Who takes kids out of school for WDW?

[yensid354]

I agree! Take her out!

We've taken our kids out for our vactions at WDW ever since 1989! We would go at 'off' times to save money, enjoy ourselves, and relax.

Once the older child hit high school, we stopped as she would miss too much work, but even now, a single day is not that hard to do.

Both of my girls are good students, and my wife and I are well involved with their school work, so we know what the class covers for what days.

Here in the northeast, our schools have 'spring break' next week, and we will be visiting our favorite vacation spot for the 22nd time, and we inform the school teachers that we will not allow them to do homework while on vacation, that teachers have to realize that this is the children's vacations too, so we push back and tell the teachers to take a walk!

My wife won't allow me to do any work on our vacations either, she confiscates my laptop and cell phone, hides them, and won't give them back until the day I return to work!

Does help enforce the relaxation rules!

Ask the teacher what the big deal is about missing a little time in 2nd grade?

 

[gepetto]

No. We take vacations when school's out for the summer. It may not be the teacher's decision....our county decides the procedures to be followed for unexcused absences.

 

[jcmayid]

I'm sorry but what the hell is the county going to do do a child in 2nd grade for going on vacation with parents, is it possible that parents cannot go on vacation in the summer? They aren't very well going to WDW w/o their kid, this is crap!!! I'd go regardless, and fight the system!!!

 

[mej]

Oh Oh - I know that I am going to get shot down in flames over this, but I am a teacher in a Primary School (4 - 11 year olds) and while we could not refuse to allow a child to go on holiday, we have a very strict "no homework" policy!! The reasoning behind that is very simple - the worksheet at the end of the activity is the most insignificant part of any lesson, the vital bit is the teaching and the interaction between teacher and child or between child and child. To hand out a weeks worth of follow up activities without the teaching to go with them is pointless. As a teacher it can be very frustrating - you have to try to "time" the introduction of new themes etc for days when the kids are at school and not away on holiday. This is our first week back after Easter and I have 4 kids out of 27 who are still on holiday. Next week 3 of those come back and another one goes! I know I will be unpopular - I am a parent as well as a teacher so I understand the temptations of off season travelling! My one plea would be NEVER take your child out of school during the first week of school. So many friendships/who sits where etc are sorted out that I have seen lots of kids become really unhappy when they return to school and have to "fight their way back" with their own classmates.

 

[WDWKing]

My Parents took my sister, my brother and I out of school during February a week before winter break to go to WDW.

 

[Debbie]

My parents never took us out of school for vacations, but I wouldn't hesitate to take mine out. The summers are our busiest season, we sometimes work 12 hours per day/ 6 days per week. The first two weeks of the month are hard for us because of the turnaround expected with the apartments we do. Off season travel seems to be the way we are going to have to do it. I can not see going 10+ years 'til my kid finishes school to vacation. The school will just have to get over it.

 

[Pink Cows]

We just got back from WDW and my parents took my sister and I out of school for a week, all that we had to do was a month before fill out a form and have my teachers sign it! We went and when we came back and did our work! We have done this every year we go to WDW

 

[AkiraRaptor]

I know one of my co-workings is dealing with this exact issue. They wish to go on vacation, and they were going to take their son out of school (i think his in like 8 or 9th). The asked the school for homework assignements, and the school said you can't take the child out of school, and if they did it would be an unexcused absense.

There policy is unless your sick, and have a doctors excuse (even for a simple cold, sick, etc) you need an excuse. Otherwise if the child has too many unexcused days, THEY pentilize the child with things like detention, or they could even hold them back if they missed alot of days.

I think their is a law about how many days a studen must attend per school year.

They also said that WDW was not educational so they wouldn't let the child even turn in a report or anything to show what they learned.

I understand what <B>mej</B> is saying, but sometimes, it just looks like a the school is just covering there rear ends, and don't really care about the childs learning experiance (in or out of school), and when I say school I mean the school boards and directors, not the teaches.

 

[Mr. Toad]

Originally posted by Yellow Shoes
...There are things that happen in the classroom that cannot be "made up." My son told me that yesterday the cocoons in his 2nd grade classroom hatched into Painted Lady butterflies. He was VERY excited about this. Watching butterflies hatch cannot be put in the homework packet.

You make a valid point, however there will be experiences at WDW that can't be had in the classroom. Particularly at EPCOT and AK there are many places to see and do things that you won't get in the classroom. While you could go to these places during the summer months going at a "slower" time of the year increases the chances of interaction with the CMs that can improve these experiences.

I don't remember my parents ever taking me out of school for vacation but I don't see the big deal myself. Many of my friends went on vacations during the school year and no one seemed to give them a hard time about it. They usually ended up having to do a special report on their trip (in addition to making up the missed work).

 

[fngoofy]

Go talk to the Principal and if he/she will not make it happen, ask for their superior and take it up the ladder.
There is no excuse for that what-so-ever!

 

[Bdis86]

Originally posted by Goofette
That is what is so frustrating about all of this. They are refusing to let her get her homework in advance. And also telling us she won't be able to make some of it up at all. B]

That's illegal if it affects your child's grade. Forget the principal, call your lawyer!!!

Oh, and by the way, for "The Classroom Experience" thing that someone mentioned, as it can't be recreated out of the classroom, that's true, being in a classroom can't be created outside of a classroom. And that's as far as that goes. You see, schools have "field trips" so they can learn OUTSIDE the classroom. Well, going to WDW is a BIG field trip. And I gurantee that your child will learn more going to Epcot then doing worksheets. Epcot is wonderful. Kids can actually understand rides like Spaceship Earth, and Universe of Energy. The best part is, they don't know they are learning! They are just having fun! That's every teacher's dream, for kids to learn on their own without knowing it when they are having fun. Don't miss Epcot or the Animal Kingdom. The stinkin butterfly thing that Yellow Shoes mentioned, is NOTHING compared to a Safari at the Animal Kingdom. There in a day you will see more animals then most people see in a lifetime.

DON'T CANCEL WDW!!!!!!!

And if your teacher insists that work needs to be done, suggest a photo report on WDW in a folder like book. Park maps have tons of pics of the parks, and to make a little book like that is fun! And also note this:
When I went on Spaceship Earth, I remembered everything. And later in my life when I was in High School, we started learning all about the scenes in Spaceship Earth. And believe me, a photo of a printing press is NOTHING compared to a real moving one like you will see on Spaceship Earth. WDW is THE PLACE to learn! Not a 2nd grade classroom. And crud, 5 days is nothing. I've been sick longer then that.

 

[Erika]

As the daughter of somebody who works in education, and the best friend of a 3rd grade teacher, I understand the frustrations a teacher might have about a child missing a week of school. School is important at any grade.

That said-- what about family time? Parents are too busy these days. I say, go to WDW and have some quality time with your daughter. Maybe pick up a souvenir for the teacher while you're down there :animwink:

 

[McArcDes]

There is more to life that School. We have taken our two older children ouf school twice to go. Dont get us wrong, We put an extremely high priority on education in our family BUT there is nothing wrong with taking a little time out from school to go.

The teachers at our childrens school gave them assignments to do while they were away like keeping track of how much money was spent on the vacation and what the daily, weekly and whole trip costs were. They also had them keep journals about what they did and saw every day. When they got back the teachers let them make up the homework over the next couple of weeks they were back in school.

They enjoyed them selves and we dont see that any harm came from them missing school.

Just give the teacher plenty of notice and see what you can do.

Enjoy!

 

[orlandoparks]

I have been taken out of school for a week. It wasen't a problem. I got all of my work done the night before. I'd do it again during school if I could.

 

[Lance]

I was never taken out during the school year............because my mother didn't want to use her vacation until the summer anyway...............in HS, if I missed one day, I was screwed for another two, because I had to get caught up, so I just said, no more sick days.

In the past, kids could take all their work on vacation with them.......I don't think that's true today, because of all the Teaching CHANGES!!!! TEaching for TESTS! The BULL that is education reform!

 

[Thespis]

Sick days are excused in Texas and they are allowed 9 unexcused for the year.

I teach in Texas. Just about any absence can be excused up until a point. The law says that students must attend school 90% of the time or not recieve credit.
Check the district policy. I know ours has a policy of allowing students the same amount of time that they missed to make up the work. In other words, if a kid misses 3 days he has 3 days to make up the work when he comes back.
I think it's a little silly for a 2nd grader to be punished because of a decision that's out of her hands. If you have to, tell the school that you cancelled your trip because your daughter is sick and should be better in about 5 days. I don't think they can force you to present a doctors note unless she's already missed too many days. If that doesn't work, try to find out how many days your principal has been out of town for seminars this year. That ought to do it...

 

[Tom Morrow]

I miss a few days of school each time we go to WDW. We don't want to go during vacation times, because the crowds are much smaller during the schoolyear.

 

[2much2do]

My mom was always great about taking me out of school for "life experiences". Actually, even in HS she would let me stay home sometimes to just goof off and hang out at home (school, especially HS can be really stressful!!!! I needed mental health days sometimes!) Missing a few days (and five really is just a few!!) is no big deal. Especially since schools these days are mostly just babysitting centers where the teachers spend most of the day containing the kids, repeating things for the slow listeners/learners, transporting them to and from things like gym and lunch and the actual learning part of the day is no more than a couple hours at most!!! I agree with most everyone else here. Take her out, go have a nice time, let your daughter learn tons of things at WDW, and forget the school. No big deal.
Oh, and just for the record, before I became a full time mom, I was a teacher of five and six year olds ( for 10 years!!!!!!)

But, the better solution to your problem would be what I do: Pull her out of school completely and homeschool!!!!! Then you could go to Disney World whenever the heck you dam well please! :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:


PS Forgot to add one more thing: Why is it that the teacher, the school, the board, the county, etc. seem to forget that your daughter is YOUR CHILD?????????

 

[scoobyb44]

The question is how would you feel if your child's teacher took a weeks vacation?

 

[Thespis]

The question is how would you feel if your child's teacher took a weeks vacation?

This would, of course affect an entire class of students instead of just one. Apples and oranges...