school vs disneyworld

[420WDW MONSTER]

i live in texas and school starts in aug. we are going to the world the last week of sept, i have custody of my 14 year old bro this will be his first year of high school. hes not the best student ....ok he doesnt get good grade but he trys....sometimes. we will be go from school for 5 days he can miss only 9 before he looses credit, hes never had a problem with attendance. my question is has anyone ever pulled thier kids out of school before? do i have to lie and say we have to vist our sick aunt or something.
this is the only time of year we can go
springbeak-too much money, husband can't get work off(plus star tours is closed)
summer-hotter and stickier than the devils ball sack!- husband cant get off work
winter break- way to much money! husband can't get off work
my husband is a chef in a tourist spot downtown san antonio and anytime anything is going on holidays and whenever kids out of school he has to work!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

fosse76, I am in agreement with you on the importance of instructional time. Not everything is always covered in textbooks, particularly when teachers are methodically moving thru concepts that they need their students to know for standardized testing. I think it would be hard to find any single text book that will contain everything needed for that big standardized test.

There's lots that can be discussed/debated as to whether or not portions of WDW are or can be educational. I think if you want it to be educational it can be. Check out Disney's Y.E.S. programs. They do offer open enrollment. Also, they do Homeschool Days twice a year (on both east & west coasts, if I'm not mistaken). Read the different programs they put on & it's easy to see how educational Disney can be. I think for the World Showcase educational opportunity is there if a parent creates & maintains it. Have Little Johnny do research on a couple countries ahead of time. Foreign Language: converse with IP CMs in the countries in their native tongue. Have prepared questions to research while there. There's a lot of possibilities but it takes effort outside of just meandering about. Doesn't have to be a lot. We had a very simple impromptu French lesson at Les Chefs on our last trip. When ordering I asked our server if I remembered correctly how to read & pronounce the things I was ordering (took a little French in high school). The family was entertained as was our server. As each person ordered they were encouraged to do so en francais. I was proud. Totally not planned and minor but still a chance to learn a little something. Right?

 

[420WDW MONSTER]

At the risk of getting all "ABC After School Special" on the thread, if the OP is serious about trying to do what's right for the kid...

With all due respect, your post was a nightmare to read. Normally, I don't give a rat's ______ - it's the internet, not Honors English. But when someone with such poor writing skills asks whether or not it's a good idea to pull her brother - who's ALSO a poor student - out of school for a Disney trip, my immediate reaction was "Hell, no, chain him to the desk and make sure he's a straight A student before he ever is even allowed to see daylight, much less a Fastpass attraction! It's the only chance he has!" But then I put the snark aside and thought, maybe this could be a good experience for all of you...

So what I'd suggest is, make the trip, but be on him to do his homework like white on rice every day between today and the day of the trip. Slacking off will not be tolerated. Skipping school will not be tolerated. Make sure he does the work. Go over it with him. Learn it with him. And act like a mom that cares if he starts slacking off. Within a few weeks, you should be able to tell whether or not he's serious about being a student, doing what it takes not only to go to WDW but to make you happy in general. If you make it clear that his doing well in school is important to YOU - the person who is now probably THE most important person in his life - that's going to carry some weight. If you try to do the work with him (NOT for him), it would show some serious character and may influence him to work that much harder. Be involved with his teachers, make sure THEY know you give a rat's ***, and will lean on him to get stuff done. Because unlike the Ph.D. holder (who apparently doesn't know how to spell "ma'am"), I feel that working hard in school is important, even if you learn nothing important, because a good school and a dedicated parent (or parental figure) can help a student learn how to think, critically, logically, analytically. The brain's a muscle, exercising it's important.

So show him you're serious about his education, even though you'd also like to have some special memories with him that school can not provide by going to WDW. Make him work hard and help him out as much you can and the best you can. And keep it up during and certainly after the trip. Hopefully that will yield some obvious dividends, now and going forward.

All this is written under the assumption that you really wanted advice, and not just people giving you an okey-dokey, to a decision you already made, to make you feel better about it. If my assumption is wrong, please disregard my well-meaning, earnest, heartfelt advice and GO! Have a GREAT TIME! School Schmool, when you can go to WDW nothing else matters! :wave:

life does smack ya in the face! when i was younger i was bad (only a lil bit) i had to straightin up pretty fast. and yes i still partake in the herb, but always behind close doors and NEVER in front of my silblings.

i have started making him go to tutoring everday for 1 hour so hopefully thats a start, and yea i plan to talk to the school when i register him for high school in the summer.

i am still torn up on what to do i dont want to buy plane tickets until i tallk to the school. (which is going to suck cuz its all the same peeps that kicked me out)
thanx for the advice

 

[WDWFREAK53]

I'm sorry, but I can't let that pass. Disney is NOT a learning experience, by ANY stretch of the imagination. I'd learn more about China from Wikipedia than I would by visiting the China pavillion at Epcot. And by pulling kids out of class, you are creating a bad precedent with them for college, where the consequences are more severe (college professors are known to fail students who miss so much as ONE class). And simply continuing to make good grades is inconsequential, and I'll give an example. They simply just might not be tested on the material they missed immediately, so their grades won't suffer, but future need of the material may hurt them.

Hmm...I'm not so sure of this...but I do agree that school is a better learning "tool" than WDW. :lol:

Spaceship Earth taught me a lot. Sure, we learned it all in school...but it didn't stick with me as "common knowledge" like it did when I saw it "played out in front of me" in SSE.

 

[WDW 3]

I work at a University and have never known a student to be failed for missing one class. A lot of college students have to learn the hard way about class attendance (or not) regardless of how they are raised. I have never seen a test written around the absence of a particular student. :shrug:

 

[Phonedave]

When I was in high school, I missed a couple of days of school (don't remember why). That week, in my algebra 2 class, the teacher taught matrices. When I returned, they had already moved on. Matrices weren't really needed for any additional material we were learning beyond it, and the test only had one question about it, so my grades never suffered. Guess what? When I got to college, it came up both in my chemistry courses and my advanced calculus courses. I was so lost I spent days trying to learn them to no avail. Some concepts just can't be learned from textbooks, and many teachers test from material taught in class. Textbooks are an aide, not the entire course. Sometimes further explanation/exploration is required

In High School I missed ONE physics class - not because I missed school but because I was involved with somthing else in the school and was excused that period.

That was the day my teacher went over using imaginary numbers to represent electrical flow in circuits.

I was so freaking lost for the next month or so.

-dave

 

[emaginear]

My parents did this same thing for my brother and I at 14 + 15 yrs old. And I now I do this for my kids, who are still in elementary.

My parents asked the teachers what we would be learning while away, and we found a way to tie in Disney + education "I was missing" in a vacation. I know it's a philosophy that has been lost in education today, but learning can be fun! it does not need to always be done in school or by text book.

Take EPCOT for example. You can learn more in 2 days at EPCOT about world cultures than you will in 2 days of High school text book. Same with Animal Kingdom he can learn and not realize he is actually learning!:sohappy:

 

[DisneyGigi]

I have been on both sides of the fence on this one before. I have taken my children out of school for 5 straight school days several times in the past for Disney trips. There was never a problem as they both were good students and completed all the work for those days on the way there and back. However, as the grades have progressed and it took a little more time to maintain their grades in certain subjects, I have not taken them out. We have not been now in almost a year & 1/2 actually, as it just has not worked out & we are so used to going while school is in session and not as crowded, that we do not want to go in summer. Does it really stink as much as we love Disney & want to go?? Yes, it does.. but I know that I don't want them struggling the rest of the year to keep their grades where we want them. My point is (after a longwinded explanation) I think it is fine & even wonderful if it does not hurt their grades, if you think it will, as wonderful as WDW is.. then no, I wouldn't do it. (gosh .. I think I am a grownup now..lol)

 

[EvilQueen-T]

when we lived in california my kids had year round school...9 weeks on 3 weeks off, 9 weeks on, 5 weeks off, christmas break, 9 weeks on, 3 off, 9 on 5 off and that was the school year. we had 4 options of times of year to start. my kids never got burned out as compared to the traditional track we had to go back to when we moved back to florida and we were able to plan vacations at decent times of year without pulling them out of class, otherwise you're kind of stuck pulling them out unless your work schedule allows you to come melt in florida in the summer.

 

[Phonedave]

My parents did this same thing for my brother and I at 14 + 15 yrs old. And I now I do this for my kids, who are still in elementary.

My parents asked the teachers what we would be learning while away, and we found a way to tie in Disney + education "I was missing" in a vacation. I know it's a philosophy that has been lost in education today, but learning can be fun! it does not need to always be done in school or by text book.

Take EPCOT for example. You can learn more in 2 days at EPCOT about world cultures than you will in 2 days of High school text book. Same with Animal Kingdom he can learn and not realize he is actually learning!:sohappy:

Not commenting on if pulling them out of school or not is the right thing to do. But the bolded part is a load of rubbish.

What do you learn about Mexico - they make Animales Fantasticos, like Tequila, and boat rides ? Where is the whole interaction with what is now Texas. Is Santa Anna even mentioned in the pavilion ? Any mention at all of the recent (amazing) strides Mexico has made in 'moving up' in the rankings?

Lets move to Norway. Stave Church has a glossing over of viking history. What else do we learn? Norway is full of trolls and Helly Hansen clothes apparently. Oh, and Norway will always be one with the sea. How about some info on their GDP and ranking in the world. Their concept of property rights and if that is a good or bad thing. Any mention of why it refuses to join the EU?

Don't get me wrong. EPCOT is great, and it is a wonderful way to get someone INTERESTED in a country - but to suggest that there is any in depth learning of any kind there is silly.

-dave

 

[flavious27]

In High School I missed ONE physics class - not because I missed school but because I was involved with somthing else in the school and was excused that period.

That was the day my teacher went over using imaginary numbers to represent electrical flow in circuits.

I was so freaking lost for the next month or so.

-dave

But atleast all that work was rewarded with physics day.

 

[flavious27]

My parents did this same thing for my brother and I at 14 + 15 yrs old. And I now I do this for my kids, who are still in elementary.

My parents asked the teachers what we would be learning while away, and we found a way to tie in Disney + education "I was missing" in a vacation. I know it's a philosophy that has been lost in education today, but learning can be fun! it does not need to always be done in school or by text book.

Take EPCOT for example. You can learn more in 2 days at EPCOT about world cultures than you will in 2 days of High school text book. Same with Animal Kingdom he can learn and not realize he is actually learning!:sohappy:

Too bad the Canadian circle vision is less accurate now.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Not commenting on if pulling them out of school or not is the right thing to do. But the bolded part is a load of rubbish.

What do you learn about Mexico - they make Animales Fantasticos, like Tequila, and boat rides ? Where is the whole interaction with what is now Texas. Is Santa Anna even mentioned in the pavilion ? Any mention at all of the recent (amazing) strides Mexico has made in 'moving up' in the rankings?

Lets move to Norway. Stave Church has a glossing over of viking history. What else do we learn? Norway is full of trolls and Helly Hansen clothes apparently. Oh, and Norway will always be one with the sea. How about some info on their GDP and ranking in the world. Their concept of property rights and if that is a good or bad thing. Any mention of why it refuses to join the EU?

Don't get me wrong. EPCOT is great, and it is a wonderful way to get someone INTERESTED in a country - but to suggest that there is any in depth learning of any kind there is silly.

-dave

Well, I can see what you mean...but what about the American Adventure? SpaceShip Earth, Living with the Land, Universe of Energy?

I'm not saying what you're saying isn't right...but to the right student, if one thing sticks with them...it's a good learning day. I'd say that it would be easier to get something to stick if it came out of one of the attractions above...than it would reading it in a book.

 

[slappy magoo]

I'm not saying what you're saying isn't right...but to the right student, if one thing sticks with them...it's a good learning day. I'd say that it would be easier to get something to stick if it came out of one of the attractions above...than it would reading it in a book.

My argument would be slightly adjusted. Sure a child might learn something in Epcot or even anywhere else in WDW. I doubt that that piece of knowledge, in and of itself, would be enough to say it was a "good learning day." But what it might do - and really, what (I think) Walt was originally shooting for all along when he'd try to create educational pavilions or produce educational/nature films- is to inspire people to want to learn MORE. A child is not going to get any sort of good working knowledge of China's past or present by visiting the China pavilion, any more than a college freshman would understand the mind of a criminal psychotic by watch "CSI." But watching "CSI" might (JUST might) get a student fascinated enough to take criminal psychology courses and may set that student on a career path. "Star Trek" inspired more than one kid to try to get into NASA. That's what Disney's role tends to be, inspiring people to wonder more and want more knowledge by providing a taste in an entertaining way.

And going back to the original poster of this thread, sure, MAYBE going to WDW with her brother, he may see something that will set his mind to wondering. Inspire him to tackle a subject, accept a challenge, work harder, be better, do more. But...how much easier would those goals be if he was already in a mind set to work hard and excel in school in the first place?

Because I'm of the opinion that while high school may not give you a lot if info you'll need the rest of your life what it does do (or should do, at the very least) is a: give all students some basic knowledge so that we as a nation can at least share something - we all know at least THIS much - and b: teach you how to think, in different ways, under different situations and stresses, so that you may get a better idea of what you want to do with your life, and what you'll need to do to get there. This may sound corny, but I'm of the opinion that amidst our nation's ridiculous drop-out/non-graduation rate. there are plenty of really, REALLY brilliant students who, for whatever reason, see no future for themselves, so they don't want to bother trying. And they're not in an environment where a teacher, a parent (or an older sister, hint) challenges them to want to learn, to do more, to be better than they currently are. Because of that, they suffer, but so do we all. Because it means fewer students who COULD excel actually do, and plenty of middling students who have great connections and/or families that expect them to not embarrass their lineage grow up and become professionals with more power and responsibilities than they deserve, or can handle, because someone else didn't apply him or herself.

When a kid gives up, we all pay a price, both in terms of national status, and a financial price as well, because that's a kid whose potential for earning is weaker. Even if they never need public assistance (and I know, plenty of brilliant people could find themselves on "the dole" too), by likely earning less in his or her life, it's less tax revenue coming into the system, which could benefit everyone, including the next generation of students who benefit by more education dollars going into their school. It all starts with a student with a book in hand, and someone who loves that student making sure what's in the book goes in the head.

 

[Phonedave]

Well, I can see what you mean...but what about the American Adventure? SpaceShip Earth, Living with the Land, Universe of Energy?

I'm not saying what you're saying isn't right...but to the right student, if one thing sticks with them...it's a good learning day. I'd say that it would be easier to get something to stick if it came out of one of the attractions above...than it would reading it in a book.

Everything in EPCOT gives a good once over, but there is not much depth there.

It is a very good START to more in depth study and understanding, but to suggest it provides more than 2 days of book study is not accurate.

American Adventure - Really, the 200+ years of the history of this Country can be summed up in a 20 minute show? Nothing of the industrial revolution, nothing of the depression, nothing of the cold war and the resulting space race and the advances that came out of NASA, no mention of the New Deal and the PWA, no mention of McCarthy and the red scare. Just off the top of my head in under 30 seconds.

LWTL - Concernes of irridiated grain, genetic patenting of plants, agri-business compared to the traditional farm. The resurgance of heirloom varietials. Food safety. Almost no mention of weather at all - El Nino, Monsoon seasons, alluvial plains, or tidal zones. I saw almost nothing about geology in Living with the Land.

SpaceShip Earth - What impacts did the invention of the printing press have on religion and the powers held by the church. What advances (brought about by the cold war, see above) resulted in the availability of cheap computing power. What exactly makes the Phonecian alphabet so easy to use? What other countries were printing with movable type before Guttenberg. How did the introduction of the newspaper threaten the aristocracy and why was reading supressed.



As I said, I love EPCOT, and I think it is a wonderful place to spark somones interest in the sciences and in history, but you are getting no more than a breif taste of the subject. And that's not a fault of EPCOT, that is how it is designed. It is a vacation spot, not a classroom after all. But to suggest that you learn more in two days at EPCOT than by spending equal time with a textbook is just a wrong statement to make.

And decent text will give you at least some information on all the points I mentioned

-dave

 

[rsoxguy]

Not commenting on if pulling them out of school or not is the right thing to do. But the bolded part is a load of rubbish.

What do you learn about Mexico - they make Animales Fantasticos, like Tequila, and boat rides ? Where is the whole interaction with what is now Texas. Is Santa Anna even mentioned in the pavilion ? Any mention at all of the recent (amazing) strides Mexico has made in 'moving up' in the rankings?

Lets move to Norway. Stave Church has a glossing over of viking history. What else do we learn? Norway is full of trolls and Helly Hansen clothes apparently. Oh, and Norway will always be one with the sea. How about some info on their GDP and ranking in the world. Their concept of property rights and if that is a good or bad thing. Any mention of why it refuses to join the EU?

Don't get me wrong. EPCOT is great, and it is a wonderful way to get someone INTERESTED in a country - but to suggest that there is any in depth learning of any kind there is silly.

-dave

Well, I can see what you mean...but what about the American Adventure? SpaceShip Earth, Living with the Land, Universe of Energy?

I'm not saying what you're saying isn't right...but to the right student, if one thing sticks with them...it's a good learning day. I'd say that it would be easier to get something to stick if it came out of one of the attractions above...than it would reading it in a book.

I really don't want to get into a discussion based on the OP's topic, but this issue of educational value at EPCOT is a little demeaning to the educational process. In the early 90's, schools were sent an offer for free annual passes to EPCOT for anyone involved in education. Disney set up educational materials and attempted to establish EPCOT as a viable destination for educational field trips. What did it yield? Teachers entering EPCOT for free on their own. Field trips were not established, by and large because people involved in education understood that EPCOT is a place established for amusement rather than education.
EPCOT certainly has educational benefits, but to say that it can replace time in the classroom is akin to saying that aspiring actors can skip their drama classes as long as they ride on the Tower of Terror. Sorry, but I must agree with the Yankees fan on this one.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Given we dont all have the same thought process or learning mechanisms I dont see how anyone can say that teaching in a formal class environment delivers the same results for every pupil.

 

[rsoxguy]

Given we dont all have the same thought process or learning mechanisms I dont see how anyone can say that teaching in a formal class environment delivers the same results for every pupil.

I agree with you to point, in relation to EPCOT. With issues such as ADD, we know that some learning is based upon the individuals method of processing information rather than ability or intelligence. My issue with EPCOT involves its educational merit.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

I agree with you to point, in relation to EPCOT. With issues such as ADD, we know that some learning is based upon the individuals method of processing information rather than ability or intelligence. My issue with EPCOT involves its educational merit.

That's what I was saying. Each person learns differently and to some, see and "touching" things help people learn...whereas words in a book can go right over some's heads.

Obviously sitting and studying a subject thoroughly is going to warrant a better outcome than a 10-15 minute ride...but if the ride gets the headlines out there...it may interest people to delve deeper into the subject.

(PhoneDave) I'd also like to add...that a 45 American History minute class is not going to give you the complete history of America either...like you're suggesting...so that's a little "weighing the scales in your favor."
American Adventure gives a great overview.

 

[rsoxguy]

I must still emphasize that EPCOT is not viable substitute (get the pun?) for a classroom education.
Fun, with a little educational value on the side? Sure.
A good replacement for the classroom? Not so much.
There are plenty of other places in most areas that serve well for field trips, and they all cost less.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

I must still emphasize that EPCOT is not viable substitute (get the pun?) for a classroom education.
Fun, with a little educational value on the side? Sure.
A good replacement for the classroom? Not so much.
There are plenty of other places in most areas that serve well for field trips, and they all cost less.

I completely agree...much like a museum isn't...even though you can learn from these places...it is no substitute.

Going to Epcot for 180 days a year...will not give you the same knowledge as going to school for 180 days a year. Different? Yes...Can you learn from both? Yes...but nothing compares to a classroom education.