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assignments that they ask if they can be excused from the tests. Parental sus-
picions about the quality of their children's education should be raised when
children go to school for 6 hours a day yet supposedly can complete this same
instruction with “less than an hour of homework” each night .
A Martinez, California, teacher offers this compelling analogy:
There are a precious 180 days for us as teachers to instruct our students, and
there are 185 days during the year for Disney World. I have seen countless
students during my 14 years of teaching struggle to catch up the rest of the
year due to a week of vacation during critical instructional periods. The ana-
logy I use with my students' parents is that it's like walking out of a movie
after watching the first 5 minutes, then returning for the last 5 minutes and
trying to figure out what happened .
But a schoolteacher from Penn Yan, New York, expresses a different opinion:
I've read the comments by teachers saying that they all think it's horrible for
a parent to take a child out for a vacation. As a teacher and a parent, I dis-
agree. If a parent takes the time to let us know that a child is going to be
out, we help them get ready for upcoming homework the best we can. If the
child is a good student, why shouldn't they go have a wonderful experience
with their family? I also don't understand when teachers say they can't get
something together for the time the student will be out. We all have to plan
ahead, and we know what we are teaching days, if not weeks, in advance.
Take 20 minutes out of your day and set something up . Learn to be flexible!
Though we strongly recommend going to Disney World in the fall, winter, or
spring, there are a few trade-offs. The parks often close early during the off-season,
either because of low crowds or special events such as the Halloween and Christ-
mas parties at the Magic Kingdom. This drastically reduces touring hours. Even when
crowds are small, it's difficult to see big parks such as the Magic Kingdom between
9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Early closing also usually means no evening parades or fireworks.
And because these are slow times, some rides and attractions may be closed. Finally,
Central Florida temperatures fluctuate wildly during late fall, winter, and early spring;
daytime highs in the 40s and 50s aren't uncommon.
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