My parents are both teachers and as children in their house, we had to attend school till the very last second. I am for sending them there. It teaches them that even though you have nothing at work to do for the day, does not mean that you can stay home and sleep/watch movie, kwim. There are some days that you have little to nothing to do at work, but you still have to go. Does taking your child out of school early, because there are no more work for them, not teach them to be lax and not take responsibility? In a work situation, you would not like it when at the end of the year your workers does not pitch because "it's the last two weeks of the year", kwim??
I know it sucks to go to school the last two weeks of the school year, but is it really THAT bad. Not one of my sisters or I had ever been truant - in high school (what they did at uni is a WHOLE other story). If you were sick, you went to the doctor and got a letter. If you were not that sick, you go to school and if you feel worse later in the day, you ask to be excused. It did not make me a bad person. I don't feel that I wasted that week or so. I feel proud that I attended school as were expected of me.
I have to say that we did have LOADS of fun in those last week. We would have informal watersport competitions, have class BBQ's (sorta like a chrismas party), we cleaned the school and the boys repaired desks, we would practice sing-songs for the next year, have talent shows, some teachers would even begin with the following year's work (no kidding) - math and accounting. Our reportcards were handed out on the very last day, the very last period. If you were not there, you only get your reportcard the following year!!!!!!
If you really want to take her out, let the school know that she is going to her nan's and that her "lift" leaves on that and that date and it would not be possible for her to attend. That is just good parent-teacher relations. IN MY OPINION!!
Nadine - you have hit the nail on the head. I really agree with you.
I do not take this sort of thing lightly, but on the other hand - I'd rather her be of use to someone (ie-my sister) iykwim? If they are doing nothing at school...
The other issue, is that I really try to keep the respect thing up with the school. I always call to let them know she won't be attending and I expect DD to make sure she gets her homework from a friend if she is absent. It's not a cakewalk around here if you want a day off school. If she miraculously recovers from an illness (as is likely after 11am) she has been put to work doing housework. I know that might sound mean, but she now understands that it's not a day OFF, it's a day to recover from being sick (and let me say, if she is sick, she is sick - I don't make her load the dishwasher in the middle of a fever iykwim?).
The school has this very uncool "it's not ok to be away" program and if the kids are away without the parents notifying, the school sends out this gay-ass brochure banging on about how the parents and school need to be in partnership to better the childs education, blah, blah, blah.
Thing is, if you ever want to talk to the teacher about missed homework, or want to clarify something I never get a call back. I have a few times called to speak to her teachers to check she doesn't fall behind (only when she has been away for more than 2-3 days, I'm not a psycho), or to further enquire about the Student Exchange program, or even RETURN a teachers phone call. I get SQUAT.
That turned inot a rant didn't? I suppose I'm saying how can the school expect respect and partnership when it doesn't give it?? rant, rant
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