Another famous "taking your kids out of school" thread ..

Hey y'all,

Ok- I know this is a touchy subect, and hoping for no fights - just sound opinions -
So, it's my first experience having a child in middle school, and this could possible be the first non-Disney Thanksgiving for us in over 20 years ! So, the letdown has already started - ds7 starting 2nd grade - already spoke with the school, and they understand many people go away for the holidays - they would miss the 4 days after thanksgiving weekend - he did the same last year - he was fine with it - teacher gave him a HW packet to do for that week -

Dd12 is the problem - last year she was fine - now, 2nd year of middle school and she is petrified about missing 4 days of school in 7th grade - I know some schools are more lenient than others - ( I believe we have some teachers on the Dis as well) - thoughts ? Are her fears justified? she is (luckily) a good student that stresses big time about missing assistments and/or tests - we go for winter recess, but the airfare alone --- crazy ! Thanks for any help !
Teacher here.

In my experience as a mom and a colleague to middle school teachers, I wouldn’t do it. Middle school is a whole other deal. What you can get away with in elementary school may have major repercussions in middle and high school.

Because of my job and when my child was in school, we have always traveled during school vacations. You might want to consider Christmas break. Disney is a beautiful place to be during Christmas and New Year’s.
 
Teacher here.

In my experience as a mom and a colleague to middle school teachers, I wouldn’t do it. Middle school is a whole other deal. What you can get away with in elementary school may have major repercussions in middle and high school.

Because of my job and when my child was in school, we have always traveled during school vacations. You might want to consider Christmas break. Disney is a beautiful place to be during Christmas and New Year’s.

Thanks for the input - we did it last year when she was in middle school - granted, 6th grade and not 7th, but she still had a ton of work last year- missed 3 days but was able to catch up quickly -
 
My vote would be "don't go", because your DD doesn't want to miss school. You seem to go on plenty of WDW trips, it's not like she's missing out on a chance of a lifetime. Why would you even consider stressing out your child when she wants to excel at school? Not wanting to miss school is a good quality!
 
I would check with the teacher and the schools curriculum coordinator to make sure there are not any state test or bench mark test during that time you will be gone. I know in NC there are times during the year they have state test not just at the end. Annoying yes but they have to be done.
 
Our next trip in 2021 this will be an issue. The 8 year old will be in 6th grade then and she has always wanted to go during the 1st week of Feb. so she could celebrate her birthday like we did for her old half sister (Aug). I have already checked with the superintendent about this and he said a trip to Disney should not be missed. I was told to tell her teacher and get her school work ahead of time. I did this in 2008 when her sister was 7 and our school has always been helpful as long as you them in advance.
 
I think it's important to talk directly with each teacher before the vacation. Ask if they have any specific policies or procedures that you should be aware of regarding unexcused absences. Does the teacher give a daily participation grade? Will your child get "zeros" for those days, or will she simply not get a grade for those days? What is the make-up policy for missed classroom work? For example, can she make-up a science lab that was missed due to vacation? If not, some of the material from the lab may be on a future test or quiz. What about any in-class materials such as videos? Can your student get the titles of anything she might miss and watch it on her own? What about assignments that are done in class based on a lesson or discussion? Many of these types of assignments cannot be replicated if the student is not in class. It could be something that requires the use of classroom equipment (such as microscopes), or the teacher doing a demonstration while the students take notes or answer questions on a worksheet.

These are the kinds of situations that tend to surprise people when they return from a trip. Some teachers will be happy to help the student catch up. Others will say no, if the absence was considered "unexcused" the assignments cannot be made up. Another thing to remember about middle school teachers is that they have more students than elementary school teachers. Rather than one class of 25 that they see everyday, they might have four or five classes of 25. The sheer volume of students makes it more difficult for a teacher to do extra work for those who are absent.

Basically, it's important for you and your student to have all the information before deciding to take the trip. Last year, a special needs preschooler from my class took a two-week trip with his family. When they returned, the mom wanted to know when her child's missed speech therapy sessions would be made up. We told her that speech therapy is not made up unless the therapist cancels the session. If the child is not at school on his speech days, then the session simply does not take place. If a child is sick for an extended period, the therapist will try to fit some extra sessions into her schedule. If the child is out for an extended vacation, the sessions are missed. The mom made quite a stink, saying she didn't know. The problem is that she didn't ask. She simply picked her child up one day and said, "By the way, we're flying across the country to visit Grandma so he'll be out for two weeks." No questions about how his absence would be handled. The moral of the story: Know Before You Go.
 
We always went for the Disney marathon in early January. Sometimes it would be the first week and we wouldn't miss any school. Other times it was the second weekend in January. When our son was in Middle School, he told us he hated going to WDW when he missed school because he always felt so far behind when he got back. So based on that, we ended any trips that fell during times when he would miss school and plan them for the right at the end of the school year instead. He was a good student, but it stressed him out. No need to put that on him.
 


My vote would be "don't go", because your DD doesn't want to miss school. You seem to go on plenty of WDW trips, it's not like she's missing out on a chance of a lifetime. Why would you even consider stressing out your child when she wants to excel at school? Not wanting to miss school is a good quality!

Oh- don't get me wrong - I am extremely proud of her and love the fact that she is so committed to school - she was stressing missing school because she thought it would be frowned upon by the school - not really because she didn't think she would be able to catch up - once we spoke with the Dean, she felt better - still, if she is having a tough few months at the start of the year, we will NOT be going -
 
I would check with the teacher and the schools curriculum coordinator to make sure there are not any state test or bench mark test during that time you will be gone. I know in NC there are times during the year they have state test not just at the end. Annoying yes but they have to be done.

We made sure and did that - she does have an exam in December that she can't miss, but if we do go, we would be back a few weeks prior -
 
I think it's important to talk directly with each teacher before the vacation. Ask if they have any specific policies or procedures that you should be aware of regarding unexcused absences. Does the teacher give a daily participation grade? Will your child get "zeros" for those days, or will she simply not get a grade for those days? What is the make-up policy for missed classroom work? For example, can she make-up a science lab that was missed due to vacation? If not, some of the material from the lab may be on a future test or quiz. What about any in-class materials such as videos? Can your student get the titles of anything she might miss and watch it on her own? What about assignments that are done in class based on a lesson or discussion? Many of these types of assignments cannot be replicated if the student is not in class. It could be something that requires the use of classroom equipment (such as microscopes), or the teacher doing a demonstration while the students take notes or answer questions on a worksheet.

These are the kinds of situations that tend to surprise people when they return from a trip. Some teachers will be happy to help the student catch up. Others will say no, if the absence was considered "unexcused" the assignments cannot be made up. Another thing to remember about middle school teachers is that they have more students than elementary school teachers. Rather than one class of 25 that they see everyday, they might have four or five classes of 25. The sheer volume of students makes it more difficult for a teacher to do extra work for those who are absent.

Basically, it's important for you and your student to have all the information before deciding to take the trip. Last year, a special needs preschooler from my class took a two-week trip with his family. When they returned, the mom wanted to know when her child's missed speech therapy sessions would be made up. We told her that speech therapy is not made up unless the therapist cancels the session. If the child is not at school on his speech days, then the session simply does not take place. If a child is sick for an extended period, the therapist will try to fit some extra sessions into her schedule. If the child is out for an extended vacation, the sessions are missed. The mom made quite a stink, saying she didn't know. The problem is that she didn't ask. She simply picked her child up one day and said, "By the way, we're flying across the country to visit Grandma so he'll be out for two weeks." No questions about how his absence would be handled. The moral of the story: Know Before You Go.

We will definitely be speaking with each teacher prior , in order to get their opinion - if we sense they are going to make it hard for her, and/or that she won't be able to handle the missed time (3 days) , we will not be going - thanks
 
Thanks again everyone for your help ! For now, hotel is booked, but going to play it by ear - spoke with the Dean - ( he said "definitely go") - will speak with each teacher and then gauge where DD is at before making a final decision- thanks again all !
 
My thought is that if it stresses your kid out, don’t do it.


Really? What are they teaching them in 7th grade these days? I can’t imagine not being able to do 7th grade math! (Although I’ll probably not be the one helping with math homework as my husband has a degree in physics...)

Anyway, OP, I think if it stresses your daughter out too much, don’t do it. She won’t have a fun trip if she’s worried. I think it’s a totally fine idea to go ahead and make some plans, but take her feelings seriously if you get closer to the date and she’s still concerned.

In seventh grade math, students need to:
-graph proportional relationships on a coordinate plane
- identify the constant of proportionality
- represent proportional relationships with an equation
- find the unit rate of a proportional relationship
- find additive inverses
- find the distance between points using absolute values
- perform operations with integers and rational numbers
- expand rational expressions with rational coefficients
- solve word problems using all of the above
- solve problems using scale drawings
- solve equations to find supplementary, complementary, and adjacent angles
- draw inferences from random sampling
- find the mean absolute deviation
- find the probabilities of compound events
 
In seventh grade math, students need to:
-graph proportional relationships on a coordinate plane
- identify the constant of proportionality
- represent proportional relationships with an equation
- find the unit rate of a proportional relationship
- find additive inverses
- find the distance between points using absolute values
- perform operations with integers and rational numbers
- expand rational expressions with rational coefficients
- solve word problems using all of the above
- solve problems using scale drawings
- solve equations to find supplementary, complementary, and adjacent angles
- draw inferences from random sampling
- find the mean absolute deviation
- find the probabilities of compound events

Source?
 
In seventh grade math, students need to:
-graph proportional relationships on a coordinate plane
- identify the constant of proportionality
- represent proportional relationships with an equation
- find the unit rate of a proportional relationship
- find additive inverses
- find the distance between points using absolute values
- perform operations with integers and rational numbers
- expand rational expressions with rational coefficients
- solve word problems using all of the above
- solve problems using scale drawings
- solve equations to find supplementary, complementary, and adjacent angles
- draw inferences from random sampling
- find the mean absolute deviation
- find the probabilities of compound events

Math curriculum's vary a lot. There are slower and faster math tracks as well in middle school. All my three did Highschool Geometry in 7th, Algebra 2 in 8th etc.

It's hard to catch up missed days in middle school and even worse in highschool, especially those in AP classes. Like many have said, communication is key as well as how the student feels and school rules about non excused absences.
 
Common Core State Standards for 7th grade.

Students who are in higher level classes have even more advanced standards.

No wonder a 7th grader would be stressed about missing a week of school. I would be too at that age.

(And how are they supposed to do calculus concepts before taking algebra?!?!)
 
I have two different perspectives, both arriving at the same conclusion.

First, as a teacher I strongly believe that whatever children are learning in school does not matter at all(shocking, I know!) The PROCESS of learning is the most important thing: critical thinking, organizing an argument, media literacy, discovering bias, analyzing, planning, working in a group, etc. None of this will be disrupted by a short family vacation. Whatever is learned on said vacation is far more valuable than what can be learned in school for those short days.

Second, as a kid that lost their parent at a young age (sorry to be a downer). But based on this, take the trip! Life is short, take the trip, spend the time, invest in family. Family and friends are the most important things in life. Memories made are literally priceless.

We are going on a non-Disney trip in October. My boys ages: 15 years old and 13 years. They will be missing 4 school days (Thursday through Tuesday). I will notify the school office and teachers about this.

This is family reunion in Las Vegas. Our family coming from Hawaii, Colorado and New Jersey. Not sure when we will all get together again. I agree life is short and investing in family and loved ones is priceless.
 
Hey y'all,

Ok- I know this is a touchy subect, and hoping for no fights - just sound opinions -
So, it's my first experience having a child in middle school, and this could possible be the first non-Disney Thanksgiving for us in over 20 years ! So, the letdown has already started - ds7 starting 2nd grade - already spoke with the school, and they understand many people go away for the holidays - they would miss the 4 days after thanksgiving weekend - he did the same last year - he was fine with it - teacher gave him a HW packet to do for that week -

Dd12 is the problem - last year she was fine - now, 2nd year of middle school and she is petrified about missing 4 days of school in 7th grade - I know some schools are more lenient than others - ( I believe we have some teachers on the Dis as well) - thoughts ? Are her fears justified? she is (luckily) a good student that stresses big time about missing assistments and/or tests - we go for winter recess, but the airfare alone --- crazy ! Thanks for any help ![/QUOTE
My daughter is in 7th grade this year. Where we live, they already started school. Today was their 6th full day (Monday). Tonight she had Spanish, Social Studies & Math homework that took about 2 1/2 -3 hours. If I said to my daughter that she was going to miss 4 days of school, she’d freak out. She would be so worried about what she was missing, how much she was missing & how would she make that all up. I would not do that to her. School is hard enough. I just don’t understand taking homework & these packets on vacation. Vacation is for NOT doing those things. My daughter is a good student. A’s & B’s but she works for it. I think the instruction that she receives from the teacher in the classroom is essential.
 
I grew up with one parent as a teacher and missing school for a vacation was always a no no. It still is now that I have my own children. Sure, if it was a once in a lifetime vacation I would think hard about it. But not for a trip to WDW. You can go other times during the year. Depending on where you live, you can go for a long weekend at Thanksgiving and maybe not miss any school. Sure, it's only four days. But what if DD gets sick during the year ... then she misses 5 days, 10 days, etc. Plus many schools have rules that if your grades are high enough and you haven't missed classes you don't have to take finals - I'm not saying that is the best policy, but it is a policy many places.
 
I grew up with one parent as a teacher and missing school for a vacation was always a no no. It still is now that I have my own children. Sure, if it was a once in a lifetime vacation I would think hard about it. But not for a trip to WDW. You can go other times during the year. Depending on where you live, you can go for a long weekend at Thanksgiving and maybe not miss any school. Sure, it's only four days. But what if DD gets sick during the year ... then she misses 5 days, 10 days, etc. Plus many schools have rules that if your grades are high enough and you haven't missed classes you don't have to take finals - I'm not saying that is the best policy, but it is a policy many places.

Thanks for your reply - for our family, in years prior, we really didn't have a big problem taking the kids out of school for a few days - per my OP, this year is different because our daughter is starting 7th grade, and we know it's going to be a totally different animal for her - we did feel better after speaking with the Dean of the school - he told his not to worry at all, and that she is a good student, and will be fine -

IN regards to it being a "once in a lifetime vacation" - I think that's a bit subjective - we try and view every vacation as "once in a lifetime", because we never know ( no one does) if it will be the last time we get to go away together.
I lost my dad when I was only 16 - our family had always planned on going to Italy together to meet our extended family- he became ill during a family vacation in the Catskills - unfortunately, it was the last time we travelled anywhere as a family again. Sorry if this comes across as preachy! (Or morbid) - it's just reality.

We just try to live in the moment , and enjoy our time together while we can -

Right now, we are going to see how she is doing by the end of October before making a final decision -
 

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