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Thu 7 Sep, 2006 07:12 pm
We are in the final stages of planning a trip to a big family gathering -- it's a can't-miss event and we're going, but we haven't bought plane tickets yet and we're not yet sure exactly when we're arriving or leaving. The event itself is on a Saturday. The tricky part is that there will be a lot going on on Sunday, too, and if we don't want to get home way too late on Sunday, we'd have to leave at like noon, which leaves no time for anything. I was thinking of just coming home on Monday and having sozlet miss that day of class.
Today there was a permission slip for a field trip that Monday. It looks really fun -- going to a farm, going on a hayride, free play, and bringing home a pumpkin .
Sozlet is in afternoon kindergarten; the field trip is for all of the various kindergarten classes (all-day, half-day morning, and half-day afternoon), but it's happening in the MORNING. It's over right about when she'd start kindergarten usually, and there won't be any afternoon kindergarten that day.
Now, she is in afternoon kindergarten for a reason. She's really not a morning person. We'll gradually adjust things over the course of this year so that she'll be ready for (all-day) first grade, but we're not even close now and no way we will be by then (about a month). She'd have to wake up at about 7 AM to go on this field trip, and that's super early for her. Somewhat possible, but early.
So I'm wondering if maybe this is a blessing in disguise and we'll go ahead and miss Monday (for the reunion) but not miss class time and probably some other kids will miss the field trip, too -- then I wonder if that's just too too mean and this will be great for her and I should do whatever I can to make it happen. (One special thing about it is the all-kindergarten nature of it, she has some friends in other classes that she'd love to see.)
Any thoughts?
Take advantage of the freedom of scheduling kindergarten provides. I think you should stay until monday and skip the field trip altogether. If she has a problem, arrange for her own pumpkin trip with a couple of friends on the following weekend (or later). Pumpkins already....?
That makes tons of sense.
Of course it does, it's basically what you said in your first post!
No no the going to the pumpkin place ourselves part...!
I had been thinking of it in terms of going or not going -- she can still have a chunk of the experience even if we don't go right then.
Go ahead and skip the field trip. The day will come when she really can't afford to miss school for a family trip, but kindergarten isn't it.
Family first.
Besides a Not Morning Child after an exciting weekend is not going to be ready for a stimulating Monday Morning.
Too much festivity can be very unfortunate.
Tickets are bought -- no field trip.
As littlek indicates I was definitely leaning that way, this response makes me feel better about it, thanks.
I ended up going with a slightly later flight on Sunday (leaving at 4 PM) because I'd wanted to get home EARLY on Sunday for just that reason, plenty of time for decompression before even attempting bed so that Monday wouldn't be a disaster (even without having to wake up early-early). If we have wiggle room, a later flight is OK (we'll get in about half an hour before her optimal bedtime and about two hours before her usual actual bedtime). Then we can do something fun on Monday after she wakes up late, like go to the zoo or something.
I remember when K was in first grade and the teacher laid on a huge guilt trip on the parents at curriculum night about how important it was for the kids to be in school and how family trips could not take priority over education and so on.... I bought into it until two things happened:
1) K had a bad case of the flu. She missed more than a full week of school and was much too sick to keep up with her school work. It took her a while to catch up, but she eventually made up all the missed assignments and was exactly where she was supposed to be at the end of the quarter.
2) The next year, when she was in 2nd grade, I was ranting to my mother about not being able to take advantage of a weeklong trip to Orlando because K would miss a week from school. She told me to pull her out of school for the week. I couldn't believe my ears. This was from the woman who raised us to believe that if you could crawl you could go to school. When I asked her when she'd ever considered pulling us out of school her only reply was that she had grown smarter as she aged. Somehow, having my mother's permission gave me the push I needed and we made the trip. We spent a day at Sea World, part of which included buying some small fish for the dolphins. At the proper time we all gathered around the feeding area and K held out a fish. One of the dolphins jumped up, took the fish, and then rested his head on her shoulder before dropping back into the pond. It was almost like a hug. The education she received in that one moment was more than worth the effort it took for her to make up her missed assignments when she returned to school.
I learned to ask myself if missing a day, or even a week, would make a difference three years down the road. If the answer is yes, don't miss the day(s). Otherwise, go for it!
I was thinking that Sozlette would get so much out of this big family todo that it would be very educational.
Rules vary state by state, but every state allows a certain number of "Unexcused Absences" every year. PA permits three unexcused days before the truant officer gets in the act.
"Excused absences" are often--but not always--medical. A genuine educational experience is usually seen as an Excused Absence.
Unfortunately suburban kids have more genuine educational experiences in their home lives than inner city kids do. I was told that if an honor roll high school sophomore missed school on Friday because his non-custodial father was taking him to the fourth game of the World Series, that this was "educational".
No doubt about it. Take her out and go!
I got the same "school attendance is paramount" speech, but never bought it. We've taken our son out occasionally (not often) to do things he wouldn't have had an opportunity to do otherwise. We figure there are lots of different kinds of education a child needs.
Don't let 'em get to you.
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