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Pulling kids from school?
- Thread starter Marianm
- Start date
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
You're not a bad parent but the teachers will likely disagree lol!
Some teachers are more understanding than others. As a teacher, I understand that it creates more work for them. As a parent, I still sporadically pull my kids out. Making memories and all that. For example, we are doing a Memorial Day weekend cruise next week and just decided to pull the kids out the Tuesday and Wednesday after Memorial Day (I feel like they are done teaching material by then anyway...) so we can surprise the kids with a couple days at WDW at the end. We will be honest with their kindergarten teacher and ask what we can review with the kids on the plane rides.
Just be sure to double-check how many days the kids can miss in a calendar year without being held-back. At my kids' school it's 10 unexcused absences, which a vacation certainly is.
Some teachers are more understanding than others. As a teacher, I understand that it creates more work for them. As a parent, I still sporadically pull my kids out. Making memories and all that. For example, we are doing a Memorial Day weekend cruise next week and just decided to pull the kids out the Tuesday and Wednesday after Memorial Day (I feel like they are done teaching material by then anyway...) so we can surprise the kids with a couple days at WDW at the end. We will be honest with their kindergarten teacher and ask what we can review with the kids on the plane rides.
Just be sure to double-check how many days the kids can miss in a calendar year without being held-back. At my kids' school it's 10 unexcused absences, which a vacation certainly is.
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MagicKatMe
Member
No!! I never understood the hesitancy of pulling kids out of school. It's vacation! Do it! Their education will recover from the missing week. My parents always pulled me out for Disney and I went on to lead a perfectly respectable life. 
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zurgandfriend
Well-Known Member
I believe at age they should be fine. My DS’ school said no but if you have to because of vacation time availability have the child keep a journal. At Kindergarten and first grade it did not seem to matter after that, we stopped, as the schoolwork was much more comprehensive.
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TiggerDad
Well-Known Member
So far, everyone is telling the OP what they wanted to hear, so no need for the flameproof suit.You are going to want to put this on.
I'll play devil's advocate and suggest that kids, even at that young age, are observant enough to internalize the implicit message you are sending about the relative importance of education.
Now I need the suit.
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Nemo14
Well-Known Member
For K & 1, I would say it's OK, but as a retired middle school teacher, I can tell you that it changes in the upper grades, where 6 or 7 days can make a huge difference. I would never deny a request for "missed" work, but there's more to school than just completing worksheets or whatever. And please don't try the "educational aspects" of a Disney trip excuse...
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No no, no suit. Look, I put this out there to See what others feel. Everyone has a different take on it. I debate with myself back and forth if I'm making the right decision.
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winstongator
Well-Known Member
I’d agree with this. We pulle our daughter in kindergarten for a few days. She did a report and presentation on the animals she saw at AK, in her wilderness explorer uniform. We’ve missed days here and there since then, but have moved to a private school which seems more flexible. They still report the absences as unexcused, it just seems like no big deal.
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Schneewittchen
Well-Known Member
I admit, my kids have missed a day or two here and there to go to Disney parks. Not a full week though. Usually they'll miss a half or full day tacked on to a long holiday weekend - something like an extra day around Veteran's Day, President's Day or Easter.
Of course, my mother was a teacher, so we never skipped school for vacation. When my parents took my brother and I to WDW in the 80s we went in July. Yay 95 degrees and 99% humidity. It literally rained every day at 2 pm.
Of course, my mother was a teacher, so we never skipped school for vacation. When my parents took my brother and I to WDW in the 80s we went in July. Yay 95 degrees and 99% humidity. It literally rained every day at 2 pm.
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- In the Parks
- No
Er..... well I took mine out for a week up all through school.....in higher grades teachers sent along math homework sometimes, but otherwise my children were not impacted.....teachers were flexible...and the very high grade points were not affected. I suppose it depends on your student at some point....and if that would stress them out to miss, as one year that was a factor NOT to go. But as far as K and 1.....I feel the benefit can far outweigh the loss of schooltime. In some lower grades we had some busy work to do and I had them do it while we were getting ready to head to the parks.....and a bit of planned downtime if needed back at resort....but that was very rare.
My father was a teacher and likely would not have agreed with my decision but in the big picture being together with the family during a less busy season of the year was beneficial for all of us. I do not regret any of that time we shared!
My father was a teacher and likely would not have agreed with my decision but in the big picture being together with the family during a less busy season of the year was beneficial for all of us. I do not regret any of that time we shared!
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I definitely see both sides of the aisle.
I discussed it with my sons (1st grade) teacher and she was fine with it. Said she'll give him any tests ahead of time and he can makeup homework when he comes back. He's a pretty smart kid so I don't think it will be an issue
I discussed it with my sons (1st grade) teacher and she was fine with it. Said she'll give him any tests ahead of time and he can makeup homework when he comes back. He's a pretty smart kid so I don't think it will be an issue
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Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
At that age? I'd do it (and have done it) in a heartbeat. My kids' teachers were almost always great about it, and we gave them plenty of notice so they could give the kids the work they'd be missing ahead of time. (In Kindergarten and 1st grade, the teachers didn't even bother -- they just said, "go, have a great time.") We always brought the teachers each a little thank-you souvenir on our return, too. We made sure the kids returned with all their coursework already completed, and tried to minimize what the kiddos would miss in the first place by taking them out on weeks when they already had 2 or 3 scheduled half-days due to parent-teacher conferences or state testing. (This backfired on us last year when one state test got rescheduled at the last minute, but whatevs -- we did our best.)
This year, with the kids now in 5th and 7th grade and with their coursework and extracurriculars ramping up more and more and absences becoming more costly, we've made the decision to travel only during school breaks in the future, even though we know it will cost us more, require coping with higher crowds, and create work-related difficulties for DH and me (as our employers favor us taking vacation time at particular times of the year, which are never in synch with the childrens' school breaks). It was sweet while it lasted, though! Nor did it engender any disrespect for education on the part of the children, who were and remain excellent students, and who could, even as preschoolers, appreciate the practical reasons for our timing.
Also, one tip: consult your district's parent handbook ahead of time if the absences can possibly be excused. (Some schools will allow certain educational trips to be excused, with the proper application.) Ours does not, so we had to be cognizant of the number of absences allowed in a year to make sure we weren't getting anywhere close to it.
This year, with the kids now in 5th and 7th grade and with their coursework and extracurriculars ramping up more and more and absences becoming more costly, we've made the decision to travel only during school breaks in the future, even though we know it will cost us more, require coping with higher crowds, and create work-related difficulties for DH and me (as our employers favor us taking vacation time at particular times of the year, which are never in synch with the childrens' school breaks). It was sweet while it lasted, though! Nor did it engender any disrespect for education on the part of the children, who were and remain excellent students, and who could, even as preschoolers, appreciate the practical reasons for our timing.
Also, one tip: consult your district's parent handbook ahead of time if the absences can possibly be excused. (Some schools will allow certain educational trips to be excused, with the proper application.) Ours does not, so we had to be cognizant of the number of absences allowed in a year to make sure we weren't getting anywhere close to it.
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MotherofaPrincessLover
Well-Known Member
I pull my kids out of school. I make sure they make up all their work. If for some reason they can't get caught up or need extra help, I'll hire a tutor. Education is important and I expect my kids to get good grades, but family time is also very important. I only get my kids at home with me for a few years before they're grown, so I'm going to make the best of it. You never know what tomorrow will bring and I don't want to regret not doing special things with my kids.
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