Missing School for Cruise??

I'm sorry, but this is my pet peeve. My child misses school only if she is sick or has a doctors appt. That's it. Cruises can be scheduled for summer or one of the other school breaks. There are kids in my daughter's class who miss school all the time to go to Disney and other vacations. To me, that says school is not a priority to them. Maybe if it was just missing 1 day, but 4 or 5 in a row is a lot and nothing can make up for the lost instruction time.

ADDED: Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I also don't think its fair to ask tbe teacher to put together notes and assignments in advance - why should they have to do extra work so you can go on a cruise? Cruises are great and can be very educational. I've been on MANY cruises all over the world, but they were always when I was on school break. Kids get at least 12 weeks per year off. Can't a a vacation be scheduled for one of those?

Is there a reason you can't take the cruise when they are already off school? Their are plenty of holidays and time off.

I would not allow my kids to miss an almost whole week of school for a vacation, no. I would plan better.

My vote is no. I'm a teacher, and I would not take my kids out of school for any reason other than illness, no matter their ages. I think it sends the wrong message about the value of education. I have family members who do take their children out for vacations, and they have done fine in school, though. To each his own.

I realize it is just K and 2nd grade. HOWEVER, there are a lot of concepts covered in short amounts of time during the already crowded school week, even in lower levels.

I'm not one for allowing my child to miss school due to a vacation. If you ask my daughter now (she is graduating in June).... she'd prefer to go to school sick as a dog than to miss school, due to the amount of makeup and catchup work to do. She even opted out of a 4 day trip (2 school days) with cheerleaders and she is the Captain due to her workload at school. Yes, she is that focused on school.

Again, your children are much younger and don't cover things as extensive as higher grade levels but still.... aren't you teaching them it is ok to miss school? There are SO many breaks and holidays during the school year. I would plan better so that my children do not miss school.

Lastly, if you can't afford the vacation... wait until you can afford to go on a time that is more convenient for everyone in the family.

I really dislike these types of questions. Kids have TONS of time off during the year. Why do you need to schedule a vacation DURING their work time?

Who doesn't want to go on vacation? Book something that won't involve them missing a week's worth of work. Honestly. Regardless of how old they are, that's missing an ENTIRE week's worth of lessons. They will miss a lot of content and it's not the teacher's responsibility to help them make it up. Asking for a week's worth of work ahead of time is very cumbersome and not likely to happen either, especially if you have older children.

If you elect to go, make sure that the teacher(s) and principal know in advance. Make sure that you get caught up on the work as soon as you get back. Unless your kids are VERY young, it's going to be hard for them to catch-up.

There are those who would say "go! It's more important to have time as a family." My response (yes, I am an educator)is that I agree, but you have a week in December, another week in the Spring and TEN WEEKS in the summer to do so!

Look at the school's calendar, and plan vacations around it.

I know this is just for Kindergarten and 2nd grade kids.
But still, they will be missing 1 week of school.
And, per the curriculum, you do not know what they will be missing in school. There is also, homework, in addition to the in-class class work, that kids do. And so, your kids WILL need to catch up on and do, all the work they missed. Before they return to school.
And it depends, on what part of the year they will be missing school. If it is the beginning of the school year, they won't have time to adjust to their new classroom/teacher/and routines. Just as an example.

I work at my kids school. There are many kids, of all grades, that miss school, due to family trips. And the Teachers, are not fans of this habit. The kids who are students, miss out on a lot of learning, and they also have a lot to catch up on. IF a parent, ahead of time... gets their child's school work to bring home... then the child will need to do it while on the trip. Or before they return to school. If not, then the child will have to do it all, once they return to school... PLUS also doing, what is currently being taught. So, that is double, the work. For example.

Then, there are some kids, who are absent a lot, due to being out sick... and also due to family trips. And in some of these cases, depending on how many absences they have accrued... I know a couple of kids that will not, be going on to the next grade. Because they were absent too many times during the school year.
An absence, is an absence. And it is tallied during the school year.

If you work with the Teacher, and talk to her/him, AND get your child's school work/homework/in-class work AHEAD of time... and have your child do it while you are away... then that will help.

No matter what, school work/homework/in-class work, DOES need to be, caught up on, and, completed. Just as it would be for any child. If a child does not complete all work, then that is noted.
There are some kids who took trips during the school year in my kids' classes... and the other kids do wonder "do they have to do their work, too? Its not fair if they don't just because they took a trip...."

At my kids' school, Kindergarten and 2nd graders, do get homework. Everyday. In varying degrees.

As a mom, I would lean towards yes, but as a teacher, I would say no. 5 days would be a full week of class time. Yes, the work could be made up, but they would miss that full week of information and hearing what the teacher/teachers are saying? That cannot be replicated. Plus, you never know when illness might strike. You could take this trip and then have someone come down with the flu or something that could take them out another week and so on. Students are only allowed so many absences per year (10 total in our district). I would hate to have half of those be essentially used before the school year even begins.

So, in the end, I would personally plan a trip around a break that happens in the school calendar. See if it can work with a 4 day weekend or whatever that is already in place, so that no more than two days are missed.

I would take them on a cruise when they wouldn't miss school. Such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter Break if not summer vacation. Maybe over a long weekend where they only miss a day or two while taking a 5-6 day cruise.

While many argue that "it's just 4-5 days" and "they are so young" so it's fine, my biggest concern isn't those 4-5 days but the unexpected ones afterwards. My daughter didn't miss a single day of Pre-K (when she needed to miss due to illness it ironically worked out to be a day she was already off) and until last month, the same was true for this school year (K). Then she was sent home early on Tuesday and was sick for a week (even thought doctor thought she could return after just two days. We certainly didn't expect for her to be out a week but the unexpected does happen.

I'm not a big fan of kids missing school unless they are seriously sick. Mine are 10 and 13 and have both missed less than 5 says EVER. I feel like they need to know how important it is (just like us having to go to work every day) and that it's a priority and should be taken seriously. However, deals on cruises usually are not flexible so you can't pick your dates AND your kids are still young. So in *this* case I would say it would be ok. But I would NOT make a habit of it. Good luck.

Do it!! All the non-cruisers out there do not realize the deals are in the fall. When school is in session. Holidays are prime time expensive time in the world of cruising. I have taken my son when he was 4 and in preschool, age 7 in second grade, and this past year at age 9. For a whole week. In October each time. Two times were for my parents anniversary, another we went with friends and one of them is a teacher. Tell the teacher in advance. Have them send the work home for the week. Do it before you leave. My son is a straight A 4th grade student, I would not hesitate to pull him out. A struggling middle schooler? Thats a different story. But a K and 2nd grader? Absolutley do it. Family time is important too! And you will have great memories! And they do learn things along the way. Things you can't learn in a classroom.
Enjoy your cruise!!

You left out some important information. How old are your kids? Are they good/great students?

Personally, I would not miss school for a vacation. However, I realize cruises are usually cheaper when school is in session.

If you do take off, give the teacher(s) plenty of notice..make sure it's not standardized testing week! Also, if they give you work to do while you are gone, DO IT! I used to teach and I hated when I put together make-up work and then the parents said they didn't have time to do it...grrrrr!

Sure, no hesitation about having the kids miss school here for a family vacation... unless they are in high school and it will impact a test or something. While I do think school is important, kids learn a lot while not there too, so as long as the teacher can provide lessons I think the kids end up learning more (school work plus real world lessons), not less.

I'd do it. Contact their teachers well in advance to get all the work for the week they'll miss (and teacher's notes to help you understand the assignments).

4-5 days out of the year isn't going to hurt them. And the memories you make as a family are well worth it.

ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A DOUBT - GO!!!

Enjoy yourselves and build some great memories. You will not regret it. They are very young. I did it with mine in K and plan to do it again in 2nd.

Have fun!!

At those ages, I would be okay with it. As an "exception" to a general rule that you don't just "skip" school for fun stuff. School is important and being there matters. As long as that is the general feeling in your household and an idea that is impressed regularly upon your children, then I don't think it would be that big of a deal. If, however, this is just the start of many many "vacations during school" down the road, then I would think it would be setting a bad precedent.

How do you and your husband view missing school in general. If you think it isn't a big deal then yes, this is going to set a bad precedent for down the road. If you both agree that school is not something to be missed willy nilly for fun stuff or no real reason or whatever, then as a one-time exception, I say go right ahead.

My daughter missed 2 days of school when she was in the 3rd grade so we could go on a cruise. She made up all the school work and she has good grades. Don't see a problem with it.

I would do it. We don't do big vacations every year so for us this would be rare. I think missing school once in a great while for family time or educational activities is fine.

I have mixed feelings about this. A lot depends on the policy of your school and district. Schools get paid by the state based on attendance (at least in Texas and several other states, too) So when you have kids out, the school is missing out on reimbursement. When you have lots of kids out due to illness or a lot of parents feeling that they can take their kids out of school for vacations, etc, the schools may not meet the required number of student days and a lower overall attendance may trigger a school audit or reduction in funding. In early elementary school, it probably doesn't make a lot a difference if your child is on target or above. However, as they get older, they will or may receive unexcused absences (zeros for the day) which will greatly affect their grades. Each school district has different policies on making up work while you are out on an unexcused absence. I would not jeopordize my child's GPA by pulling them out of school for a vacation. And i would not lie to the school to do that. That is setting a bad precedent for teaching your kids about right and wrong. If your elementary school is flexible and accommodating, I would go. If your child is going to be penalized for missing school, I would not.

A rare family trip? Yes
Every few years? No

This August we'll be going to an out-of-town wedding for my husband's cousin. He has family flying in from all over the world, most of whom he hasn't seen since 1992, when his family emigrated from the Mid-East. So, yes, we will be having my son miss 3 days of 1st grade so that we can be there for it. I will be 37 weeks pregnant, so it'd be much easier to just decline, but this is not something that can be made up.

Are your kids generally healthy and unlikely to miss much school due to illness during the rest of the year? If so, I'd do it. Make sure you clear it with the school district first though, as some are very strict about absences.

As others note--is there some specific reason why you cannot schedule this for a school break time rather than during a regular school week?

Can you book it so that you go on a four-day cruise over a three-day weekend, such as Columbus Day, Veterans Day or MLK Day weekends, and the kids would miss only one full day of school (and maybe another half-day at the start to get to the cruise departure point)?

Finally -- is there a reason why it just has to be a cruise? I know that cruises now cater to kids a lot and have a ton of activities for them so that makes things easier on the parents. But if it is not this type of very family-friendly cruise, I wouldn't do with with kids the ages of yours. If vacation simply has to be only during school time, you could consider some other form of family vacation.

If the kids do end up missing a week of school for this, now is the time, because in a very few years your oldest will hit real issues if he or she misses a week of school. Even with doing schoolwork while on the trip, if kids miss certain classes even in elementary school, they can fall behind. My daughter's friend (6th graders) missed a week and was very far behind in math because he missed a week's worth of the teacher's explanations in a fast-moving math class. So there is a real impact even in elementary school if a child misses time in class. You can get away with it younger, but not as they progress. Naturally a family emergency like a trip to see a very ill relative or attend a funeral is different and must be done, but for vacation -- not a good idea.

Personally I think it is fine for this age group. We did this up until 2nd grade, after that vacations are planned around the school year and we do not pull them out unless they are sick.

We noticed a big difference in the learning at 3rd grade and if they miss a day or two it was a big issue to get them caught up again. We have passed up a cruise the last 2 years because it was during school and we do not want her to miss a week of school at this level. It is just too much for her to try and keep up with the work.

Go go go!! :)

If your kids are good students, I feel 4-5 days of school missed is worth a family cruise - especially if you also say this is a trip where you lucked on a good deal!
And its only kindergarten and 2nd grade, your kids will most likely catch up pretty fast. Imagine all the fun memories they'd have to tell all their friends!!

My kids missed for a Disney cruise at exactly the same ages. Trip of a lifetime. Would do it again in a heartbeat. They are 5 years older now. No harm done!

Absolutely. Get their work for the week. Sometimes Morris learned on these family vacations than in school. Your 2nd grader can do a report on the ports you stopped in and what he/she saw. I always called these me tal health days. Have fun and do not look back.

A couple of years ago we had this huge trip to Disneyworld planned over spring break, my husband ended up having to be at work that week and we had to go the next week. My kids (ages 7-12 at the time) had to miss 5 days of school. I asked for work in advance and they worked on it on the way. It all worked out fine and I am so glad we did it. I think school is important of course but I think alot of things are learned outside of the classroom. If your kids can handle the make-up work and are able to get themselves back on track without too many problems, I say go for it.

Do it. I just did the same thing with my first grader. He did all his school work during the trip. He does well in school and the teacher was very accommodating. Go for it!

Yes, I'd take them out of school for a cruise, IF (IF!!!) you made the cruise a learning experience. Home schoolers are allowed field trips and I would look on the cruise as a "Field Trip". I would use the itinerary to study geography and I would teach them swimming and drown proofing.

I would make a point of teaching them about how to balance a diet and if they have a behind the scenes class taught by a chef, I'd definitely go on that. Then there are the art auctions . . . no, not for the experience of the auction, but for the experience of the art and artists. I have been on more than one cruise where they had a Rembrandt lithograph that went for $20,000 or more. All of the sales people at the art auctions will give your a guided "tour" of all their art work and explain the art and the artist. Much better than you'd get at a museum.

Then there is skeet shooting . . . off the back of the ship, mini golf, rock climbing, fishing (NO, not off the back of a ship) on a shore excursion and all kinds of things.

BTW, even with missing three days of school, my kids did fine. Look at my profile. We only missed tree days of school because the school closed down for two days because it was the first two days of deer season.

Good luck to you and yours.

Yes, I would say to do it! My kids are in 2nd grade and K and they missed a whole week of school this year to go and visit grandma in another state. My mom had some flyer miles that expired this June, so we had to use them up before school was out. We tried to plan it during spring break, but it was a black out date for the airline. So, we had to do it when school was on. No big deal. We just let their teachers know ahead of time and got their homework and everything was fine.

I would say yes to the family cruise. As long as my children are not struggling in school, it shouldn't be an issue...not at all.

Have fun!

How your kids are doing in school?

If they are understanding the information easily and doing well, GO FOR IT!

If they are struggling and each day matters in order for them to keep up, then I would re-consider.

If they are doing well in school, then I would ask the teachers for the subject matter they will be learning that week, and go over it with them the week before the cruise. That way, when you get back from the cruise and they start back at school, they won't be behind.

K and 2nd grade is a good time to go, because they won't miss so much that you can't help them catch up.

There is a lot of great learning and life experience that can be gained outside of school, so I am voting for going on the cruise and spending family time together. And I think it's great that you are considering your finances and not borrowing or over-spending to go.

GO! once in a lifetime opportunity, Talk to their teachers in advance about a challenging or age appropriate project to complete. If it were 5th grade or above I would have concerns, K and 2nd - go for it!

yes... in kinder my daughter missed thanksgiving week (2 school days) in first my daughrter missed a week in November (4 school days- one day was a teacher planning day)

If your child is struggling .... seriously struggling and needs to be in school every minute -- do not take them out of school.. but if they are average or better students.. go right ahead.. school is important but family and vacations are important too.

Every year in November my husband has conferences for a week in orlando. My kid is missing school for a week. We did it from Kindergarten to 3rd grade so far. The teacher did give all homeworks to do for the all week. I did asked for it. I let the school know in advance too. My kid is in the top 2 in the class..So I guess missing a week of school is not to bad:)
Go for it and enjoy family time:)

Absolutely do it!!! We took a cruise in October and my son missed a full week of school - it was his fourth week of kindergarten. Had absolutely zero negative effect on him and he LOVED the trip. Do it. Missing a week of school at this age is not a big deal at all. When I was a kid, we even took vacations when I was in junior high and my brother was in high school that took us out for a week.

The cruise we took in October was with a group of 42 people, including about 15 school-aged kids from kinder through high school sophomores. The older ones had more homework, but still had a great vacation. The younger ones (there were five or six kids in elementary school) didn't have too much work and we all had a blast.

A cruise is an amazing vacation. If you have the opportunity to do it, DO IT.

In my kids' district, family vacations are actually an excused absence (up to 10 days) so long as you prearrange it and get the school work they will miss. Some work can be done in advance, other work will be due shortly after the return.

The only time a trip would not be excused is during the state testing. Make sure you check the final school calendar for next year before booking your trip.

As long as your children are not behind in school, then go. Chances are they will miss very little. Just talk with the teachers ahead of time and get any homework/worksheets they'll be working on in class.

Sure!
The sooner the better. In our district, even in K, they're getting g wonky about kids missing school for trips.
For us, we would need to apply for an educational absence and the child has to do a small report upon return.
S/he would also need to complete all missed class work within 3 days of return.
Find out your school/s policy now, so you're prepared.

Go. Absolutely! The experiences your girls will have traveling will far outweigh what they would learn in school those 4-5 days.
We took our 4 children out of school for 2-3 weeks nearly every year until high school. Their teachers even agreed with it. Usually the teachers asked that they write in a journal every day what they did, or one creative teacher asked them to send a post card each day. She gave them all back after they shared them with the class when we returned.
Family vacations are so important, as is school; but especially so early in their school years family and travel experience trump school for me.

Depends on what grade level, I am not sure if that helps. My son has missed school the past two years for a trip to Maine in September. He only misses one day but we go away with his grandparents and spend time together as a family. Next year he will miss a day for Maine and a week for Disney. We always request assignments and work on them over vacation including reading. He is finishing first grade. We realize we cannot do this forever, as he starts testing and moving into high grades we will not be going away for an extended period of time during school. Our son is required to attend school unless he is ill.

Yes, I would let them miss. It's not like it would have any long lasting impact on their education. They can make up what they missed when they get back.

Just my two cents-go and enjoy!!!!

I understand the deals offered during the school year and who wants to go on a tropical vacation in the heat of summer.

I love crusing and took my kids back in 2009-they have been asking to do another ever since :)

I would say it depends on where they are school, what grade, how they are doing, etc. We missed 2 and 1/2 days of school this year to jump start our winter vacation, mainly because airline flights were cheaper during the week then on a weekend. DD is going to miss 1 more day of school because we need to drive out of state for my stepson's HS graduation. She is in kindergarten and none of this a very big deal. The day she is going to miss in a couple of weeks is actually her school's Field Day so it's not like they are going to be learning much anyway. She also has not missed any days for being sick. My stepsons missed a whole week of school when they were in K and 2nd grade so we could take them to Disney World the same week I had a conference in Orlando, and it wasn't a problem. They just had to make up what they missed after they got back.

If they can make up the work and they are in the lower grades, you could consider it, but if they also end up missing a lot of school because of being sick, it could be a problem. I would probably just stick with the school vacation weeks if you can, just to be safe.

ETA: Since they are kindergarten and 2nd grade, I would probably go for it - especially if this is the only way you could afford it. I don't know it it's a Disney cruise, but if it is, I can tell you it will be totally worth it!

I used to be a stickler and I would say no way, it sends the wrong message, etc. Now that my kids are 13 and 11, I look back on those earlier elementary years and realize that is the time it would have been easy to take those big vacations off season. They could have handled the work load at school just fine. Now with our oldest in 8th grade, we could never. Too hard to make up missed class time and work now and into high school. I'd say do it now, it gets much more difficult when they get older.

I say go for it! At that age, they're not really going to miss much. Plus, you can just talk to the teachers ahead of time and take some stuff with you for them to work on.

Be sure and run this past the principal - I'm sure there's a bunch of forms you'll have to fill out beforehand- seems there are forms for everything!!

Friends of ours went to Disney World EVERY year and took their kids out for a week - they could have done it over Spring Break but never chose to - they did fine with missing a week.

Good luck and have fun!!!

Do it, do it, do it! They are so young that they won't be terribly affected by a week off. They have to make up the work anyway, it will just be at a quicker pace or along with other things. When they get older, it will be so much harder, trust me. We took a cruise 2 years ago when mine were in 5th, 3rd and PK-4. This was a surprise gift for my b-day and I only found out about it about 3 weeks prior. I was scrambling like crazy. I asked for homework as we were driving to New Orleans and figured the kids could do some work in the car. Some teachers gave work and others didn't. There was so much to do after we got back. I was stressed and so were the kids. Hubby was at work so he didn't feel the consequences of the awesome gift. LOL In our school 3rd grade was a killer so take them now before your 2nd grader goes into third. Even then though you'd have only one to really worry about with homework. When there are multiple kids in the upper grades, it is harder to plan a trip during school.

Have fun!

Speaking as a parent, family vacations are great. I think that part of it depends on the age of your kids. Speaking as a teacher, The older they are, the more difficult it is to miss school. a lot of schools do not provide kids with the homework before they leave so when those kids come back, they're behind.