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Disney and homeschooling
- Thread starter 4everDory
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Phonedave
Well-Known Member
So, is wanting to be able to continue going to Disney World in the off-season for vacation a good enough reason to homeschool my DD9? (I already homeschool her DS13). School won't excuse absence for Disney trip at all
You asked, so I will answer.
No, it is not a good reason to home school a child.
There are plenty of good reasons - All stemming down to can you provide an overall better educational product via home schooling than public/private options.
If you can, then thats great. Flexible vacations are a perk. But they should not be use as a reason to decide if you should home school or not.
-dave
becanya
New Member
Well, I know that travel schedules factored into my parents homeschooling us for a few years...my dad was a musician and they wanted us to all be able to travel together. We are lucky though, our public school will excuse 5 days a year for a family vacation. I think spending time together as a family is extremely important and I tend to plan most things in my life around disney. That said, homeschool because you think it's the best option...if that's what you think.
Jimmy Thick
Well-Known Member
Um, when you want to go on vacation, you tell the school your going on vacation, end of. As long as the child is not in high school, who cares. But then again most school systems are lacking in this economy anyway, it prolly don't matter.
To take a child out of school completely to go to Disney World is absurd.
Jimmy Thick- Stick' em in the Marines!
To take a child out of school completely to go to Disney World is absurd.
Jimmy Thick- Stick' em in the Marines!
rsoxguy
Well-Known Member
So, is wanting to be able to continue going to Disney World in the off-season for vacation a good enough reason to homeschool my DD9? (I already homeschool her DS13). School won't excuse absence for Disney trip at all
If your question was posted tongue-in-cheek, then I apologize in advance for being an airhead. If you are being serious, then no, do not adjust your child's education for the sake vacations. Parenting is both a gift and a responsibility. Your child's welfare takes precedence over everything else in your life. Every decision should be a matter of careful consideration and the exercising of parental wisdom. Ask people on this board about Fastpasses, but leave the parenting to you and your husband.
Unfortunately, that's not the end of it. Especially if the school system fails to promote your child due to an unacceptable number of unexcused absences.....
PurpleDragon
Well-Known Member
Surely you can't be serious!!?!?!?
Why anyone would use flexible vacations as the sole reason to home school a child is beyond me. :veryconfu
Home schooling is only necessary if extenuating circumstances prevents your child from getting a good education in the public school system or you feel you can provide a better education for that child. Homeschooling deprives children of so many things, primarily normal social interaction with peers.
Why anyone would use flexible vacations as the sole reason to home school a child is beyond me. :veryconfu
Home schooling is only necessary if extenuating circumstances prevents your child from getting a good education in the public school system or you feel you can provide a better education for that child. Homeschooling deprives children of so many things, primarily normal social interaction with peers.
WDWmazprty
Well-Known Member
Surely you can't be serious!!?!?!?
Why anyone would use flexible vacations as the sole reason to home school a child is beyond me. :veryconfu
Home schooling is only necessary if extenuating circumstances prevents your child from getting a good education in the public school system or you feel you can provide a better education for that child. Homeschooling deprives children of so many things, primarily normal social interaction with peers.
You can easily have your kid interact with others there age on a regular basis if you as a parent provide that. Our daughter has been homeschooled for 3 years now, and she regularly is with her peers.
But yeah, I wouldnt homeschool just to go to Disney or anywhere else.
montyz81
Well-Known Member
interesting conversation. We do not take our children out of school for a trip anywhere. We will go in the hot of Summer to Disney if we have to. It sets a bad precedent. Telling your kids it is ok to skip school. I do not believe in pulling kids out for a vaction during school so people can go during cooler times or less crowds. It basically says, you don't care about your kids schooling so you can miss the crowds. Very selfish in my opinion. BTW: Disney absolutely tries to make it easier for us parents to go in the off season, so they are just as guilty. This is my opinion.
WDW 3
Well-Known Member
I disagree. The kids know it's not about "not caring" about their education because they don't get off free of homework. Sometimes there are tests to make up, homework to make up or do in advance. It's whats important. To my family (yes we take our vacations during the less crowded, cooler weather) it's a matter of quality time together. Going to a place we all love without the heat, humidity and crowds makes for a better time for everyone.
rkelly42
Well-Known Member
I have no problem with kids being home schooled, but for a disney trip being the sole purpose of it is missing the point a little. There has to be better reasons to home school than just a trip every year, I would just take my child out of school and tell them tough luck.
Horizons19
Member
I totally agree with you.
smk
Well-Known Member
I agree. We saw so many kids out of school when we where there in
September. We have three kids, all in their 20's now and they all attened private/parochial schools. We would have faced serious consequences for taking them out of school for a vacation, more to the point, they would have faced serious consequences with their grades. School work is not handed out and the tests are not able to made up for a vacation break. Those were the rules in our school and we followed them. I do not feel for one second we missed quality family time by not going on vacation during the school year, nor do they. Our choice, I admit. It would not have worked for us.
draybook
Well-Known Member
Surely you can't be serious!!?!?!?
Why anyone would use flexible vacations as the sole reason to home school a child is beyond me. :veryconfu
Home schooling is only necessary if extenuating circumstances prevents your child from getting a good education in the public school system or you feel you can provide a better education for that child. Homeschooling deprives children of so many things, primarily normal social interaction with peers.
Have you seen what comes out of public school these days? Especially here in Memphis, where the No Child Left Behind program is enforced for sure.
OK, wow! I never expected to see so many replies to this! This was asked kind of tongue-in-cheek. We actually did take our DD9 out of school for 9 days to go to Disney. I submitted a letter to the school, requesting that it be excused as an educational trip, and submitted a plan for how we were going to do that. The school principal refused to excuse any of the trip, stating that since she had been to Disney before, it was no longer educational...it was just fun. She also told me at that point that she was not going to excuse my DD's ballet performances when she (or the other 2 girls from her school) has to miss school to perform for other school students. Strangely enough, everyone else in the ballet company is having no problem getting excused from school. This is the principal who takes the rules beyond the extreme!
By the way, one of the main reasons we travel in September, rather than during school breaks is because my DD13, who does homeschool already, has Asperger's Syndrome (a mild form of autism). She cannot tolerate crowds or large groups of people. There is no way we could take her to Disney during the summer! The other main reason we go in September is because DH owns a restaurant in a mall, and can't travel during school holidays...that's his busiest time of the year (Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break) and it's difficult for him to travel in the summer b/c of different things going on with his business, too. I included these things in what I presented to the principal, too, but she didn't really care. It also doesn't matter that my DD9 made up all the work she missed, does well in school, and doesn't miss school, except for ballet (2-3 days a year) and our Disney trip.
When I posted, I was feeling very frustrated with the whole situation. People I know from other schools are allowed to go to Disney during the school year, and their kids just have to write a report or keep a journal during their trip, and the whole thing is excused. Shouldn't there be consistency across a school system? Very frustrating!!!
We actually are planning to homeschool DD9 next year, if not sooner, but not only because of the Disney thing. She is a bright child who is getting bored in school because the teacher has to teach to the "slower" kids. We would like to travel more, since all of our family lives in a different state, and we can only see them a couple times a year Most of all, there is no way I'm sending my DD to the local middle school...lots of drug problems in the school, lots of inappropriate activity in the school (such as playing a game trying to see who can get their hands down someone else's pants the longest and not get caught), the latest "trend" among the girls in the school is being bisexual, lots of peer pressure, discipline issues, bullying, a staff that is not very cooperative, and so on. I have a teaching degree and am confident that I can provide my DD with a quality education.
I apologize for all the mess that ended up on here. Please forgive me! It was just a quick note during a time of utter frustration.
By the way, one of the main reasons we travel in September, rather than during school breaks is because my DD13, who does homeschool already, has Asperger's Syndrome (a mild form of autism). She cannot tolerate crowds or large groups of people. There is no way we could take her to Disney during the summer! The other main reason we go in September is because DH owns a restaurant in a mall, and can't travel during school holidays...that's his busiest time of the year (Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break) and it's difficult for him to travel in the summer b/c of different things going on with his business, too. I included these things in what I presented to the principal, too, but she didn't really care. It also doesn't matter that my DD9 made up all the work she missed, does well in school, and doesn't miss school, except for ballet (2-3 days a year) and our Disney trip.
When I posted, I was feeling very frustrated with the whole situation. People I know from other schools are allowed to go to Disney during the school year, and their kids just have to write a report or keep a journal during their trip, and the whole thing is excused. Shouldn't there be consistency across a school system? Very frustrating!!!
We actually are planning to homeschool DD9 next year, if not sooner, but not only because of the Disney thing. She is a bright child who is getting bored in school because the teacher has to teach to the "slower" kids. We would like to travel more, since all of our family lives in a different state, and we can only see them a couple times a year
Most of all, there is no way I'm sending my DD to the local middle school...lots of drug problems in the school, lots of inappropriate activity in the school (such as playing a game trying to see who can get their hands down someone else's pants the longest and not get caught), the latest "trend" among the girls in the school is being bisexual, lots of peer pressure, discipline issues, bullying, a staff that is not very cooperative, and so on. I have a teaching degree and am confident that I can provide my DD with a quality education.I apologize for all the mess that ended up on here. Please forgive me! It was just a quick note during a time of utter frustration.
Dads 2 Boys
Well-Known Member
I agree 100% as well!!!
To Montyz81, for you to make a blanket statement that it's selfish to take kids out of school is wrong. It doesn't set a precedent if you properly teach your kids right and wrong. I have told my kids right along that if their grades drop, they will not be able to go to WDW during the school year (or go in general for that matter). Also, my kids and I talk to their teachers plenty of time in advance and get their homework for the week we'll be in WDW. Then they have to complete it in the days before we leave and the days between when we get home and they go back to school. That's the rule! My boys understand that and accept that and their teachers have always appreciated it and worked with us. FYI, my kids are straight A students and they work hard at it so it's not like they are just getting by and I allow that.
In answer to the OP, to use vacations as a determining factor in how you school your child is silly IMO. As another poster stated, asking a Disney World board this question is absurd.
loveofamouse
Well-Known Member
The unacceptable number is pretty high. It's not an issue to take a vacation and have your child miss school as long as they are not missing alot of days in the year or you're vacationing for 4wks.
As for pulling kids out of school, I'm not a huge HS fan, not because of peer interation or anything but because of unqual'ed parents. Yes, some are capable of teaching their kids well, but many are not. I just don't get seeing parents that barely have HS diplomas teaching their kids (not the young kids but 5th grade+). I think HSing is a serious decision and definitely not one for the sole purpose of freely vacationing. I think HSing because of bullying or a poor school district or the child not thriving is completely justified. Personally, I know too many people homeschooling for the wrong reasons (i.e. not wanting to "let go," local school wouldn't hire mom, don't feel like sticking to "someone else's schedule," etc.)
We don't vacation on typical holidays, esp spring break. I won't go to Disney on SB, if I can help it. We take our week during school. We have not had any problems. My kids don't miss alot of school, esp my oldest. My son's other absesses are usually ex'ed. Truly, I have only ONCE seen a parent that was getting the auth. called on her because her kid was consistently a couple hours late to school and missed alot of days and even then, it wasn't until the end of the school that they started warning the mom. :shrug:
But you did post that as a joking question, right?
:wave:
loveofamouse
Well-Known Member
OK, wow! I never expected to see so many replies to this! This was asked kind of tongue-in-cheek. We actually did take our DD9 out of school for 9 days to go to Disney. I submitted a letter to the school, requesting that it be excused as an educational trip, and submitted a plan for how we were going to do that. The school principal refused to excuse any of the trip, stating that since she had been to Disney before, it was no longer educational...it was just fun. She also told me at that point that she was not going to excuse my DD's ballet performances when she (or the other 2 girls from her school) has to miss school to perform for other school students. Strangely enough, everyone else in the ballet company is having no problem getting excused from school. This is the principal who takes the rules beyond the extreme!
By the way, one of the main reasons we travel in September, rather than during school breaks is because my DD13, who does homeschool already, has Asperger's Syndrome (a mild form of autism). She cannot tolerate crowds or large groups of people. There is no way we could take her to Disney during the summer! The other main reason we go in September is because DH owns a restaurant in a mall, and can't travel during school holidays...that's his busiest time of the year (Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break) and it's difficult for him to travel in the summer b/c of different things going on with his business, too. I included these things in what I presented to the principal, too, but she didn't really care. It also doesn't matter that my DD9 made up all the work she missed, does well in school, and doesn't miss school, except for ballet (2-3 days a year) and our Disney trip.
When I posted, I was feeling very frustrated with the whole situation. People I know from other schools are allowed to go to Disney during the school year, and their kids just have to write a report or keep a journal during their trip, and the whole thing is excused. Shouldn't there be consistency across a school system? Very frustrating!!!
We actually are planning to homeschool DD9 next year, if not sooner, but not only because of the Disney thing. She is a bright child who is getting bored in school because the teacher has to teach to the "slower" kids. We would like to travel more, since all of our family lives in a different state, and we can only see them a couple times a year
I apologize for all the mess that ended up on here. Please forgive me! It was just a quick note during a time of utter frustration.
If you are seeing an obvious double standard like this, I'd take it to school officials. That's an obvious bias. If he allows other students to be excused for Disney, then yours should be as well. If he's allowing the other dancers a free day, yours should be getting it as well. If I were you, I'd be taking this downtown to the schoolboard.
Bravo on taking care of your Aspie's school needs. I have an Aspie, too, and it's difficult sometimes getting schools to do what these kids need. They just want to say "but they're so smart and well spoken!" :zipit: So far, my son is handling his Kindy class but his class is small, only 12 other kids in a huge classroom with him getting an hr break in the middle of the day.:wave:
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