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Home : 2003 : Nov : 21
vacations from school
By Suzan
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In the past, I have had students miss short periods of school for a GREAT family vacation. Journals and presentations were done and probably quite worthwhile. Parents commenting and explaining the process of leaves changing and turtles birthing "may" happen in some families during those trips...but let's get real here. Schools have a very definitive and structured curriculum. Children must pass tests. Where I work now the absenteeism rate is incredible. This is an elementary school. Kids don't come to school because "they overslept". Or maybe the "alarm didn't go off" or the "car wouldn't start" or it is "too cold to walk all the way to school." Then we have the Christmas exodus to Mexico. These are not simply educational, valuable "vacations". I had a parent tell me today that next week her daughter was going to Mexico...for a month! There is another child who is already 2 years behind (in second grade) because he goes to Mexico every year for at least 2 months! These children do not attend school while they are gone...they are only speaking Spanish and these are family visits to see Grandparents or go to weddings. They come back up north to school in February or March and it is like starting all over again. No one will help them keep journals...no one will read to them and in most cases all the work I may prepare in advance for them to take does not get returned. This is VERY different than the occasional once in a lifetime opportunity to go to Washington, DC or Disneyland. I would be thrilled for my students to have this kind of vacation from school. But that is not what is happening in our school. Besides, if you teach children there are more valuable ways to spend their time than in school....what are you REALLY teaching them? Don't some people feel their are better ways to spend their time than being cooped up in an office or working at a factory? Should they just take time off whenever they fancy?
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