We’ve all had them. We’ve all managed to deal with it. Maybe you shook your head and thought, “There goes one kid who really needs to be in school everyday.” Or maybe you were envious and thought, “I wish I could take a few unexpected days off too and still come back sharp and ready for more.”
I’m talking of course about that one kid whose parents think it’s perfectly acceptable to pull him or her out of school for a trip to You Name It. This happens despite all the other students staying where they are, coming into school everyday, waiting impatiently for the next vacation, and getting their work done to fit with your lesson plans. For that one kid? For him you’re either preparing work in advance or waiting to deal with the fallout when he returns.
I’ve been there. And our school’s policy was this: the student makes up the work when he comes back. Immediately.
Now the shoe’s on the other foot. My wife and I are taking our kids out of school for two days on either end of a weekend and—oh, I am having such guilt! I could not apologize enough to my kids’ teachers for the disruption.
Am I overreacting? You tell me. How well do you handle it when parents take their kids—your students—out of class for a few days of extra vacation? Is it a nuisance? No big deal?
Rants or shrugged shoulders or “whaddya gonna do?” comments are welcomed.
When I was student teaching, one of my students was pulled out for three weeks. Wow, I never realized how much extra work it was for a teacher to prepare work in advance! I was new at lesson planning and was not sure what I was going to do for those three weeks. I did the best I could, but when the student returned she was ahead in some areas and behind in others. Personally I felt she was out for WAY too long. It was near the beginning of the school year, so for several weeks after she returned I spent time re-teaching concepts that she needed as we built on what she missed. A few days wouldn’t be a big deal, I think, but when it is longer than a week or consistent, I could see that becoming a serious problem.
I, like you, am feeling terrible about pulling my kids out in April. It’s only one day, but I hate to be a pain to their teachers. I am graduating from my teaching program on a Friday and want to have my family around for the day. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime event, but I still feel guilty.
I have always felt that family comes first. It is nice that you are getting the opportunity to be on the other side of the fence. Enjoy your family time together. Life is short and childhood even shorter.
After teaching for several years, I have to say that it’s always a nuisance to get ready for, but it also depends on individual families as to the stress level for the teacher on the return side. Some families always come back with very little of the work done or none at all and that makes my job very hard. Others come back with all the work completed and the kids transition back in beautifully. There’s also something to be said for a day or two out of school versus a week or more. The longer the kids are gone the harder it is to get them back in sync and on the same page as the rest of the class. Then there are the parents that don’t want the stress of dealing with the homework issue so they actually do the work FOR their kids to avoid the hassle of fighting with their kids and the teacher. That is the HARDEST kind of family to work with and I dread every time they tell me that they are going to be gone for awhile. As long as you tell the teacher well in advance, and then actually work with your kids on the assignments so they are done when they return, it should be okay for a couple of days.
This year I had two different students take week-long vacations. I copied texts books, make special notebooks, and created a school bag with the needed supplies to send them on their way. When they got back they told me they didn’t have a chance to work on anything! My new policy is to tell parents that I do not prepare materials ahead of time, but that their student may stay after school during homework club to make up the work. That way I do not waste my time making materials that won’t be used. I don’t mind if a parent extends a day or two around a weekend, just not for a week or more at a time with the expectation that he or she won’t miss anything! One more rant to parents: get your kids to school on time! I have one kid who is soooooo slow every morning. When he arrives late (everyday!) he takes up so much of our time.
Enjoy your days off with your kids because you deserve it!