Advice on Taking Kids out of school

[juliesue]

We thought long and hard about taking our DD (8 yrs old) out of school. She really struggled at the beginning of the year due to ADHD and after we got it under control, she had some catching up to do.

Her teacher was the most wonderful person. When we talked about taking her out, she said that it would be a fantastic reward for all the hard work our DD had done over the year. (We went during the last few weeks of school in May.) Our DD was sooo proud that we weren't worried about her abilities any more. The teacher even told us that we didn't need to do any homework - just enjoy.

If you have a kid with ADHD, you understand what a blessing that was for all of us! That was one of the most magical trips we have had yet.

The bottom line is that you have to do what you feel is right. You have been raising your child(ren) that way up until school, so this is not the time to stop. Having life experiences is one of the best ways for them to learn some important lessons for life too - like how to relax.

 

[vicb]

I agree with you on this sometimes contraversial issue, each family needs to make the decision they feel comfortable with.

I'm glad you daughter... and you had a wonderful trip. I bet she felt pretty good about herself!

 

[arkiepaula]

We are taking our DD(16) and DS(7) out of school during October. We knew we didn't want to go in the summer and spring break usually means some other school related trip, so we opted for the time when they would miss the least amount of school. We looked at the calendar and determined that if we took this particular week in October they would only miss 4 days instead of 6 due to parent/teacher conferences and teacher work days. We can make up the conference later, we figured.

 

[colleen costello]

We had a nice surprise this year when I approached our assistant principal about a pre-approved absence. I was taking my daughter out of school for an extra day or two around Spring Break, for driving time. I had to laugh when Debbie giggled because SHE was heading to Disney too! She had 3 rooms at Carribean Beach and was taking her whole family -- kids, wives, grandkids, etc. I knew there was a reason I loved this woman!

My daughter is a good student and misses few days due to illness. A day or two for Mickey seems A-OK to me! Her teacher asked me if I could take a few MORE of the class off her hands for a few days! I think that most families know if a child can afford to miss some time.

The drive down was interesting because Erin's 1st grade class was working on states. Erin was very interested that we were traveling through states she had learned about. Every vacation has wonderful "learning moments" so I think it's OK to miss chool a bit each year.