Is it worth skipping school for holidays?
Thousands of parents who take ‘‘cheaper’’ holidays during the school term time need to realise their kids are missing out on school, says Secondary Principals’ Association president Mike Williams. New research shows more than 36,000 children took a holiday during a single school term last year.
This week on Neighbourly we asked you if you had taken your kids out of school for a holiday. Was it worth it? Most people found travelling was a valuable learning experience and worth the time away from a traditional classroom.
ROSALIE BENNETT, WAINUIOMATA
Why worry about a couple of weeks or so, they can learn so much from other people and places, new activities and refreshes the mind blows away the cobwebs.
DAVID MORRISON, BELMONT
In 2015 we took Miss 9 and Miss 11 overseas for seven weeks to several countries in Europe, UK, Canada and Hong Kong. It was something we saved long and hard for as we saw value in helping our children get a taste for the world beyond the playground. They had many experiences that broadened their view of the world and their place in it. Their primary school was supportive and we maintained some contact with the classroom via Skype and a blog to try and share the experience. We have no regrets and viewed the trip as an educational experience that covered cultures, language, food, money and many other areas.
ELIA MATICH, WAIWHETU
I think it just depends on the circumstances for the holiday. I went for a short holiday during school time as a child, and one thing my teacher asked me to do, as I was having time off, was to keep a small diary about my trip. So even though I was only about 9 or 10 years old, I wrote down a little bit about each day, every night before I went to bed. This was not only good for my memory, spelling and writing, it came in so handy, when I got back to school, and was asked by everyone, to stand up in front of the class, and tell them all about my holiday.
TREV CARROLL, TAITA
I would take my kids out of school for a holiday. In this day and age where a lot of families have both parents needing to work to make ends meet, a family should be able to take time to enjoy each other regardless of what time of year it is. Family and making memories are important too.
CHANELLE GOFFE, PETONE
We take our daughter out for seven weeks every two years so we can visit our family in London. She knows more about landmarks around the world than most kids her age. The last trip, we organised with her teacher for her weekly homework to be emailed and we would email it back each week. Our daughter also did weekly YouTube videos of everywhere we visited so her class could see the sights too every week. Kids learn so much more out and about. Kids are like sponges when they are young so travelling is a great way for them to remember different experiences.
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