I feel so very blessed to be able to take my children to Walt Disney World every year. We have wonderful trips that have allowed our family to create some very magical memories. Over the past five years we have gotten into a trend of taking the kids out of school for our Walt Disney World vacation.
Now before you burn me at the stake….hold on one moment and let me share my credentials with you. :0) I am a former elementary school teacher with my masters degree in reading instruction. I totally value education and understand that there is nothing that can replace the work done in school. But there is something to think about when arguing my point…it seems like people that I encounter have very mixed feelings about me pulling MY kids out of school for vacation.
Here are some of the factors that have helped me decide that what I am doing is best for my family.
Family Time
Nothing in the world is more important than family time. Children that have life experiences are much more successful than those that don’t. Family=successful well adjusted children. I know what you are thinking, can’t you have family time over the summer, winter, or spring break. That leads me to my next point.
Price
Price is one of the factors in deciding when we visit Walt Disney World. Our family of 5 could not afford to visit as often as we do if we went to Disney during the school off times. I know what you are thinking well then just don’t go as often. That leads me to my next point.
Scheduled Time Off
My husband has a wonderful job as a GM for a major retailer. Now with that great job comes very restricted vacation time. The times that the kids have off are blocked for my husband. If we were to schedule a summer, winter or spring break vacation, Dan would not be able to go with us. That is not okay with me seeing as though we hardly see him to begin with. This brings me to my next point.
Educational Benefits??
In doing my research all about how Walt Disney World can be educational for families I came across a letter to the teacher . At first I read it and thought, there is no way that anyone is going to be okay with this. But last year before our October trip I decided to give it a whirl. To my great surprise it worked! My kids were excused from school for the entire trip up to 5 days. Not that it makes a difference at all but in the books it shows as an excused absence. In addition, the teachers are more willing to give your child their homework when it is an excused absence. Now I know I have heard mixed reviews on how much info to share with the school but I do like to be honest with them. After reviewing the letter and getting a refresher on the state learning standards I can see that a trip to Walt Disney World does hit some learning standards as long as you are willing to do a little extra research to make your trip educational.
Closing Thoughts
I do think that it is an individual family choice to decide what works best for them. For now, I have 2 of my three kids in school and they both do VERY well in school. I have no issue pulling them out of school to enjoy a family vacation. This will be the last year we go for a week during the school year for a while, because my daughter is a Freshman this year and we just don’t want her to miss. Fortunately, our kids have 2 of the 5 days off of school already this year…yay for less time off!!
I would love to hear your thoughts about pulling the kids out of school. Have you ever pulled your kids out of school for a family vacation?
See ya real soon!!
Kelly
