Summer’s here and for all but a few students, who either want to skip ahead or require credit recovery, vacation plans are in flight. For families who have been waiting for school to break to make that overseas getaway or even just a road trip, timing is everything. Parents want to spend the remaining summers enjoying the twilight of their kids’ adolescence as they collectively recall the endless hours of moaning and groaning of backseat impatience.
But different schools have different timing and depending on the state, school might even begin in August while others won’t begin until after Labor Day. And depending on whether a school is public or private, March break could be as short as one week. If a family has multiple children attending different schools, what should be a joyous event in vacation planning becomes a logistic nightmare in coordinating time off from work, plane tickets, hotels and discount pricing, etc.
I admit that, when my daughter was younger, I simply yanked her out of school to extend a March break. One year, I even tagged a weeklong trip to a Thanksgiving weekend. The teachers didn’t like it, but what can they do? However, it was my own daughter, who was approaching the Junior grade of high school, who prompted me to rethink this practice. During that awesome Thanksgiving getaway, she admitted that she did fall behind slightly, especially in math.
If she is proactive and stays on pace, she can make short work of her homework even with an hour a day. Given the number of hours she spends on social media, it’s a small sacrifice.
So, we got smarter. Prior to any type of class-skipping, my daughter asks her teacher what units are covered during her absence and to obtain reading materials in advance. She still hands in homework or assignment on the day they are due whilst on vacation. Her connection to her friends via social and Google Classroom means that she can continue to chat and share notes as though she wasn’t even away. For what she needs to do for each class, she doesn’t need to spend 9am to 3pm everyday; if she is proactive and stays on pace, she can make short work of her homework even with an hour a day. Given the number of hours she spends on social media, it’s a small sacrifice.
Having said all that, I wouldn’t make it a habit to take your child out of school as a matter of course. Teachers frown upon this behavior. Depending on the jurisdiction, it can even be seen as a violation of the Education Act. But schools and teachers are willing to work with families who need to travel for family reasons. Institutions will even accommodate religious observance. So long as the requests are reasonable, legitimate and infrequent. Probably the toughest obstacle would be the other parent in divorced family situations.
So, like anything, preparation goes a long way to make sure that a causal break doesn’t become a disruption. Happy travels!
