Education Guide: Local News
When Kids Skip School to take family vacations two teachers' perspective
Tools
Story Updated: Sep 7, 2011
Has your boss ever told you that he can spare you for vacation time only in the fall, or have you and your spouse come to the realization that you can afford that Caribbean trip if you go in springtime? You certainly will avoid the crowds if you travel in the off-season and save a bundle of money, too. So, you think, we'll just take the kids out of school. After all, it will only be for a week. Every family needs a time of togetherness. Johnny or Mary will see things that they may otherwise never have a chance to experience in their lifetime. They will return with pictures and memorabilia to share with their classmates. That way all the children will benefit from this trip, and they'll surely get an A in "show and tell".
Resist that temptation to yank the kids out of school for an unscheduled vacation period and think about the message you are sending to your child about the importance of school. Responsible adults appear at their jobs each and every day, unless they are ill. School is "children's work," and they have the same responsibility to be there each day school is in session, as you do to be at your place of employment. Continuity and sequence are broken when the child is removed from school while others are still attending class. Enrichment projects and programs are an integral part of the instructional process as units of study are immersed with other disciplines. For example, the classroom teacher often includes computer activities, instructional videos, visiting speakers, group projects and other learning extensions. Special teachers become involved through the disciplines of Music, Art and Physical Education. The school librarian makes provisions to supplement classroom materials. Thus, when the child returns to class his instructional process has been fragmented and may not be on a par with his peers.
There is yet another consideration however, and that is the child's teacher. She is now made responsible for your child "catching up" when he or she returns to school. If you ask for school assignments to take along on vacation, you are requiring the teacher to foresee the outcome and timetable of lesson plans, which are often student-driven. Sometimes projects linger and lengthen as the learning process takes place, and the teacher cannot always predict how long this will take. Parents often come in at the last minute expecting a week's worth of work in reading, math, social studies and science at the very least. It is a time consuming process for a teacher to assemble this amount of meaningful schoolwork and yet not have the child take an armload of heavy books along on their trip. Johnny is not the only child in the class who will be taking an extra vacation this year, or even the only one this month. The teacher will go through this process over and over again. So, can you blame some teachers for being less than overjoyed and cooperative under these circumstances? Also, you will place your child in an embarrassing position of being resented if you are one of the many parents who allow a return to the classroom with little or none of the schoolwork accomplished. "Well," is the defense, "We were just so busy having fun that we never even thought of the homework" or, "We were always traveling, and the kids were just too tired at night".
One teacher even tried placing the whole dilemma back in the hands of the parents. She gave guidelines, which suggested daily activities linking the present curriculum with the trip. For example, each day the children were to write a journal of the day's events, having the parents assess their work for spelling, punctuation, paragraphing and sentence structure, etc. As a math project they were asked to calculate the miles traveled each day and the hours spent on the road. Also, helping to estimate the cost of the restaurant bill, the percentage of the tip to leave and counting out the money to pay the cashier was another excellent math exercise.
She had other challenges for science such as, observing weather patterns in the area they were visiting and comparing them to weather systems at home. For a social studies exercise the children would be assigned to record the relationship between the cultural activities, living conditions and population diversity in this new area as opposed to their hometown. This teacher stated that it was rare to get any of this schoolwork back at all, and felt this was due to the fact that quite a bit of time was required on the part of the parent. It was easy to be demanding of the teacher, but less easy to discipline themselves, even if they were well-educated and capable of helping with these requested assignments.
Perhaps now you can understand why a trip to see grandma's new condo in Hilton Head, Disneyland off-season, or even a safari is not reason enough to remove children from scheduled classes. It becomes a burden for them, you, and their teacher, and most unfortunately it gives them the idea that school is just not that important. Contributors Barbara Beauchemin and Marilyn Pellini are former school educators (Barbara was also a principal in Rhode Island for three years). Both are mothers of grown children who live in Massachusetts.
WHAT BSP READERS THINK
Did our readers agree with the teachers' viewpoint in this article?
Out of the bsp readers we polled:
63% felt it was OK to have kids miss school for vacations or a special day off
27% felt children should not miss school unless they are sick
10% said they were undecided
Here are some of their viewpoints:
As a former teacher, I recognize the importance of student attendance with regards to class projects. Sometimes that one missing student can throw off an entire lesson plan. It also means more work for the teacher, as he must collect missing work assignments, grade them at a later date and possibly help the child who falls behind in the time she is missing. As a parent, however, I recognize that learning doesn't only take place within the four walls of a classroom. Traveling is experiential, hands-on learning and often provides much-needed bonding time with family members. It's not always possible, or desirable, to travel during school vacation times. The way I've compromised the two is to have a child (including my own) keep a journal while she is away. As a teacher, I would "grade" the journal according to content. Missing assignments have to be the responsibility of the student and the family. Notice of planned vacation times should be given to the teacher as early in the year as possible. Donna Morin Miller, Wrentham
When my now-adult sons were growing up, we took a trip and took them out. It was a lifetime experience. However today's families travel more, and I think frequent absences could be disruptive to the student and classroom. Mary Greendale, Hopedale
I absolutely think that family vacations involving taking kids out of school are important and worth the absence - and so does the administration at our sons' school. We can take the kids out of school for up to two weeks without problem, and the social and cultural enrichment from the vacation experience offsets missed classwork. Responsible parents will find a way to make up for missed assignments; why create rigid policies based on a few parents who might not fulfill requirements? A week with grandparents, a trip to Europe, or nine days with the entire family visiting the giant mouse in Florida are emotionally, psychologically and developmentally significant. School may be "work" for kids but schools and teachers also need to recognize that children aren't the sum of academic work and assignments (any more than working adults are only worker bees), but are complex, whole human beings who are part of extended networks in society. Melanie Barton Zoltan, Framingham
I allowed my son to take a Friday off to go to the Cape with his grandparents for a very special weekend. This is a reward for doing all his homework and pulling great grades on his spelling tests. Danielle Raymond, Millbury
As a former Special Education teacher (before I became a SAHM), it was very difficult when kids took days off to go to the Big E, Florida, etc. It creates more work for the teacher - preparing work for them if they will be gone a while, catching them up on information missed, finding time to make up tests/quizzes, etc. I also think it sends the wrong message, especially to kids in Special Education, that skipping school is OK. Colleen Cekovsky, Monson
Having new experiences with your family is one of the best classrooms there is. In a time where people are busy busy busy and we expect kids to be going in seven directions at once, and even see school as their "job," maybe we could put a little more value on slowing down and spending time with the family away from those pressures, whenever the parents can make it happen. Amanda Roberge, Leominster
I'd hesitate to have our children miss school because we wanted an extra day of skiing or wanted more time in Florida, but if we're headed to some distant destination, like Europe or Asia, then I'd be happy to have the kids miss a few days of school. A trip like that is rare and offers a number of unique teaching moments. Doug Page, Mendon
I think it is okay to take the kids out of school for vacation when they are young...in elementary school. The trips can be educational and inspirational. However, once kids are in middle and high school and workload increases, I think that it's impractical since so much school work has to be made up...and some athletic commitments cannot be missed for vacations. Bonnie O'Connor, Holliston
I think this is a very complicated issue that needs to be handled on an individual basis. As a former teacher, I was happy to help families meet their children's needs when they approached me in a respectful, considerate manner. When parents plan vacations, they should realize that it is not a right for teachers to do extra work for them; it really is a privilege. There are many families who cannot afford to take certain vacations unless they take them on "off seasons." The difference in price between a school vacation week and a non-school-vacation week is astounding. Parents also need to think about the personality and academic standing of their children. They should be able to tell if their children will readily make up the work missed. Like most things in life, I think vacations off-season can work if parents are thoughtful about planning and follow the teacher's lead. Amy Rodriguez, Belmont
Since I am both a teacher and a mom I can look at this debate from multiple angles. I have to admit that there are times that I myself am frustrated by having to plan my vacations around school vacations. The cost is indubitably higher for many vacations during school vacation weeks, not to mention the crowds. When I retire and my kids are out of school, I hope to plan vacations for the first week of September! That being said, as a parent and a teacher, I believe you can't learn it if you are not there. While there are some students who will return from vacation and responsibly make up the work, there are others who won't. Overall, I believe that ultimately each situation is unique. Is the family going to the beach or is it a trip for a wedding or some other important family event? Sometimes life happens and ultimately parents must make the decision that works best for their family. Leslie Castillo, Wayland
Teachers and students only have 180 lessons to glean from a complete curricula. Only 180 days to learn vocabulary, comprehend, build upon knowledge and master skills. In short, both students and teachers need to be in school and commit to learning. I am not a fan of the extended vacation, or the mid-school get-away. When children aren't present for several days of instruction, they aren't just missing paperwork, they are missing key information that scaffolds for their future learning. It's much more than completing workbook pages or filling in the blanks.
~Amy Benoit
Grade 3 teacher
Worcester Arts Magnet School
Resist that temptation to yank the kids out of school for an unscheduled vacation period and think about the message you are sending to your child about the importance of school. Responsible adults appear at their jobs each and every day, unless they are ill. School is "children's work," and they have the same responsibility to be there each day school is in session, as you do to be at your place of employment. Continuity and sequence are broken when the child is removed from school while others are still attending class. Enrichment projects and programs are an integral part of the instructional process as units of study are immersed with other disciplines. For example, the classroom teacher often includes computer activities, instructional videos, visiting speakers, group projects and other learning extensions. Special teachers become involved through the disciplines of Music, Art and Physical Education. The school librarian makes provisions to supplement classroom materials. Thus, when the child returns to class his instructional process has been fragmented and may not be on a par with his peers.
There is yet another consideration however, and that is the child's teacher. She is now made responsible for your child "catching up" when he or she returns to school. If you ask for school assignments to take along on vacation, you are requiring the teacher to foresee the outcome and timetable of lesson plans, which are often student-driven. Sometimes projects linger and lengthen as the learning process takes place, and the teacher cannot always predict how long this will take. Parents often come in at the last minute expecting a week's worth of work in reading, math, social studies and science at the very least. It is a time consuming process for a teacher to assemble this amount of meaningful schoolwork and yet not have the child take an armload of heavy books along on their trip. Johnny is not the only child in the class who will be taking an extra vacation this year, or even the only one this month. The teacher will go through this process over and over again. So, can you blame some teachers for being less than overjoyed and cooperative under these circumstances? Also, you will place your child in an embarrassing position of being resented if you are one of the many parents who allow a return to the classroom with little or none of the schoolwork accomplished. "Well," is the defense, "We were just so busy having fun that we never even thought of the homework" or, "We were always traveling, and the kids were just too tired at night".
One teacher even tried placing the whole dilemma back in the hands of the parents. She gave guidelines, which suggested daily activities linking the present curriculum with the trip. For example, each day the children were to write a journal of the day's events, having the parents assess their work for spelling, punctuation, paragraphing and sentence structure, etc. As a math project they were asked to calculate the miles traveled each day and the hours spent on the road. Also, helping to estimate the cost of the restaurant bill, the percentage of the tip to leave and counting out the money to pay the cashier was another excellent math exercise.
She had other challenges for science such as, observing weather patterns in the area they were visiting and comparing them to weather systems at home. For a social studies exercise the children would be assigned to record the relationship between the cultural activities, living conditions and population diversity in this new area as opposed to their hometown. This teacher stated that it was rare to get any of this schoolwork back at all, and felt this was due to the fact that quite a bit of time was required on the part of the parent. It was easy to be demanding of the teacher, but less easy to discipline themselves, even if they were well-educated and capable of helping with these requested assignments.
Perhaps now you can understand why a trip to see grandma's new condo in Hilton Head, Disneyland off-season, or even a safari is not reason enough to remove children from scheduled classes. It becomes a burden for them, you, and their teacher, and most unfortunately it gives them the idea that school is just not that important. Contributors Barbara Beauchemin and Marilyn Pellini are former school educators (Barbara was also a principal in Rhode Island for three years). Both are mothers of grown children who live in Massachusetts.
WHAT BSP READERS THINK
Did our readers agree with the teachers' viewpoint in this article?
Out of the bsp readers we polled:
63% felt it was OK to have kids miss school for vacations or a special day off
27% felt children should not miss school unless they are sick
10% said they were undecided
Here are some of their viewpoints:
As a former teacher, I recognize the importance of student attendance with regards to class projects. Sometimes that one missing student can throw off an entire lesson plan. It also means more work for the teacher, as he must collect missing work assignments, grade them at a later date and possibly help the child who falls behind in the time she is missing. As a parent, however, I recognize that learning doesn't only take place within the four walls of a classroom. Traveling is experiential, hands-on learning and often provides much-needed bonding time with family members. It's not always possible, or desirable, to travel during school vacation times. The way I've compromised the two is to have a child (including my own) keep a journal while she is away. As a teacher, I would "grade" the journal according to content. Missing assignments have to be the responsibility of the student and the family. Notice of planned vacation times should be given to the teacher as early in the year as possible. Donna Morin Miller, Wrentham
When my now-adult sons were growing up, we took a trip and took them out. It was a lifetime experience. However today's families travel more, and I think frequent absences could be disruptive to the student and classroom. Mary Greendale, Hopedale
I absolutely think that family vacations involving taking kids out of school are important and worth the absence - and so does the administration at our sons' school. We can take the kids out of school for up to two weeks without problem, and the social and cultural enrichment from the vacation experience offsets missed classwork. Responsible parents will find a way to make up for missed assignments; why create rigid policies based on a few parents who might not fulfill requirements? A week with grandparents, a trip to Europe, or nine days with the entire family visiting the giant mouse in Florida are emotionally, psychologically and developmentally significant. School may be "work" for kids but schools and teachers also need to recognize that children aren't the sum of academic work and assignments (any more than working adults are only worker bees), but are complex, whole human beings who are part of extended networks in society. Melanie Barton Zoltan, Framingham
I allowed my son to take a Friday off to go to the Cape with his grandparents for a very special weekend. This is a reward for doing all his homework and pulling great grades on his spelling tests. Danielle Raymond, Millbury
As a former Special Education teacher (before I became a SAHM), it was very difficult when kids took days off to go to the Big E, Florida, etc. It creates more work for the teacher - preparing work for them if they will be gone a while, catching them up on information missed, finding time to make up tests/quizzes, etc. I also think it sends the wrong message, especially to kids in Special Education, that skipping school is OK. Colleen Cekovsky, Monson
Having new experiences with your family is one of the best classrooms there is. In a time where people are busy busy busy and we expect kids to be going in seven directions at once, and even see school as their "job," maybe we could put a little more value on slowing down and spending time with the family away from those pressures, whenever the parents can make it happen. Amanda Roberge, Leominster
I'd hesitate to have our children miss school because we wanted an extra day of skiing or wanted more time in Florida, but if we're headed to some distant destination, like Europe or Asia, then I'd be happy to have the kids miss a few days of school. A trip like that is rare and offers a number of unique teaching moments. Doug Page, Mendon
I think it is okay to take the kids out of school for vacation when they are young...in elementary school. The trips can be educational and inspirational. However, once kids are in middle and high school and workload increases, I think that it's impractical since so much school work has to be made up...and some athletic commitments cannot be missed for vacations. Bonnie O'Connor, Holliston
I think this is a very complicated issue that needs to be handled on an individual basis. As a former teacher, I was happy to help families meet their children's needs when they approached me in a respectful, considerate manner. When parents plan vacations, they should realize that it is not a right for teachers to do extra work for them; it really is a privilege. There are many families who cannot afford to take certain vacations unless they take them on "off seasons." The difference in price between a school vacation week and a non-school-vacation week is astounding. Parents also need to think about the personality and academic standing of their children. They should be able to tell if their children will readily make up the work missed. Like most things in life, I think vacations off-season can work if parents are thoughtful about planning and follow the teacher's lead. Amy Rodriguez, Belmont
Since I am both a teacher and a mom I can look at this debate from multiple angles. I have to admit that there are times that I myself am frustrated by having to plan my vacations around school vacations. The cost is indubitably higher for many vacations during school vacation weeks, not to mention the crowds. When I retire and my kids are out of school, I hope to plan vacations for the first week of September! That being said, as a parent and a teacher, I believe you can't learn it if you are not there. While there are some students who will return from vacation and responsibly make up the work, there are others who won't. Overall, I believe that ultimately each situation is unique. Is the family going to the beach or is it a trip for a wedding or some other important family event? Sometimes life happens and ultimately parents must make the decision that works best for their family. Leslie Castillo, Wayland
Teachers and students only have 180 lessons to glean from a complete curricula. Only 180 days to learn vocabulary, comprehend, build upon knowledge and master skills. In short, both students and teachers need to be in school and commit to learning. I am not a fan of the extended vacation, or the mid-school get-away. When children aren't present for several days of instruction, they aren't just missing paperwork, they are missing key information that scaffolds for their future learning. It's much more than completing workbook pages or filling in the blanks.
~Amy Benoit
Grade 3 teacher
Worcester Arts Magnet School