Let your child skip school to hunt?
12-15-2010, 12:21 PM
#41
Guest
Posts: n/a
Thank you all for your responses. Reading through them, it's amazing to me how the diversity of responses pretty much replicates the war that is going on in my own mind.
One thing that came to mind since I posed the question, is the fact that missing a day of school may impact his grades that are on the margin, however, it would probably have little or no impact on his ACT or SAT scores for college admission. So I suppose the bigger issue is, would I be impacting his work ethic down the road. Sure one day is no big deal, but one day can lead to two, and for all I know, he may then take a week off from college to go elk hunting out west without us even knowing it. Conversely, he may relish that one day and take no more than that down the road. Who knows the future?
One thing I will say, my son is a hard worker. Like many boys, he needs a little nudge on the homework front once in a while, but once he's kick-started, he stays with it. Also, he has caddied four days a week at the nearby country club since the age of 13 and willingly gets up at 5:30am so that he can be one of the first ones on the list. But still ... there's this lingering fear in my mind that I'm starting a new precedent that may negatively impact him for years to come. Sure it's only one day, but like the old pulpit preachers say, one drink most surely leads to two.
One thing that came to mind since I posed the question, is the fact that missing a day of school may impact his grades that are on the margin, however, it would probably have little or no impact on his ACT or SAT scores for college admission. So I suppose the bigger issue is, would I be impacting his work ethic down the road. Sure one day is no big deal, but one day can lead to two, and for all I know, he may then take a week off from college to go elk hunting out west without us even knowing it. Conversely, he may relish that one day and take no more than that down the road. Who knows the future?
One thing I will say, my son is a hard worker. Like many boys, he needs a little nudge on the homework front once in a while, but once he's kick-started, he stays with it. Also, he has caddied four days a week at the nearby country club since the age of 13 and willingly gets up at 5:30am so that he can be one of the first ones on the list. But still ... there's this lingering fear in my mind that I'm starting a new precedent that may negatively impact him for years to come. Sure it's only one day, but like the old pulpit preachers say, one drink most surely leads to two.
I know for me, it would be about impossible for me to miss a week of school when I was in high school. I was taking precalc, and classes that was cumulitive. It would be very tough for me to get back on track by myself. But your son may not be in that spot.
And its only one day. Not a week.
12-15-2010, 12:32 PM
#42
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: OKC Ok. USA
Posts: 501
In Pennsylvania in my neck of the woods opening day of deer season was a schedualed school day off on the school calendar.
Growing up in N.J. families that had hunters and kids that hunted most went on how the school grades as longs as it didn't interfere with any other activities. It's up to the Parents to make the call taking off opening day and any other days for hunting ,but no matter the situation school work must not suffer in any way.
Growing up in N.J. families that had hunters and kids that hunted most went on how the school grades as longs as it didn't interfere with any other activities. It's up to the Parents to make the call taking off opening day and any other days for hunting ,but no matter the situation school work must not suffer in any way.
12-15-2010, 01:14 PM
#43
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Posts: 1,401
I read an interesting article one time about kids learning abilities and different techniques that were used.
One set of kids went on summer vacation, but their parents kept them involved in activites all summer long. Going to the museum, traveling to different states, countries, all kinds of activities.
One set of kids went on summer vacation, but their parents didn't keep them involved in any organized activities, they sat home and watched TV, played video games, etc.
Another set of kids stayed in school all summer.
The first set of kids performed better on standardized tests at the end of the calendar year than the kids that stayed in school all year.
You can only learn so much sitting behind a desk.
One set of kids went on summer vacation, but their parents kept them involved in activites all summer long. Going to the museum, traveling to different states, countries, all kinds of activities.
One set of kids went on summer vacation, but their parents didn't keep them involved in any organized activities, they sat home and watched TV, played video games, etc.
Another set of kids stayed in school all summer.
The first set of kids performed better on standardized tests at the end of the calendar year than the kids that stayed in school all year.
You can only learn so much sitting behind a desk.
12-15-2010, 01:47 PM
#46
Guest
Posts: n/a
I read an interesting article one time about kids learning abilities and different techniques that were used.
One set of kids went on summer vacation, but their parents kept them involved in activites all summer long. Going to the museum, traveling to different states, countries, all kinds of activities.
One set of kids went on summer vacation, but their parents didn't keep them involved in any organized activities, they sat home and watched TV, played video games, etc.
Another set of kids stayed in school all summer.
The first set of kids performed better on standardized tests at the end of the calendar year than the kids that stayed in school all year.
You can only learn so much sitting behind a desk.
One set of kids went on summer vacation, but their parents kept them involved in activites all summer long. Going to the museum, traveling to different states, countries, all kinds of activities.
One set of kids went on summer vacation, but their parents didn't keep them involved in any organized activities, they sat home and watched TV, played video games, etc.
Another set of kids stayed in school all summer.
The first set of kids performed better on standardized tests at the end of the calendar year than the kids that stayed in school all year.
You can only learn so much sitting behind a desk.
I know I sure don't buy it. I work with some of the smartest people in the world. So smart, many lack your normal common sense. All Ph. D's. They keep thier kids in school almost constantly. They spend 20K/kid/year for the best schools in the MD/DC area. And you know after working with these folks for 15 years, I have watched many of thier children grow up. You know what I have saw? Almost all recieve full scholarships to top schools.
Now, a few reasons they generally come out on top.
1.) Just good stock? I don't buy this. They all are russian, Chinese, or Indian. I never for once thought it was because their race. I am a good ole boy from Ky and compete with them.
2.) Just good enviroment. Thier parents ended up top of the top in thier home country with resources twice as less as kids have today. I can't buy the idea that it was enviroment.
3.) American kids are just plain dumb. I sure don't buy this. Americans have been innovators long before these counties like China, and India ever thought about it.
4.) Top notch education and attention putting it first and foremost. I have to think this had something to do with it.
I am not sure where you got your article, but it sure doesn't jive with how America ranks with the rest of the world in math and reading.
12-15-2010, 02:06 PM
#47
Spike
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 83
Big! So much more to life than sitting behind a desk. I really don't know who your working with but if I were to guess, I'm sure those kids are completely deprived of so many great opportunities. That's great that they someday may have a full scholarship and eventually get a PhD, but I would rather grasp life knowledge and that you can't learn in school. Don't get me wrong, school is extremely important and having a degree myself makes me push advanced education even more. But to think that education is THAT important is ludicrous. If the student is doing well in class, I see absolutely no reason why he can't skip school.
12-15-2010, 02:13 PM
#48
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Pulaskiville
Posts: 3,533
In WV many schools take the entire week of gun season off. Granted, it's Thanksgiving week...but they know what attendance will be like if they have school.
I'm a H.S. teacher and I think it's fine to take your kids out of school to go hunting. They'll be able to make up what they miss. Nobody's ever been on their death bed and said...."I should have spent more time at school or work"
I'm a H.S. teacher and I think it's fine to take your kids out of school to go hunting. They'll be able to make up what they miss. Nobody's ever been on their death bed and said...."I should have spent more time at school or work"
12-15-2010, 02:39 PM
#50
Fork Horn
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 240
My parents always let me take time off school to go deer hunting. I have very very fond memories. Unforunatly my dad passed away when I was only 21 yrs old. But we spent alot of time together fishing and hunting and I am so glad we did. Sad thing is that the firearm season here in Michigan is nowhere what it was 40 yrs ago. The compound bow brought alot of changes. One being the amount of time hunters take off. It used to be most would take a week or 5 days now maybe 2-3 days. People use vacation time to bow hunt more.