefty fine and could face jail time. All because she wanted to take her OWN child on vacation on her OWN schedule.

 

THAT is crossing the line. It may not be in Europe. But America is supposed to be a Democracy, where the people have more freedom to make their own choices. The government fining you and threatening to put you in jail because of a CHOICE you make regarding vacation and YOUR OWN CHILD, is ridiculous. They can take their truancy laws and shove it.

 

Still just on my soapbox, not trying to offend anyone :)

 

 

Yep. I'm in GA and our county doesn't allow for vacations. It is considered an unexcused absence.

Edited August 22, 2012 by ugamom11

[nukeswife]

My dh's busy season was summer. In construction that was prime money making time. His work sometimes wouldn't slow down until October or November, then he needed a vacation.

 

Of course, we do homeschool for some of the perks of family time. Dh's father died when dh was nine and he cherishes every moment he gets with ds. It has influenced ds's schooling, his bedtime, and he's even traveled with dh for work. We feel those childhood moments with parents are priority as much as education and we steal them whenever we can. As Kari stated earlier, we don't know what tomorrow will bring. Before ds was born I noticed a lot of teens who had no idea what their parents did for a living, or who their parents really were. We opted to not let that happen. The time together has made a huge difference in our relationships. I would not hesitate, at any level, to pull ds out to spend more time with family.

 

I also get that some schools have strict attendance policies. I do tell ds his education is his priority right now, I also have told my parents I can't just take off school out of the blue like we have in the past. They generally call once a month and just want to do something for the day. I don't mind that, but I've reminded them it needs to be scheduled.

 

:iagree: with taking advantage of the time you get with your kids. My dh can ask all he wants for leave, but that doesn't mean he's going to get it. The ship's schedule comes first so we have to take what we can get. This was one of the things that really helped us make the jump to homeschooling.

[boscopup]

My son's private school had rules about how many days you could miss, and they included a week of "Disney time" (seriously) so that people could go take a family vacation one time during the school year. You had to submit a request for this time before you went. They only allowed one Disney vacation per year though. ;) And yes, this was seriously so people could go to Disney, or whereever. But the principal mentioned Disney.

 

My son took one day off once to go with his daddy on a trip overnight. It wasn't a big deal. As long as he had all his school work done, why not?

 

Public schools usually have pretty strict absentee rules, so you can't just on a whim go anywhere any time, but you should be able to take one vacation during the school year without much fuss.

 

Even at high school level, I'd be ok with it. Afterall, when I was in high school, I went on school-sanctioned band trips for several days (to the beach even!). I just had to make up the work that I missed. This was commonplace. Same went for sports teams going to tournaments and things like that.

[Catwoman]

I guess that is where the difference in what I'm seeing lies. Rather than seeing people who are prioritizing family time, I feel as though these are parents being selfish because 'the company is paying for us to go to the beach, and there is no way DH is going without me, even if it means taking the kids out of school'.

Granted, these area the same type of people who would drag their kids along to something age inappropriate just so both the parents could go along as leaders. And who complain because their time to socialize is interrupted by having to take their kids to class at church. So it could be that this type of person just drives me nuts because i feel as though they don't understand that in general parents have to make sacrifices for their children - it comes with the job.

So it's entirely possible that my feelings on this center around a particular situation, as opposed to the idea as a whole. (though, when my kids were in PS, we never took vacations during the school year. But that was our choice. )

 

I guess I'm not sure why you would care if a parent chooses to do things differently than you do. I also think it's a bit of a stretch of generalize that a parent who will take a child out of school for an occasional family vacation, would also be the same one who would drag their kids along to something age-inappropriate or who would be upset about having to take their kids to class at church.

 

I realize that there are selfish people who have an unwarranted sense of entitlement, but I don't think that we can generalize that most parents who take their kids out of school for a family vacation are inconsiderate jerks, and that seems to be what you're saying here (and I apologize if I'm misinterpreting your comments.) I do agree with you, though, that some parents are like that, and think none of the rules should apply to them; I just don't think it's too many of them (or at least I hope it's not!)

 

Honestly, I don't see why anyone would care what another parent chooses to do in terms of family vacations. Their kids are still going to have to complete their schoolwork, vacation or not, so the parents will have to deal with it. It's not like the vacationing kids are somehow tarnishing the public school experience for the kids who remain in class, so I don't understand the concern. (Well, I know one mom who got upset about that sort of thing, but in her case, she was angry because a family she knew got to travel to Europe for a few weeks, while she had to stay home. Let's just say she had some issues with envy... it definitely had nothing to do with concern about the kids and their schoolwork! :rolleyes:)

[LibraryLover]

 

I've heard the other side say that 'Well, if my DH is going to the beach for a week, then I'm going with him - I'm not staying at home just because my kid is in school.' To which I've replied that they need to find someone to stay with the kid, then.

.

 

 

I'm feeling a little TMI.

Edited August 19, 2012 by LibraryLover

[missmoe]

I am willing to pull a child out of school for a family vacation. BUT my kids are not willing to miss school for a family vacation! Several situations now where that has come up with my dd, and she refused to go with us.

[chiguirre]

Our vacations are dictated by GW's school schedule. He gets 2 weeks at Christmas, 2 weeks in August, a week at Thanksgiving, a week for Spring Break and one week in June. Those are the only times we consider going away. His school is incredibly expensive and we pay the entire fee out of pocket if he misses, even if it's for illness, so we minimize absences as much as possible.

[DaffodilDreams]

Okay, I was curious so I googled it... I'm still not sure, but I will say that the only states specifically mentioned that hold to this formula of defunding when students are absent were California and Colorado. California was mentioned over and over in every link I saw... but not other states.

 

Part of TN's funding is based on the average daily enrollment of students. One of my friends was actually fined for taking her child to my friend's mother's (so the child's grandmother's) funeral. Being the feisty person she is, she, of course, refused to pay. It turned out the letter requesting payment was an illegal action on the school's part, so that shows either ignorance of the law or how badly they want bodies in seats.

 

------

Quoted from the overview of The Basic Education Program TN uses to allocate funds to their schools:

 

"Student enrollment (average daily membership) is the primary driver of funds generated by the BEP."

--------

 

So, there's another state to add to the list.

 

 

As for me and the poll, though, I responded "in a heartbeat". It's not that I don't place importance on education, but rather I feel the family's decision trumps the school system's schedule. Thankfully, we homeschool so I don't have to answer to anyone but myself. And for the record, the vacations we take as a family can easily be considered far greater learning opportunities than anything a child would gain sitting in a classroom.

Edited August 17, 2012 by kimmie38017

[Matryoshka]

I guess I'd have to vote other. It would depend a lot on the age of the child, how they were doing in school (keeping up, behind, way ahead), and what the reason for taking them out is.

 

We rarely take vacation out of school vacation time even while homeschooling - there are so many extracurriculars my kids are in that it's hard to miss even those for more than a week.

 

However, I don't think I'm one to draw a line in the sand considering that my mom took me out of school for six weeks(!) not once but twice - first six weeks of 5th and last 6 weeks of 6th (actually it might have been a couple weeks less in 6th; I think my trip may have lasted beyond the end of the school year). It was not a family vacation; I went alone to Germany to stay with relatives there. I was way ahead in school; didn't affect me academically at all (except that 5th grade teacher refused to put me in the advanced math group all year because I got there late, until he finally saw my standardized test scores at the end of the year). It was those trips that made me fluent in German - my mom figured it was worth it.

 

But I don't think I'd ever pull my kids out for something like a family trip to the beach. And I'm not even sure if something like my mom did for me would even be possible today, what with all these mandatory attendance rules with NCLB.

[jujsky]

If we didn't homeschool, no, with the exception of that rare, once-in-a-lifetime educational trip and I would make sure to get permission from the school first. I do know of parents who are restricted by their jobs as to when they can take vacations, and I can see it in a case like that. If there is no way a parent can get any vacation time during school vacations, then I feel family time should trump school in those rare cases. I know parents who pull their kids out of school annually to go to Disney not because they can't go any other time, but because they don't want to go when it's crowded. I was raised that unless you were sick, you went to school. Of course my mom was the school attendance secretary, so maybe that colors my judgement :D

 

Flexible vacation time is one of the many reasons I love homeschooling.

Edited August 17, 2012 by jujsky

[Haiku]

I feel like anything less reeks of entitlement and selfishness on the parents' part.

 

Um ... wow. :001_huh:

 

School is an educational choice we made for my oldest. It is not, never has been, and never will be the most important thing going. Family comes first, and there are a heckuva lotta things she can be doing with family that are way more enriching and valuable than sitting at a school desk. She can (and does) make up her work if she's out for family reasons. I would WAY rather my kid have fond memories of sitting on the beach for a week with her family than sitting at a desk for a week learning algebra, or whatever. There's nothing so sacred about what goes on at school that it can't be made up for some other time.

 

Personally, your stance sounds extremely rigid and in line with school personnel who have always tried to act like school is the most important thing in my child's life and that what she does there is the only thing that will be of long-term benefit to her. I call shenanigans on that.

 

Tara

[FaithManor]

I certainly can't dictate to my employer either, but it seems strange that companies are so badly organised that taking time during school breaks is impossible. If the vet is one of nine and the school summer holidays are three months long, there should be time for at least one week away.

 

Laura

 

 

It's not about being badly disorganized. It is about the sheer number of people who A. want time off in the summer because their kids are off which leaves the employer unable to cover jobs B. the fact that for many businesses, their busiest times are during the summer and they can't afford to have people gone.

 

As to the vet, a HUGE amount of large livestock work is from May through September....typically horses are bred to deliver during that time, etc. livestock breeders much prefer certain types of animals to be born when the weather is warm. That's also when all the kids are off so all of these 4-H'ers and FFA members are training animals for shows which means the potential for more injuries and of course during the shows, the animals are under stress which means more illness and then there's pullorum testing of whole flocks, certificates of soundness before sale, etc. Since every county has to have a vet present every.single.day of the county fair and at every livestock show, it makes it hard for the vets to get more than one day off per week.

 

My husband's company is not disorganized. It is a multi-national company trying to juggle employees from around the world whose families are ALL on different schedules. They can't just announce that by virtue of the American set-up, Americans can have two weeks off every summer. Work wouldn't get done. After all, dh's Australian and New Zealand counterparts are in the middle of winter and school time when our schools are off...he can't just up and go in the middle of a project. It's a crazy balancing act so like everyone else who has to deal with this, we take our breaks when we can get them.

 

Sorry if I offended you, but to be honest, I think we can all agree that the employment situation in America is not as family friendly as it is in other countries.

 

Faith

[Laura Corin]

My husband's company is not disorganized. It is a multi-national company trying to juggle employees from around the world whose families are ALL on different schedules.

 

Faith

 

Not disbelieving of you, I hasten to add, but disbelieving that this is impossible for even a multinational company to manage. Both Husband and BIL have worked for massive US-based international companies and it hasn't been an issue for them, whether they were working in the US or in Asia/Europe.

 

Another aspect that might be relevant: I don't know US school schedules well. I know that there are three months in the summer - are there any other breaks apart from a day or two for national holidays? I'm wondering whether it might be easier to manage fitting time off into school breaks if the breaks are more evenly spread through the year, as they are in the UK.

 

ETA: FWIW, Husband (American) is the more adamant of the two of us that we not take the boys out of school in term time. My parents actually did take me out of school for trips to France when I was small.

 

Laura

Edited August 17, 2012 by Laura Corin

[PeacefulChaos]

.

Edited August 18, 2012 by PeacefulChaos

[Cera]

Absolutely. We let the teachers know ahead of time and make sure all the work gets completed. We have had some wonderful trips by pulling them out for a few days that we wouldn't have had otherwise.

[elegantlion]

Not disbelieving of you, I hasten to add, but disbelieving that this is impossible for even a multinational company to manage. Both Husband and BIL have worked for massive US-based international companies and it hasn't been an issue for them, whether they were working in the US or in Asia/Europe.

 

Another aspect that might be relevant: I don't know US school schedules well. I know that there are three months in the summer - are there any other breaks apart from a day or two for national holidays? I'm wondering whether it might be easier to manage fitting time off into school breaks if the breaks are more evenly spread through the year, as they are in the UK.

 

ETA: FWIW, Husband (American) is the more adamant of the two of us that we not take the boys out of school in term time. My parents actually did take me out of school for trips to France when I was small.

 

Laura

 

For instance in our school district they get 3 days off for the American Thanksgiving, 2 weeks off for Christmas, and 2 days off for Spring/Easter Break. School lets out at the end of May and starts the middle of August.

 

There are odd days here and there, usually one at a time, off during the year.

 

We used to follow a school schedule because of ds's friends, but it was painful sometimes. We've moved to a six weeks on, one week off schedule and it's much better. The odd day here or there was annoying and makes it hard to truly create momentum.

 

Also, aside from Thanksgiving and Christmas, many of the start, end, and holiday dates are different from district to district. So kids are out of school at times differently than those of neighboring cities.

 

I do think it would be easier if there was a mindset of school/holiday time that was accepted nationwide, but that's probably never going to happen.

 

Christmas holiday can be tedious because many employers are wrapping up year end work and either there is no work going on or they are cramming hours in to get it all done before the end of the calendar year. A few jobs I had before "retiring" included holidays being our busy time. I couldn't have taken off if I wanted.

 

Plus most employers only allow 1 week vacation (5 paid business days) to new or average employees. The one large employer I worked for sent out a vacation schedule at the beginning of the year. It rotated based upon seniority. As a newer employee, my vacation time was never when I really wanted it as only so many people could take off during a certain week.

[SKL]

My industry has a huge annual reporting deadline at the end of June. Nobody ever gets all their stuff to us early enough for us to plan take off any time in June. Then at the end of June/beginning of July we have all our semi-annual loan servicing work, then second-quarter financial reporting requirements for numerous clients, and pretty soon July is over. This year, July 12 marked the release of a 100-page application that is due September 12, and we're responsible for writing the application for 8 companies. Not only can I not take a "vacation," I can't even take my kids to church on Sundays. Every summer is pretty much the same. So yeah, taking a vacation in summer is not always as simple as it sounds.

 

The other option is winter break - ha - you have all the semi-annual stuff all over again, plus the year-end stuff, not to mention family holiday obligations and houseguests. We actually did take about 7 days this past year (bringing work with), but the kids still missed a couple days of school (KG).

 

I think schools should expect families to take trips and have a system to support them, especially when there is some educational aspect to the trip.

[Laura Corin]

For instance in our school district they get 3 days off for the American Thanksgiving, 2 weeks off for Christmas, and 2 days off for Spring/Easter Break. School lets out at the end of May and starts the middle of August.

 

I started a new job last month. I am due five days of holiday before January 6th. I looked with my boss at the holiday calendar, and it so happened that no one was on holiday during my boys' half term break (which happens to be different from my colleagues' children's half term break).

 

It's a three-person office, so two have to be on duty at any one time. On a US schedule I might well not have been able to find a time to take five days during school holidays except possibly at Christmas.

 

The US schedule seems so skewed towards summer time off that it offers no options for people's particular busy times at work. For example, the British tax year end falls at Easter. Of course accountants take their breaks in late summer or at one of the half terms. British farmers won't have time to get away during the Easter or summer holidays but they should be able to get away during the October half term holiday or at Christmas/New Year.

 

Laura

Edited August 17, 2012 by Laura Corin

[Princess Peach]

I said not a chance. DH is a PS teacher, so our vacations are all the same. However, even if DH was not a teacher, I wouldn't pull my kids out for vacations.

[sonsmama]

It depends

 

As a young student I would in a heartbeat.

Middle school also.

As a High schooler it depends.

 

My son is going to 10th grade ps this fall. I need to see how he does before we schedule anything. Grandma is taking him and his cousins to NYC during Spring Break, but that may necessitate a day or two either way.

[Spy Car]

The "screw the schools" mentality makes me happy some folks choose to homeschool :glare:

 

Bill

[HomeschoolingHearts&Minds]

Why not? If you have approval and the work gets done, does it matter if it happens in a classroom? Is a classroom the only place where kids that go to school learn? Is it the only place where they can get their work done?

 

My parents took me out of school a few times when I was a child, always with approval and always with schoolwork to complete. I don't recall having any difficulties because of it. Once we went to Walt Disney World. Once was when my grandfather was dying---not exactly a trip to the beach. ;)