If you don't want to judge Chrissy, then why are you?

Judge Wapner - How the heck have you been? Loved your show. I started with a question and not a remark as I am staying open-minded and curious. I'm witholding judgement until I hear Anne's reply. Perhaps she takes lots of vacations with the kids or there's another answer. It's not so much my judgement of her as my feelings for the kids. I feel bad for them. I don't even have kids and I miss my cats after a couple days, so I can't imagine being without three young children for two weeks. Don't you have to wonder why people have kids if they vacation without them often (maybe not Anne's case, but just an example)? How do the kids feel? This happened to my husband growing up and he alwats felt left out. What do others think?

As a followup to my prior post:<BR>1 1/2 years after my summer vacation with my family (which proved to be the last one), my Dad was killed in a freak accident. He was only 38 years old & it was 2 weeks before my high school graduation. I will always remember fondly my last vacation with my entire family and my beloved dad - much more than I will remember any particular 2-week period of schooling. Sometimes memories of fun times with your family are more priceless than you realize at the time. It's a tough call no matter which way you decide - but I guess I lean to the family time together as most important.

I love to travel too, and take my children on vacations, but I do it when they are off, may miss a couple of days at the most. I never took them out of classes in high school! so far 3 of my children completed high school! One is going into 11th grade now. I think back to when I was a child! My Mother was ALWAYS!! taking us kids out of school to go somewhere or do something! 2-3 times a year some years.We never caught up in school it seemed! We have four chidren in our family, and not one completed high school. Teachers got sick of helping us make the grade. My one brother and I did get our GED. and I went on to Clarion University for a couple of years. But is was to hard for me and I had to drop out. I carried a 3.8 average, but I had four young children who really needed me to be home with them. I worked many hours at Vinny's Pizza. I was a sigle parent. But my spelling is horrible, and I have very little knowledge of world history and I have a very hard time with geography also. I loved school and use to beg my Mom not to take me out. I do plan on taking my youngest son to Hungary soon, but it will be when the scool year ends. He is very smart, So I don't want to mess his life up like my Mom did my brother's and I. Some families can pull their kids out and the kids can catch up easily. But why chance it? Just don't let them slide and not do their home work just because they are on vacation my mother didn't have us do ours ever! All the best to you and your family. Have a great vacation. Alice

Beeper, if you already made up your mind about how things should be, whytheheck do you bother to post this? You knew ahead of time what the arguments would be and you already had your answers. You did not really want "suggestions" for anything, as best I can tell. (Worse: Uncle Sam depends on time-wasters like you to give him yet another soapbox.)

She DID ask a question,<BR><BR>"How did you help them make the transition back into school?"<BR><BR>Quite a few people made constructive attempts to answer this question.<BR><BR>She did not ask whether her freshman should go on the trip or not.<BR>

I am so enraged by Uncle Sam's extremist comments! How dare you be so disparaging about teachers! I'd bet my Master's that you haven't stepped foot in a classroom in many, many years and even then I'll bet it wasn't when school was in session.Whenever I have to listen to drivel such as his, inevitably the speaker has no idea what it means to teach or how complex a job it can be. Don't dare to presume how hard anyone in my profession works or doesn't work. Yes there are bad teachers, there are also bad doctors, firefighters, custodians, and parents and on and on.<BR>As for children, travel and all of that. I understand you've made the decision, I have to wonder why? For a lower airline fare? High school can be such a hard time especially for freshmen. I think parents believe that we have our daily plans mapped out months in advance when this just isn't the case as an earlier teacher said. Whenever I've given assignments they have never been done with the level of depth that they would have had that child been in class, because the kid is missing the instruction that goes with the assignment. Frankly if it were that simple what would be the point of going to school at all? I would have my child read and learn about the history, architecture and art of London and Paris as well as read literature that has those two cities as backdrops.

isn't this all wrong? I might be sitting on the other side of the world but how old are these kids we are talking about here? i am guessing somewhere between 9 and 15?<BR><BR>Life is not a race. Maybe that is a comment that reflects where I live but I am sorry, I fail to see how a couple of weeks out of school at this age can have a material affect on ones education. This is especially the case when these kids are in the company of their parents and are able to experience that wonderfull state known as "adventure". You know, those times and experiences that stay with people for a lifetime. That has got to be priceless has it not?<BR><BR>We have people on this thread quoting truency codes from various states. Is that what it is really about? Are these kids in some type of competition to achieve, to do better, to take on the worry (as in one post above) and stress from age 9 or 10 or 14 or 15.<BR><BR>Cheers<BR>David<BR><BR>

isn't this all wrong? I might be sitting on the other side of the world but how old are these kids we are talking about here? i am guessing somewhere between 9 and 15?<BR><BR>Life is not a race. Maybe that is a comment that reflects where I live but I am sorry, I fail to see how a couple of weeks out of school at this age can have a material affect on ones education. This is especially the case when these kids are in the company of their parents and are able to experience that wonderfull state known as "adventure". You know, those times and experiences that stay with people for a lifetime. That has got to be priceless has it not?<BR><BR>We have people on this thread quoting truency codes from various states. Is that what it is really about? Are these kids in some type of competition to achieve, to do better, to take on the worry (as in one post above) and stress from age 9 or 10 or 14 or 15.<BR><BR>Cheers<BR>David<BR><BR>

I Teach,<BR><BR>"I am so enraged by Uncle Sam's extremist comments! How dare you be so disparaging about teachers!"<BR><BR>Well I Teach, it's easy because it's true. While there are a number of very good, wonderful teachers, the NEA and the poor ones either have or are ruining the public schools.<BR><BR>The NEA, from my observations, hides behind the "best for our children" platitudes, while acting like any other employee union....give us more money for less work. <BR><BR>Many people chose the profession knowing the pay and conditions. They chose it because in many cases learning "kiddie Lit" was a whole lot easier than learning cost accounting and the tenure and the tine off looked good and then they got in the profession and started complaining about how poorly they are paid.<BR><BR>Both true and hardly extremist comments, I teach!<BR><BR><BR>US

Uncle Sam you are ignorant!<BR><BR>Teachers do not choose teaching because "kiddie lit" is easier than cost acnounting. I chose teaching becuase I found business to be souless choosing to forgoe a large salary in order to be happy with what I do for a living. Whatever you may think of the NEA and how it influences the public school systemm, don't presume to understand for a minute an individual's reason for teaching. You obviously fall into the category of people who think teaching is easy and glorified babysitting. It is that kind of ignorant thinking that prevents us from making positive change in our public shool system.

I have taken my daughter out of school every year in the winter for a vacation since kindergarten, she is now in the 5th grade. We will be in Italy for 10 days this year in November. I always try to schedule around holiday breaks so even though we are gone 1 to 1 and 1/2 week she only misses 3 or 4 days of school. She has never made anything but straigt A's and her teachers and principal have always been encouraging. <BR><BR>I really think it can be done with no problem but try to be reasonable. Try a 1 to 1 and 1/2 week trip instead of 3 or 4 and try to go around a fall or winter break.<BR><BR>Plan ahead and have the child work independantly and not expect the teacher to do an etire study course for you. You know where you will be and what your child can learn. You also need to realize the GPA of the child and the childs capibilities.<BR><BR>Just my opinion but it has worked for me so far.<BR><BR>Now the good part, I am also a pageant mom, yes like the ones on the documentaries on TV. My child has done the national pageant circuit all over the US for 5 years now. She loves it, I hate it, but so be it. She is doing well. The school has also been very supportive of her often times early dismissals on Friday. Again she remains a straight A student in one the top schools in our state. <BR><BR>If you travel just try to be wise in your decisions. I have seen alot of do in the other 185 days but they fail to realize that those days aren't together. Most are weekends and an occasional mid-week day they are out for a teacher-work-day. Only Easter, Christmas and 9 weeks in the summer are left. Let's face it, there are alot of places you wouldn't be caught dead these times of the year.

Uncle Sam you are ignorant!<BR><BR>Teachers do not choose teaching because "kiddie lit" is easier than cost acnounting. I chose teaching becuase I found business to be souless choosing to forgoe a large salary in order to be happy with what I do for a living. Whatever you may think of the NEA and how it influences the public school systemm, don't presume to understand for a minute an individual's reason for teaching. You obviously fall into the category of people who think teaching is easy and glorified babysitting. It is that kind of ignorant thinking that prevents us from making positive change in our public shool system.

Very interesting argument and mostly clean and civil --except for Uncle Sam.

28 years ago, my mom pulled me out of 8th grade to go to the Caymen Islands with my Dad for a week. He got into a fight with his girlfriend and had this whole trip planned. He called my mom and asked her is she wanted to go, she said no of course, but take one of the girls. Since I was the oldest, I got to go. I missed a week of school in Chicago, in December.The trade off was that I had the best time with my dad all to myself. I still have the memories all these years later and we occasionally remember this trip together. I remember this very special trip with my dad but cannot remember what types of things I was actually learning in that grade. So my point is that if the positives outweigh the negatives take the kids and have fun. I have never regretted my mothers decision to give me one of my most precious travel memories of my life. I have gone on to college and am now working and living in Germany as and expat, so I turned out allright

Life learnings are very often more important & useful than 'book' learnings. My wife is a teacher & trips such as this is actually encouraged @ her school. Yes, it is a private school but anyone who knows anything about the schools in the south know that private is really your only option down here. A lot of the time they bring back info, share it w/the class, etc. She prepares a plan for them while they are gone & tries to work in wherever they are going. We travel to Europe 2 or 3 times a year & she has taken off to travel as well. I could not even attempt her job but make much more than her. Why dos she do it ?? For the kids of course. Let me mention the school she works @ is for kids w/learning disibilities as well before you all start attacking the 'rich' private school folks.

Anon,<BR><BR>For the most part it is easier than working in the real world.<BR><BR>Quickly name for me another profession that provides tenure. Try the tenure thing with the VP of Sales when you fail to make your quota...sure, you can talk about tenure as you look for another job!<BR><BR>Better yet, find for me a profession whose union decries measurement of the employees performance...that one will be tough as the NEA says we cannot measure teacher performance!<BR><BR>Better yet, find me a profession where employees are provided with the amount of time off that a teacher gets and in addition to their salary most are provided pension contributuions far above that of the average business worker, if they get a pension at all!<BR><BR>Yes, Anon the "academic" world is easier, much easier and it starts with easier classes in college and easier requiremensts and ends in a postion without risk of failure where many of the practioners whine and complain about their pay and how difficult their job is while extolling the noble virtues of teaching.<BR><BR>US<BR><BR>PS There are many very good teachers that do not fit this model and they do deserve our support.

Homeschooling solves this problem. In homeschooling, there is less rigidity and more freedom of action.

Get your facts straight--in Ohio for certain, and I think most states, teachers contribute to their pensions at a much higher rate than ss. In addition private pension plans are run far more efficiently than ss, so they are more fiscally stable. No one "gave" me my pension; I paid into the fund for over 30 years, just like retired firefighters and police.

I challenge Uncle Sam (ever the boob) to spend just one year teaching in any American high school. There's no chance he'd be saying any of the things he is if he had any clue what teachers are up against.<BR><BR>As for Roger, home schooling virtually guarantees an imbalance of information, not to mention perspective. To me, it's usually one step away from thinly veiled indoctrination in ideas that will make sure the child will forever be outside the mainstream and uncommitted to citizenship.<BR><BR>Sure, there are plenty of smarty-pants home-schooled kids, winning spelling bees (now THERE's a life skill) or going to Harvard. But there are legions more who emerge into a world they do not understand, feel alienated from, and are hostile to -- like you, perhaps.<BR><BR>If our schools are failing, it's because of fatcat conservatives unwilling to put the resources where their mouths are and airhead pseudo-liberals who have trashed the idea of meritocracy for everything other than sports. <BR><BR>Which is going to make for a better future for our nation -- abandoning the schools so that they become custodial firetraps, or shoring up ALL schools so that ALL future citizens have a decent education?