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Post by scrappergonewild on Dec 18, 2014 21:26:11 GMT
I have a question and it's really a question. I'm not asking to be snarky. Lots of folks have mentioned making memories. Why can't the memories be made when school is not in session? I understand that there might be work conflicts but what other conflicts are there? I honestly did not even know that parents take their kids out of school for fun stuff until I read this thread. As I said in an earlier post, I don't care what other families do, it's their business. That's my point. Memories can only be made during school hours? My kids have gone to concerts, movies, WDW, various vacation spots, visits to friends, professional football and baseball games, collegiate football games, etc. They've stayed home in their PJs and vegged. I guess we're the only ones in the whole entire world who can manage to do that on a weekend and during holidays/summers when our kids are in school. DH, DS and DH's dad went to see "Fury" together this week AT NIGHT AFTER SCHOOL/WORK WAS DONE. This summer, we managed to make memories even though the first month of their summer vacation was taken up with church and band camps, and the last month was taken up with summer band practices. We're amazing. Well good for you. My family is different. Neither is better nor more right than the other.
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
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Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Dec 18, 2014 22:00:45 GMT
I have a question and it's really a question. I'm not asking to be snarky. Lots of folks have mentioned making memories. Why can't the memories be made when school is not in session? I understand that there might be work conflicts but what other conflicts are there? I honestly did not even know that parents take their kids out of school for fun stuff until I read this thread. As I said in an earlier post, I don't care what other families do, it's their business. My husband and I both work full time and have limited vacation schedules. Traveling at Thanksgiving works well for us. We only need 3 vacation days and our daughter only misses 1.5 days of school. Missing 1.5 days of school to spend a week in a national park works out fine for us. On one day we attended an all day hike with a ranger and by the things my daughter was saying and the questions she was asking the ranger thought we were doing some kind of independent study. It was a great experience! And yes, we had fun too. I'm considering pulling her out for a week this spring. It's a rare opportunity for us and she's only in second grade - would be more difficult to do this as she gets older and I think it will be a great experience. If my daughter was struggling in school, then I would reconsider.
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Post by anxiousmom on Dec 18, 2014 22:22:56 GMT
That's my point. Memories can only be made during school hours? My kids have gone to concerts, movies, WDW, various vacation spots, visits to friends, professional football and baseball games, collegiate football games, etc. They've stayed home in their PJs and vegged. I guess we're the only ones in the whole entire world who can manage to do that on a weekend and during holidays/summers when our kids are in school. DH, DS and DH's dad went to see "Fury" together this week AT NIGHT AFTER SCHOOL/WORK WAS DONE. This summer, we managed to make memories even though the first month of their summer vacation was taken up with church and band camps, and the last month was taken up with summer band practices. We're amazing. No, memories aren't only made during school hours. I don't really think that is what any one is saying at all, more like memories are made at ALL times-with school hours sometimes are included. My kids have done all the same things you have said that yours have done and more. Some of those happened because I have allowed my children to take the day off of school in order to let it happen. Some of it was done outside of school hours. Does that make me a worse parent than you? Nope, and I will not accept that I am less than because I hold different parenting views. I shouldn't have to justify my choices. If my children are loved, valued, respected, fed and watered, then I am doing my job.
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Post by lucyg on Dec 18, 2014 22:42:59 GMT
I haven't read the whole thread but I'm assuming it got heated since it went six pages. Just wanted to register my opinion that I wouldn't ever take kids out of school strictly for fun stuff. I think it de prioritizes school and for some kids, that can be a big mistake. Now I'm off to read the thread and see who is going to be pissed off at me and who isn't.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Dec 18, 2014 23:03:52 GMT
I haven't read the whole thread but I'm assuming it got heated since it went six pages. Just wanted to register my opinion that I wouldn't ever take kids out of school strictly for fun stuff. I think it de prioritizes school and for some kids, that can be a big mistake. Now I'm off to read the thread and see who is going to be pissed off at me and who isn't. Well darn, I can't be mad at you, you didn't say all kids
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Post by peasful1 on Dec 18, 2014 23:33:23 GMT
Meh. Like most parenting decisions, I think what you do requires common sense. If your kid is struggling, getting borderline passing or is failing classes, isn't good at managing their time or keeping up with work on their own, is easily distracted and can't stay on task, well those kids probably shouldn't miss school for a fun day out.
But if you have a kid with stellar grades, is self-motivated, a self-advocate, organized and on top of their work? Sure, why not.
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Post by bearmom on Dec 19, 2014 0:28:26 GMT
Meh. Like most parenting decisions, I think what you do requires common sense. If your kid is struggling, getting borderline passing or is failing classes, isn't good at managing their time or keeping up with work on their own, is easily distracted and can't stay on task, well those kids probably shouldn't miss school for a fun day out. But if you have a kid with stellar grades, is self-motivated, a self-advocate, organized and on top of their work? Sure, why not. I agree with this, no "one size fits all" response.
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Post by leftturnonly on Dec 19, 2014 0:41:43 GMT
When I was little, my mom would take me out of school one day every year to go into Philly and see the shops all decorated for Christmas. Those were the days when Gimballs Department Store would set up a large display complete with trains and moving figures! That one day a year when we broke the rules was nothing but awesome! If the child isn't going to miss anything important, I have no problem with skipping one day even in this more enlightened day and age.
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Post by *leslie* on Dec 19, 2014 1:21:10 GMT
I took my kids out of school two weeks ago to go to Disney for the day and my older son missed a day of school to go hunting with his dad, (can't help it if opening day is a school day). My kids will be okay.
I missed way more school than my kids do because my parent's always wanted to take off early Fridays to go camping. I turned out to be a productive member of society. I haven't murdered anyone, robbed a bank or stolen a car.
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Post by *leslie* on Dec 19, 2014 1:34:55 GMT
I think we take these things way to seriously. We are over stressed and over worked as a nation. Honestly, most school time now isn't about actual learning, its about keeping students looking busy, taking a test, and getting the fed money. More hours in a school day does not equal a better education. Quality over quantity. Yep. Two week's ago at my son's 3rd grade parent-teacher conference ,the teacher told me that they are now preparing their students to work in the global marketplace. No more is it we are preparing them for middle school or even high school or college but now we are preparing them for their jobs they will have in 12-13 years from now. She also told me that they will only be reading non-fiction or informational texts for the remainder of the year because, you know, when they are adults they won't be reading for fun. (How many times have I heard over the years, "Make reading fun for your kids".) They will be reading for work and will have to extract information from what they are reading. Sounds like they are trying create worker drones. No more creative fiction or thinking outside the box for you! Talk about sucking all the fun out of school but Common Core is supposed to be awesome!
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Post by scrappergonewild on Dec 19, 2014 2:04:14 GMT
I think we take these things way to seriously. We are over stressed and over worked as a nation. Honestly, most school time now isn't about actual learning, its about keeping students looking busy, taking a test, and getting the fed money. More hours in a school day does not equal a better education. Quality over quantity. Yep. Two week's ago at my son's 3rd grade parent-teacher conference ,the teacher told me that they are now preparing their students to work in the global marketplace. No more is it we are preparing them for middle school or even high school or college but now we are preparing them for their jobs they will have in 12-13 years from now. She also told me that they will only be reading non-fiction or informational texts for the remainder of the year because, you know, when they are adults they won't be reading for fun. (How many times have I heard over the years, "Make reading fun for your kids".) They will be reading for work and will have to extract information from what they are reading. Sounds like they are trying create worker drones. No more creative fiction or thinking outside the box for you! Talk about sucking all the fun out of school but Common Core is supposed to be awesome! That has nothing to do with the Common Core. Common Core is not curriculum.
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Post by *leslie* on Dec 19, 2014 2:20:26 GMT
Really? Because the words Common Core kept coming out of her mouth.
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
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Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Dec 19, 2014 2:29:16 GMT
Common Core is a set of standards and schools choose a curriculum to implement. My daughter is in second grade and is reading a mix of fiction and non-fiction. I actually really like their reading program.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Dec 19, 2014 4:11:03 GMT
I think we take these things way to seriously. We are over stressed and over worked as a nation. Honestly, most school time now isn't about actual learning, its about keeping students looking busy, taking a test, and getting the fed money. More hours in a school day does not equal a better education. Quality over quantity. Yep. Two week's ago at my son's 3rd grade parent-teacher conference ,the teacher told me that they are now preparing their students to work in the global marketplace. No more is it we are preparing them for middle school or even high school or college but now we are preparing them for their jobs they will have in 12-13 years from now. She also told me that they will only be reading non-fiction or informational texts for the remainder of the year because, you know, when they are adults they won't be reading for fun. (How many times have I heard over the years, "Make reading fun for your kids".) They will be reading for work and will have to extract information from what they are reading. Sounds like they are trying create worker drones. No more creative fiction or thinking outside the box for you! Talk about sucking all the fun out of school but Common Core is supposed to be awesome! Leslie, did your son's teacher really say those things about preparing a 3rd grader for the global marketplace, and no more reading fiction, and reading only instructional texts?? Talk about a perfect way to create kids who HATE reading!! I haven't been IN school for quite a few years, but one of our best friends is a newly-retired middle school teacher who was sooo great with the kids, but having to continually 'teach to the test' sucked all the enthusiasm for teaching right out of him. He was trying to teach actual 'content' but his school administration wouldn't let him. That's why he chose early retirement. I am firmly in the camp of 'work to live' and not 'live to work.' I genuinely like my job, and am a responsible person who is very good at my job, but working endlessly is not the total of my existence, it is only how I earn my living. Period. I don't have kids, but if I did, I would NOT be made to feel guilty by anyone over taking them out of school for something I deem is important enough to do so.
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craftykitten
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Jun 26, 2014 7:39:32 GMT
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Post by craftykitten on Dec 19, 2014 7:59:53 GMT
I think we take these things way to seriously. We are over stressed and over worked as a nation. Honestly, most school time now isn't about actual learning, its about keeping students looking busy, taking a test, and getting the fed money. More hours in a school day does not equal a better education. Quality over quantity. Yep. Two week's ago at my son's 3rd grade parent-teacher conference ,the teacher told me that they are now preparing their students to work in the global marketplace. No more is it we are preparing them for middle school or even high school or college but now we are preparing them for their jobs they will have in 12-13 years from now. She also told me that they will only be reading non-fiction or informational texts for the remainder of the year because, you know, when they are adults they won't be reading for fun. (How many times have I heard over the years, "Make reading fun for your kids".) They will be reading for work and will have to extract information from what they are reading. Sounds like they are trying create worker drones. No more creative fiction or thinking outside the box for you! Talk about sucking all the fun out of school but Common Core is supposed to be awesome! For real? OMG. I don't even have kids, so this is all moot, but I'm going to weigh in anyway because who doesn't want to contribute to an epic thread. The school system, here in the UK as well, seems designed to churn out students who fit 'the mould'. Follow the rules, do as you're told, wear the right clothes (uniform is a big issue in my area at the moment), don't ask questions. Worker drones is exactly right. We live in an amazing world and we get one chance to make the most of it. My own personal belief is that we should explore that world, challenge conventional beliefs, and make our own discoveries. School - here, at least - doesn't seem to encourage independent thinking or creativity any more. And yes, in this county parents are also fined for taking their children out of school. Many of my colleagues actively choose to pay the fine because it is still cheaper than paying holiday-period prices for trips.
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Post by gar on Dec 19, 2014 9:08:52 GMT
With regard to memories only being made outside school hours I think the point here is that it's the illicit nature of 'bunking off' as we'd say that adds to the fun. Almost as if Mum/Dad is being a bit naughty too, by allowing the day off, and you're sneaking off together to have some fun.
Yes, of course memories can be made at weekends, during vacations etc, and presumably most of that type of memories are done exactly like that but the thrill of being out having fun while everyone else is at school *is* half the fun imo.
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Deleted
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Jun 2, 2024 5:16:40 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2014 13:02:45 GMT
I think if you are of the mindset that school is the most important aspect of your child's life and they should never be taken out of school for any spontaneous bit of fun that can wait until the weekend or scheduled days off, that is fine. It is your child, your rules. Nothing bad will happen to your child, he/she will not be damaged in any way, shape or form. He/she will grow up to be upstanding, rule-following adults.
This is also true for the children whose parents choose to take out of school for a day (or a couple of days) of spontaneous fun. They aren't going to grow up to be lazy, unproductive members of society. They aren't any better or any worse than the other group.
There is a lot of judging going on. I did it. I think I was more on the defensive as I am of the mindset that taking your child out for a day of fun during regular school hours is perfectly fine, and I felt those who wouldn't do that, judged me. But in truth, neither way is wrong. It is how you decide to parent. Your child, your rules. The only thing some of us did wrong is judge the other group. And I am sorry. The children DO get plenty of time off to do all the fun stuff. It's just sometimes, the only time to do something is during a school day.
Does the person the OP knows HAVE to take their children out of school for the movie marathon? Of course not. If it is the Hobbit series, they can watch those at home on Demand or get them from Redbox or wherever. But to watch on the big screen? That's only available in their area that one day. A school day. I get it. It's special. It's not going to destroy the children not to get to see it in the theatre. But it's also not going to destroy them to be able to skip school that day to see it.
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AmeliaBloomer
Drama Llama
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Jun 26, 2014 5:01:45 GMT
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Post by AmeliaBloomer on Dec 19, 2014 13:18:46 GMT
Whoah. Get back, Loretta. I don't have time to read the while thread (as I'm about to start my day of keeping children needlessly busy), so don't know if anybody else commented on this, but I'm astonished by the bolded sentences and the seven "Like"s. I'm really curious what your experience is with what goes on in classrooms. On a daily basis, I enter multiple classrooms in different schools and districts - both elementary and high school. Yes, I see some of what you describe, but certainly not a significant amount. (I especially don't see teachers planning/implementing instruction based on their gleeful anticipation of federal funding...). Are all teachers skilled and all students always engaged? Of course not. But I find this characterization dismaying (and frankly, really discouraging), and would benefit from further description of your classroom observations. (As a parent and teacher, I have no objection to missing school for the occasional fun day, mental health day, or "extra-curricular" day.) My father works in a school district. I have several teachers in my family. I respect the profession greatly, but many times this is not even in the hands of the teachers. Its through orders of the districts. Classes are over-flowing, and NCLB has created an atmosphere of teaching to the test. They don't have time for individualized lesson plans, because they have to make sure their students can pass a test that literally means nothing. If they don't pass that test, federal funding becomes limited. So no, I don't think that teachers intentionally do this, I think they are forced into this situation. Look at figures since the Department of Education was created and you will see a dramatic decline in quality of education. Arbitrary facts in the grand scheme of things aren't a hill to die on. So that is why I don't have a problem with kids missing school. At the risk being flip, most people have teachers in their families. That doesn't support whether you know enough about current instruction to insist that there is no longer meaningful learning happening in any classrooms - instead, wholesale stagnation. I've been a teacher for 30 years, and shepherded my own NCLB-generation children through public school educations, and I doubt even I would write about the state of education so assuredly. I disagree that instruction has been reduced solely to arbitrary facts, and will continue to see evidence to the contrary everyday. You might want to visit a classroom or two. Who knows? You might learn something.
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