Taking Kids Out Of School

[marksniles]

Originally posted by pepsistar
:
IF you would still get paid. :lol I would just stay a little longer, to get everything done, "IF" I did not have to work in the summer. and got paid-- Oh What!! a dream-- :lookaroun

We do not get paid during the summer. My last check comes one week after we get out of school. I have to put money away during the school year to pay bills during the summer. Get your facts straight before you dig at someone's profession.

 

[wee-haggis]

Originally posted by marksniles
Being a teacher I totally agree with you. This year alone I had at least 5 students go on vacation. Many of these students were special education students who really needed to benefit from being in the classroom at all times to receive instruction. Nothing substitutes the real experience from being in a classroom. I'm a science teacher and parents want me to send stuff home for them to do on the trip down. How can I send home hands-on experiments? I've had two students this year come back from 2 week vacations (oh I teach 6th grade science) and they were totally lost and they could never catch up and as a result are failing for the quarter. This is even with one on one help from me. They still couldn't "get it."

I agree that parents who take their children out of school (and I don't care what grade level it is) is sending a message to their children that school is secondary in their life. School is not important and that they can skip it to go ride Space Mountain.

At least in my school district, the school calendars are given to parents a full year in advance. Schools have built in vacations. PARENTS - build yours vacations around your child's vacations. I know that this might sometimes be hard to do but please see the importance of keeping your child in the classroom. Finishing a bunch of papers in the car or on the plane is no substitute for the really learning that takes place when a child is actively engaged in the classroom.

Again...I repeat,each child is different and each case has to be decided on its own merits.
As for the parents sending a "bad" message to their kids by taking a vacation instead of being at school??.....With all due respect,thats rubbish !.
Three well respected teachers at our kids' school all agreed that travel and family unity is as important as any school lesson.
Vacationing at WDW is not all "Space Mountain" (as least not for my family).
"Parents buld your own vacations"...Being a teacher you obviously understand that choosing a vacation (other than the summer months and spring breaks etc)is not a choice that all parents have(whether it be for financial reasons..ieff peak vs high season = high $) or simply because their place of employment does not allow that flexibility.
Will kids (in lower grades)suffer for being away from school for 1 week or 10 days?
In my opinion...no (based on the experiences of taking my kids on several occasions out of school).
The proof is in there grades...though each child is different.

 

[cloudboy]

PARENTS - build yours vacations around your child's vacations.

I am saying this from the standpoint if someone who does not have kids, and is not a teacher, either. This is one comment that I hear often from teachers and school faculty (both my Father and Brother work for the school system and so I have met many teachers) leads to more bitterness against teachers than any other. It is easy for a teacher to say this - you are not scheduled during summers. You do not risk loosing your job and unable to feed your family if you take time off during certain times of the year. There are many people out there do not have the choice when they can take time off, and can easilly schedule a vacation a year in advance. Heck I know parents who can't even guarantee a weekend off, let alone a whole vacation.

I understand that it is fustrating to you to deal with this. I know that, especially now when you are stuck dealing with low funding and having to cram a lot of material into a short year and get ever increasing results. But also recognize that the same thing is being faced by parents out there, and often times with a lot less protection than what you enjoy as a teacher. So you can't demand that parents adapt themselves to your schedule and more than they can demand you adapt to theirs.

As an aside, are we trying to cram so much material and work into a week that by simply falling behind on that a student is lost? If that is the case then are students actually learning the material or just learning how to memorize things enough to pass the next test and forget about it the following day?

 

[wee-haggis]

Originally posted by marksniles
Sorry but I think NOT!!!!!! You pay to go the doctors. Are you their boss. You pay taxes so when a cop stops you for speeding you can say "Sorry I'm your boss so I don't deserve a ticket." I think NOT! What happen to the days when teachers were respected for what they did. We're shaping the mind of the people who are going to be running this country when you are old and gray. Tell me a more important job than that. From my experience, some parents need to have the teacher be their bosses because they don't know how to raise their kids. Get away from that mentally that you own us and start thinking as a team player. You have to work together to raise that child to become a productive member of this society. Instill in them the importance of an education and work with their teacher instead of bossing them around.

Ah...c'mon ,get off your high horse!
When I say "be their bosses"...you know fine well that I'm not speaking literally.
The point I was trying to make is that when I hear someone say that they have to get permission from the principal to take their kid on a vacation,it makes me wonder.

 

[marksniles]

Originally posted by cloudboy

As an aside, are we trying to cram so much material and work into a week that by simply falling behind on that a student is lost? If that is the case then are students actually learning the material or just learning how to memorize things enough to pass the next test and forget about it the following day?

Ask President Bush who is requiring school to test every student from grades 2-10 every year in english/lanuage arts, math, and science starting next year. Well science isn't until 2007 but it will be thrown in there. That about 3 weeks taken out of the school year just for testing. It's so silly.

 

[Spoonfulofsugar]

"Lower grades" are just as important as upper grades. If kids really catch what they need to in the lower grades, it won't be so difficult to make that work up in the upper grades.

 

[cloudboy]

Ask President Bush who is requiring school to test every student from grades 2-10 every year in english/lanuage arts, math, and science starting next year. Well science isn't until 2007 but it will be thrown in there. That about 3 weeks taken out of the school year just for testing. It's so silly.

We already have high stakes testing in Mass. Apparently my generation is a failure because we graduated without being able to tell whether Boron, Carbon, Oxygen, or Nitrogen has the highest electromagnetivity. That must be why I am unemployed!
(with appologies to marksniles).

No offense to teachers, becuase I think they are purely victims in this, but I think we are getting further and further away from children learning and focusing more and more on memorization. I feel that a big reason we have problems in the economy is becasue people nowadays don't know how to solve problems and understand people and be creative - all they know how to do is follow directions and repeat what has always been done.

 

[cloudboy]

I work two jobs over the summer to supplement my income, and I still only make 40,000 (with ten years experience and a Master's degree).

You do realize that there are a lot of people who work year round and make less than that? And they get two weeks vacation and most (but certainly not all) of the vacation days that you get?

Listen, I respect teachers, I think you guys are doing a lot of tough work and are working in some terrible conditions (often made worse by certain egotistical superintendants, ehm.). But also realize that there are other bleak situations out there, too. Maybe you will realize that not only that you are in a pretty good position (I am assuming you like teaching), but that you are actually in a position to make a difference in peoples lifes. Stop thinking like a job and start looking at youself as a inspirational mentor to get people to learn everywhere..

 

[DisneyrazZ]

<I>Originally posted by cloudboy:</I>
Maybe you will realize that not only that you are in a pretty good position (I am assuming you like teaching), but that you are actually in a position to make a difference in peoples lifes. Stop thinking like a job and start looking at youself as a inspirational mentor to get people to learn everywhere..

first off...just because we love our jobs doesn't mean we get paid enough to support a family and have money left over...depending on where you live...when you go to school for at least 6 years to get a masters degree and you have experience...you should be making more than what you do make as a teacher...

sure....there are people that dont make that much....but how many jobs are there that pay less than that with a bachelors degree? and even further...a masters....not many at all...most of the people that dont make that much do not have college degrees...

also from an earlier post....yes there are teachers that recite facts and do not add any liveliness to their curriculum....personally that irritates me...b/c that makes me believe they were not taught how to teach...or they just dont even enjoy their job...or they know they have job security (tenior...sp?)...so they know if they do a poor job they still cannot get fired....but at least at the school i am attending...and probably many schools around the US/world...we are being taught how to teach....all our classes include writing lesson plans that include creative activities...we are taught about management/discipline...and pretty much everything that we would need to know about teaching...

i think this thread has turned more into a controversy than was originally planned.....

kay off my soapbox now!

-=DisneyrazZ=-

 

[bhickman]

Educators Respect Is Required !!!

Yikes!!!

I would certainly hope it is understood that the parents have a huge role in this decision to recognizing the student's capacity to handle this time off. Just as importantly the parents are accountable to communicate the responsibility of making the work up quickly. The time off comes with a price and is not a shunning of responsibilities. Sensitivity to critical testing periods are of course a top priority as well. This said their participation in the trip must be contingent upon good grade and attendance standing to date and a proper work ethic.

As far as the teachers... I hope we can all share in respect for their role in all this.. I am very grateful for most of my kids' teachers, they do not necessarily have an easy job and our decisions to pull our kids probably doesn't help. I respect those teachers that have made these vacation decision possible, that work with us to complete missed assignments, etc.. Biggest problem we've had regarding these times off has been the daily phone messages telling us our kids are not in school for the day, and do we know?? This even though a letter has been sent in with the impending vacation dates.

In our case we have decided the Pro's of a family vacation together outweighs the risks in our house. A personal decision... not right or wrong... just our choice.. Family first for us regardless of the time of year. The rest works itself out assuming parents, kids/students and teachers are engaged with each other.. again an interactive responsibility.

Where the Magic Lives,
Bill
<hr width=90%>
<i>It's not the going that presents the challenge but the coming home that dims the magic..</i>

 

[GenerationX]

I find there is plenty of free time in the summer for family vacations. I agree that a WDW vacation is a great family bonding experience and offers some educational opportunities for my kids. I just don't see any reason to pull them out of school for a trip.

 

[Enderikari]

Enough arguing! Everyone just sign a petition to make it mandatory for ALL schools to have a field trip to Disney World every year... Who's with me?:sohappy:

Seriously, EPCOT is educational, right???

*Therapists Note: Don't Mind Him, Classic Case of Disney on the Brain. Incurable.*

:hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer:

 

[patricia27]

As a teacher I don`t think it`s a good to take children out of school for holidays ---in a week they can miss a whole new concept and find themselves falling behind very quickley. Also I have seen friendship groups change and they could find themselves excluded from activities by children who they thought were their friends before they went away----children can be cruel.
However as a parent I am horrified by the way the travel industry puts up prices for school holidays, for a family on a limited budget the only way to get a holiday at Walt Disney World
is to go in term time when flights and hotels are cheaper.

 

[Beauty and the]

We've been up in front of the Head (Principle) for taking our children out of school for three weeks to visit WDW. We sat there while she lectured us on the subject. When she finished I told her that during the last three weeks, our children had learnt about the cultures of at least eleven different countries, learnt about agriculture, communications, energy, health and much more. Got close up to rhinos, elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions, baboons, antelope, ostriches, hippos etc. That they saw sea lions and otters, were no more than ten metres from a killer whale, fed alligators, swam with dolphins and sat on Cocoa Beach and watched the bloody space shuttle blast off. I then said to her "now Miss, tell me what you're children did in these last three weeks "

If Spaceship Earth, Food Rocks, Behind the Seeds, Cranium Command, Body Wars, Universe of Energy and all the rest isn't educational then what is ? :hammer: :brick:

 

[wee-haggis]

Originally posted by GenerationX
I find there is plenty of free time in the summer for family vacations. I agree that a WDW vacation is a great family bonding experience and offers some educational opportunities for my kids. I just don't see any reason to pull them out of school for a trip.

Again GenerationX,you've got to realize that not everyone is as fortunate as yourself to have that choice !
In certain industries (construction for example),summer months are the peak months for building roads,houses,shops,factories,etc,etc. The individuals who work for these companes do not get any time off during the summer so therefore off-peak ,winter holidays is the only choice they have.
Its also important to note (as several have mentioned earlier)that prices are also a factor when deciding if/when a family vacation can be taken.
With all due respect to teachers,I do believe there is a little bit of exagerration when it comes to explaining how "disasterous" it will be for Little Johnny to take 7 or 10 days off school.
The fact is,it has been done before with little or no detrimental affect to the kids and I don't see why 1 or 2 weeks out of the year will make that much of a difference to the overall education the child receives.
In my opinion, as long as its limited to 2 weeks or less,is not at critical times of the school year (ie:exams etc) and is for the younger kids only,there should be no problem.

 

[BrerPete]

Problems:

1. Action: Take kid out of school for quieter trip or less expensive. Kid recognizes that it is okay to miss school for certain reasons.

Result: Kid wants to stay home because he/she wants to do something he/she feels is important. Can't understand why it is okay for parents to decide what is important and what is not important. Trouble ensues.

Moral: You can have your cake and you can eat it, but, it may repeat on you, give you heatburn, or food poisoning.

Keep your children in school. Thats why they get two months off in the summer.

 

[wee-haggis]

Originally posted by BrerPete
Problems:

1. Action: Take kid out of school for quieter trip or less expensive. Kid recognizes that it is okay to miss school for certain reasons.

Result: Kid wants to stay home because he/she wants to do something he/she feels is important. Can't understand why it is okay for parents to decide what is important and what is not important. Trouble ensues.

Moral: You can have your cake and you can eat it, but, it may repeat on you, give you heatburn, or food poisoning.

Keep your children in school. Thats why they get two months off in the summer.

Huh ?

 

[Debbie]

Originally posted by wee-haggis
Again GenerationX,you've got to realize that not everyone is as fortunate as yourself to have that choice !
In certain industries (construction for example),summer months are the peak months for building roads,houses,shops,factories,etc,etc. The individuals who work for these companes do not get any time off during the summer so therefore off-peak ,winter holidays is the only choice they have.
Its also important to note (as several have mentioned earlier)that prices are also a factor when deciding if/when a family vacation can be taken.

My situation is one of those: this time of year would be disastrous for us to 'close up shop' and go on vacation. But in December, not alot of folks are moving, thus we don't have as many apartments to paint or clean.
My family has had to endure my husband being laid off, myself being laid off (and I had the health benefits), and the struggle to start our business. I think the financial implications go without saying. I no longer have five weeks PAID vacation; if we don't work, we don't get paid. So planning a trip for us requires careful planning and consideration for both sides of school, crowds at WDW, and our business-i.e.: all of our bills have to be paid, all of our jobs have to be completed, school can't be in the middle of testing, and Christmas shopping has to be done (for financial reasons).
Since my brood hasn't had a family vacation from August 1999, I do hope to take them out of school the last week before Christmas vacation. I've found that this last week of school is a 'blow-off' week; no homework, no testing, a party on Thursday, and early dismissal on Friday. We hope to head out on Tuesday night and spend Wednesday thru Monday there, coming home the following Tuesday.

 

[Gagesmom314]

There are Christmas breaks, Spring breaks and summer vacations for vacation...I wouldn't pull my child out of school just to take them on a vacation. I would put up with more crowds rather than do that. Of course my child's education is very important to me and I know that even 2 days would put him behind. In the school system in our town kids can't make up the work if they are pulled out for a vacation. I guess I was brought up to value education more than a vacation.

 

[wee-haggis]

Originally posted by Debbie
My situation is one of those: this time of year would be disastrous for us to 'close up shop' and go on vacation. But in December, not alot of folks are moving, thus we don't have as many apartments to paint or clean.
My family has had to endure my husband being laid off, myself being laid off (and I had the health benefits), and the struggle to start our business. I think the financial implications go without saying. I no longer have five weeks PAID vacation; if we don't work, we don't get paid. So planning a trip for us requires careful planning and consideration for both sides of school, crowds at WDW, and our business.
Since my brood hasn't had a family vacation from August 1999, I do hope to take them out of school the last week before Christmas vacation. I've found that this last week of school is a 'blow-off' week; no homework, no testing, a party on Thursday, and early dismissal on Friday. We hope to head out on Tuesday night and spend Wednesday thru Monday there, coming home the following Tuesday.

Sounds like a sensible approach Debbie..
Hope you have a great time at Xmas