Ok to take the whole week of Thanksgiving off?

<p>Even the lecture classes my S attended had discussion components, opportunities to interact. And lots of classes are totally hands-on, discussion-based, and otherwise participatory (mine, for instance). Anyone who’s paying for an education that consists of on-line lectures primarily is, to my mind, missing out on what education is about.</p>

<p>I never required my staff to stay at work just for the face time, they should be able to decide if they need to put in additional time or can afford to take time off. Lets try not to be too dramatic about the whole situation, we are talking about missing few classes, not the whole semester.</p>

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<p>Depends on the type of class and professor. Part of the educational experience my LAC and HS were trying to impart was learning how to discuss and debate ideas and concepts and sometimes workshop our colloquium/seminar paper drafts with our Profs and peers . </p>

<p>A bit difficult to do if one doesn’t show up to most class sessions. </p>

<p>Granted, not all…especially not the upper-level seminar class Profs I’ve had would check up on students who missed classes. However, since class participation as outlined above is a critical component of the class, missing too many classes will mean a student is likely to be docked 20-40% off his/her final grade due to getting 0s on class participation. </p>

<p>Some classmates who show up much more often or attend every class also tend to find it annoying if a student who is a known slacker or feels non-emergency priority situations like going home for the holidays keeps taking it for granted he/she could keep asking for notes and/or help for classes missed. </p>

<p>I also know for a fact many Profs I’ve had and friends who are Profs aren’t crazy about making up for missed class days for non-emergency situations such as traveling for holidays or family vacations. A few stated flatly on their class syllabi that they would refuse to do so in such situations so the given student in such situations is given fair warning that he/she’s on his/her own. </p>

<p>I’m quite sure many professors would be able to make allowances for important events. But excusing a student so they can get a lower airfare, and a longer vacation might not be sufficient reason at all schools, and with all professors. As with many things…YMMV depending on the college, the course, the instructor, and maybe even your general overall attendance for the term.</p>

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<p>The fact you equate undergrad class sessions…especially those late in the fall term as ones taking place on Thanksgiving week just underscores how little respect or seriousness you’re giving to efforts by Profs and academics in general. Those classes are likely to be just as, if not sometimes more important than the ones within the first week or two of the term. </p>

<p>It’s especially odd considering at my LAC and many other colleges with similar semester calenders, that part of the fall term is one where most students are starting to prepare for finals and/or finalize research and write up their final research papers. </p>

<p>Especially if one’s in a college which already lost a week’s worth of instruction due to having a weeklong Fall Break like my LAC and Cornell. </p>

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<p>Really? Well maybe we should talk about the kids who are on financial aid who skip class. What is that about since we know it’s not because they are in the 1%? I think you missed my point. The value of an education is not based on slavishly attending every single class for four years. There may be things that warrant missing and sometimes those things might even be a competing event happening at the school where an important person is giving a lecture, etc. </p>

<p>Like mimk6, I work for myself, which means any time off is no pay. One makes choices to attend a funeral, see a close friend right before surgery, an awards ceremony, a doctor, and a vacation. </p>

<p>Sometimes in college, I might make a value choice to skip a class to study for an exam or finish a paper. I don’t think I ever thought about the money aspect, just what was the best use of my time.</p>

<p>In regard to tickets, I think I would try to book in August–the Sunday after t-day, and return ticket after New Years. If classes started on Jan. 3, it was really expensive. After Jan. 6, the prices dropped. </p>

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I don’t schedule any exams or quizzes during Thanksgiving week because there would be too many students missing class and having to make things up. That said, I never spend extra time assisting students who missed class in order to travel to make up material. </p>

<p>I have, on occasion, cancelled a class, (not during T-sgiving week) but perhaps my students didn’t inform their parents, since none of them expressed their ensuing outrage. </p>

<p>Cancelled classes can’t really be “made up” since there is no way to insure that everyone in the class would be available at a particular time unless the class is really small.</p>

<p>Well, first let me thank all of you for responding. I’m so very sorry I haven’t had a chance to check back in on the forum after making my original post. I’ve been traveling overseas and hadn’t had a chance to check back in. Great to see so many of you had feelings about this and thank you to all who offered helpful advice. But I’m quite surprised at some of the hostility I triggered over such a simple question. I’m not sure how some of you were able to read into my personal feelings or regard for the value of my daughter’s education based on this question but clearly you feel you know me enough to insult me just for asking for feedback. Thank you. Now I feel as if I truly know you.</p>

<p>And just to clarify, by daughter is an IB Diploma Graduate with a 4.7 GPA. Her high school is in the top 100 nationally and she worked until midnight every night. AND she could easily have missed a day or two of class to travel to see her grandmother in FL when needed and make up the work because she is driven to succeed. Missing a day or two of class in high school had no impact on her grades, her teachers opinions of her or her college applications. That’s my experience to date and that’s why I asked. In case you’d like to judge me some more.</p>

<p>Missing a day or two of class in high school had no impact on her grades, her teachers opinions of her or her college application</p>

<p>Right. However, it was pointed out that college is not high school. YMMV of course.</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t recommend assuming this will be the case once she’s off in college. Especially considering the increasing trend of requiring class participation as a substantial portion of one’s grade and/or some strict Profs noting on their syllabus that anything more than 5 UNEXCUSED absences means one fails the entire course*. </p>

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<li>Taken from syllabi of some past undergrad classes I’ve taken along with policies some college instructor friends have on their syllabi.<br></li>
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<p>and that most college courses are 2, maybe 3 times a week. So missing Monday through Wednesday is not 3/5 of a week; it is an entire week. Of a MUCH shorter semester than one has in HS.</p>

<p>One of my son’s teachers announced during class Wednesday before Thanksgiving that everyone who showed up would get extra credit points.</p>

<p>Just to clarify, school is closed on Wed. So we’re talking about once session of each class (two days, not three). But I get your point, it’s very clear and that’s what I was hoping for, some actual experience. Thanks.</p>

<p>You kid will figure it out once she is there. My older daughter took every Thanksgiving week off and she graduated with good GPA. My younger daughter is at the same school and she is more reluctant about taking days off around Thanksgiving, but she will leave a day earlier or go back later around breaks. </p>

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<p>I don’t see that anyone is taking a stand against college students wanting to be with their families “on that day;” they are are arguing against the notion that the students must take seven + days (leaving the Friday before and returning Sunday after) in order to be with their families “on that day.”</p>

<p>I think so. There were many posts about it is not necessary because their kids didn’t come home for Thanksgiving. I wrote in response to posters who said it is not necessary. As far as taking a week off, it is a nice to have. D1’s best friend lived in Seattle, so for every Thanksgiving, she either left early or came back late so she could miss the rush. This young lady graduated with close to 4.0 GPA and is graduating from Stanford law this year. Hence, I said, lets just put it in prospective and not take it that seriously. It is silly to make OP feel like she is the worst parent in the world to even suggest for her kid to take a week off for Thanksgiving.</p>

<p>We don’t know the OPs kiddo’s college. We don’t know HER school’s or professor’s policies regarding missed classes.</p>

<p>The daughter can find out all of these things once she gets to college. It might be possible to take a full week off without penalty, and it might not be. </p>

<p>The assumption that most students take that extra weekend off is likely not accurate…but this could certainly vary from place to place. </p>

<p>If it were me, I would make very flexible airline reservations now, and work out the details when the student knows the drill at her school.</p>

<p>I think that parents and students who live a reasonable driving distance from college should use the messages in this thread to remind them that many other students won’t have the option of going home for short breaks. My brother graduated from Andover and Harvard. His best friend at both was a working-class, African-American student from Houston, who became part of our family from spending so many Thanksgivings and Easters at our house. He sometimes accompanied my family to Catholic services on Easter, but then he sought out African-American Baptist churches later. I was able to travel home to Massachusetts from Barnard/Columbia, but I could never get a seat aboard the train on Wednesday. Maybe, instead of anguishing over arrangements to bring a student home for Thanksgiving, parents could consider sending care packages or gift cards to, say, local grocery stores and/or restaurants, so that the students who can’t make it home won’t feel they are all alone. They can organize their own celebrations, and potentially create their own traditions. </p>

<p>I am always looking for good deals on airlines when booking flights for my daughter around Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. Sometimes I get a good deal and other times, not so good. </p>

<p>In addition to the school calendar, @pieg daughter’s course schedule will dictate when airline flights should be booked.</p>

<p>I am able to book flights for Thanksgiving upon viewing the school calendar and my daughter’s anticipated list of courses. She is fortunate to be able to view the syllabi of courses taught by professors in previous semesters. Once again, and this has happened often, two of the classes she pre-registered for have attendance policies which count as a small percentage of the final grade.</p>

<p>This small percentage (which my daughter and I consider very significant) and the fact that my daughter believes that she must be in class to take notes for herself (STEM major) will keep her from missing any class.</p>

<p>My daughter’s school is off on Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so she is booked on a flight early Wednesday morning. </p>