Do you tell teacher truth when pulling kids out of school to go to disney?

[Claudine]

Just wondering opinions if you tell teachers you are pulling kids out to go to disney for a week or what? My son is only in Kindergarten but I feel guilty if I lied but I know it is not a valid absence and I will have to lie in absence note anyway. Any opinions? Thanks

 

[dhickman]

My daughter is also in kidnergarten and we talked to her teacher about it at conferences. We are taking her out for six and a half days. Our teacher had no problems with it (they are only in kidnergarten) and even suggested some ideas of things to do with her. (Although it might help that her teacher is also a Disney fanatic). The other thing to keep in mind is that depending on where you live, K may not even be required. In our state school is not required by law until first grade. I'd rather be honest with the teacher than lie and have my child find out, since chances are very good that your child will be talking about going there in class.

 

[Sharmaine]

My daughter is in Gr1, and already wrote about her upcoming Disney trip in May in her journal at school.

I'd tell the truth anyway. I'll be asking for some work for my daughter (and son in JK too) so they can keep up with their classes at least to some extent.

 

[KLL]

Tell the truth. Most teachers I have ever known will work with you. Besides, after a trip to Disney you know your child will talk about it. Many schools have a policy for educational trips - this is most definitely an educational trip. Inform the school before going and then ENJOY your trip!

 

[ilisa]

Who said it is not a valid absense, you, the teacher or the school district?

 

[georgiapeach60]

When we go this next Feb. my son will be a Junior in HS and my youngest will be in second grade. I plan on writing notes to the teachers explaining the absence. It will be up to them whether they work with us or not regarding homework. I don't even know if it will be an excused absence or not. It doesn't really matter since circumstances dictated when we go and we will go regardless of what the school may or may not allow.

 

[elmo]

We are going in May and my DS will miss 8 days of Kindergarten. We told his teacher the truth about the trip and she was very excited for us -- our first trip to Disney. He is going to have to keep a picture journal and share with the class when he gets back and it is considered an excused absence.

 

[CookieGVB]

I told both my DSs teachers about it ahead of time - the school has a policy of not giving the work missed during that time, but one of the teachers gave me a list of what would be going on at that time (believe me, we xeroxed quite a few pages out of various textbooks, because I refused to pack them!); the other teacher said the younger one could just keep a journal. We went during early December...since it's right before the holidays, the teachers generally didn't plan on introducing too many new things, because everyone's busy with parties, etc., etc., etc. Better to tell them, since your child won't want to (and shouldn't have to) be quiet about their fun trip!

Sis-boom-baaaaaa!

I wanna go back to the SwanDolphin! I wanna, I wanna, I wanna!

<img width="200" SRC="http://www.wdwinfo.com/sites/awilliams/dalcooks.jpg"[/img]


Gail a/k/a CookieGVB

"All you need is mugs..."

 

[alasknmom]

Joey has told his teacher we'd be gone for 4 days. (we're going during our spring break so we will be in Disney 8 days and Seattle 3, but only missing 4 days of school).
I am going to bring it up to his teacher at conference next week and if he wants to work w/us, thats cool... if not, we've been planning this for a long time and I made sure to miss the least possible days for a longer trip.

Rachel in Alaska<

 

[susieeQ]

I am pulling my two kids out of kindergarten for 10 day to go to WDW. I talked to the teacher already and she is fine with it. She wants the kids to keep a journal or scrapbook and tell the class about the trip when they return. Of course, some little souverniers(?sp) for the class would be helpful too. Ex: mickey suckers or stickers...

 

[going2wdw]

Texas is not a friendly state when it comes to parents deciding what their children can do or miss.

My 9yo DD is in public school and did miss a day of school I called that morning and let them know she wasn't going to be there. Kept it simple
She did mention it to her teacher and I didn't ask her not to tell. I'm not comfortable with asking my kids to hide or misrepresent something. When I called I was just hoping not to hear the words why? and I didn't.

My 6yo DD is in a private school and taking her out for vacations is not a problem.

Check the rules with the school district and state. Although some states have strict rules (TX) not all schools adhere to every letter.

Janette
WDW

Offsite ? - 1976, Vistana - 1988
Vistana/Contemp - June 2000, OKW - Feb 2001
BWV - DIS Convention Nov 2001
Disneyland - 1998

 

[Tinkerbelle'sMOM]

Tell the truth...I do. It is because my DH and I both work in the health care industry and can rarely get a summer vacation together and the weeks over easter and Christmas are closed weeks. So, what is more important...what the teacher thinks, or the school district for that fact, or having some great family time? I opt for the latter!

 

[jenc]

First of all, my mother always said, "you gotta do what's right for you." So you really need to do what you are most comfortable with!

My personal view is this ... be honest. You don't want to set an example for your child that says you can lie when it makes things "easier." Also, a 5-6 year old child is going to want to talk about the trip! How will you feel if you give the teacher an excuse and then he/she learns the real reason? Makes trust a real concern! As a teacher, I was always excited (and jealous!) when my students would be out of school for an exciting trip! We would work together to be sure the child did not fall behind. (I do know that not all teachers are the same about this.) My view was that all experiences benefit a child and this one has such a wealth of things to see and do; what a great source of "background experiences" which are so good for children and truly contribute to learning!!!!

Have fun!!!!

JenC in MD

 

[Claudine]

Thanks for the advice the truth it is!

 

[bexareaglecheryl]

There was a very long discussion of this subject about 6 months ago, I believe. If you want more opinions, search for it here. But the truth is, yes you do what's best for you.

I pulled my son out of public school for a week in December for our WDW trip. Before that he had missed only a couple of days of school. Then in January he was sick for an entire week. That triggered our school district to send out the nasty letter and the assistant principal to call me. Now, he has to stay well for the rest of the year.

 

[welovemickey]

We've gone to Disney every October/November for the past 5 years. Due to the nature of DH's business, this is the only time we are able to go. We have found that some teachers are better about our children missing school than others. I used to feel guilty about taking them out, but I just think about the quality time we spend together and the guilt goes away. Just remember, your kids are only young for a short time - enjoy the time while you can! They'll always be able to catch up on the school work!

 

[signingoff]

Tell the truth and don't worry about what the school says. As a 1st grade teacher, I don't encourage my students to miss school, but a family vacation to Disney is a learning experience within itself. A week's worth of academics cannot compare to the lifelong memories they will have. The students will catch back up. Hey even the principal of my school left for a week in Sept. to take a Disney trip.

 

[tampafan]

As the husband of a middle school teacher, it is always a good idea to be upfront with the teacher. Also, if you child is anything like my 5 year old they will tell teacher when they return anyway.

 

[coachv]

Texas has a rule that a student has to be in school so many days a semester. Usually if your child misses more than 10 days per semester, the child can be denied credit. Each school has an attendance committee that looks at each case. Check with your school about this. Most schools will work with you on makeup days or will be very understanding when your child misses several day due to illness. Best policy-Always be Honest!!!

 

[DreadpiratK]

As a former social work (child protective services) I can tell you that you have the right to take your child out of school if you want to, and the teachers opinion really doesn't matter. Of course you want to stay on thier good side but unless this seriously and demonstrably interferes with your child's education, they really can't do much about it.

BTW, we Home School, so my kids teacher is going with us!