Let your child skip school to hunt?
12-15-2010, 05:53 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 53
Let your child skip school to hunt?
Do you, or would you, let your child skip a day of school to go deer hunting?
My teenage boy wants to go but do to travel time requirements, I would have to let him skip school for one day during the first firearms season and one or two days during the second season. He gets decent grades, having a 3.5 GPA for the first year and a half of high school but several of his A's have been the just barely type and my wife and I are concerned that taking time off would have a negative impact. I should also note that he is on the block schedule where everything is compressed into half the time. This means that every day missed is the equivalent of two days missed for the subjects he is taking at that time.
In addition to the grade thing, I don't want to send the message that he should knock off school (or in later years, work) if there is something that he would rather be doing - even though hunting is a great life experience.
So what would you all do? I appreciate your thoughts on the matter.
My teenage boy wants to go but do to travel time requirements, I would have to let him skip school for one day during the first firearms season and one or two days during the second season. He gets decent grades, having a 3.5 GPA for the first year and a half of high school but several of his A's have been the just barely type and my wife and I are concerned that taking time off would have a negative impact. I should also note that he is on the block schedule where everything is compressed into half the time. This means that every day missed is the equivalent of two days missed for the subjects he is taking at that time.
In addition to the grade thing, I don't want to send the message that he should knock off school (or in later years, work) if there is something that he would rather be doing - even though hunting is a great life experience.
So what would you all do? I appreciate your thoughts on the matter.
12-15-2010, 06:14 AM
#2
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: South Alabama or LA
Posts: 98
Do you, or would you, let your child skip a day of school to go deer hunting?
My teenage boy wants to go but do to travel time requirements, I would have to let him skip school for one day during the first firearms season and one or two days during the second season. He gets decent grades, having a 3.5 GPA for the first year and a half of high school but several of his A's have been the just barely type and my wife and I are concerned that taking time off would have a negative impact. I should also note that he is on the block schedule where everything is compressed into half the time. This means that every day missed is the equivalent of two days missed for the subjects he is taking at that time.
In addition to the grade thing, I don't want to send the message that he should knock off school (or in later years, work) if there is something that he would rather be doing - even though hunting is a great life experience.
So what would you all do? I appreciate your thoughts on the matter.
My teenage boy wants to go but do to travel time requirements, I would have to let him skip school for one day during the first firearms season and one or two days during the second season. He gets decent grades, having a 3.5 GPA for the first year and a half of high school but several of his A's have been the just barely type and my wife and I are concerned that taking time off would have a negative impact. I should also note that he is on the block schedule where everything is compressed into half the time. This means that every day missed is the equivalent of two days missed for the subjects he is taking at that time.
In addition to the grade thing, I don't want to send the message that he should knock off school (or in later years, work) if there is something that he would rather be doing - even though hunting is a great life experience.
So what would you all do? I appreciate your thoughts on the matter.
12-15-2010, 06:15 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,473
No question, yes, I would let him take the day(s) off. If you're concerned about him getting behind, make an agreement with him that if he chooses to go, he has to read the texts he’ll be missing during travel time or down times after the hunt (cabin, whatever). For me, I’m not sure I’d even do that. I wouldn’t want to ruin the experience by mixing it with homework. Hunting is supposed to be relaxing. I’d let him enjoy his couple of days off. The kid can always work a couple extra hours a day for the next week to catch up. Just make sure that he does.
And, as far as the taking days off from school teaching him that’s it’s okay to cut out from school or work later in life (presumably when he’s on his own), I don’t think so, if you make him understand that he has a responsibility to catch up on the school he misses now. If he doesn’t catch up, then maybe that will affect things the next season when you want to take him hunting (i.e. you don't let him take off school again). There’s a balance in life and work. I think it is okay to teach him that it is fine to take time out of the daily grind to do what you love, as long as it is done in a responsible manner. I do not understand people that work so much that they have no ability to enjoy life. They might say something like, “I’m doing this now so my kids don’t have to.” Rubbish, IMO. The kid is gonna do exactly what you do and say the same thing his go-round in parenting. Life’s too short to miss life for work.
My $0.02
And, as far as the taking days off from school teaching him that’s it’s okay to cut out from school or work later in life (presumably when he’s on his own), I don’t think so, if you make him understand that he has a responsibility to catch up on the school he misses now. If he doesn’t catch up, then maybe that will affect things the next season when you want to take him hunting (i.e. you don't let him take off school again). There’s a balance in life and work. I think it is okay to teach him that it is fine to take time out of the daily grind to do what you love, as long as it is done in a responsible manner. I do not understand people that work so much that they have no ability to enjoy life. They might say something like, “I’m doing this now so my kids don’t have to.” Rubbish, IMO. The kid is gonna do exactly what you do and say the same thing his go-round in parenting. Life’s too short to miss life for work.
My $0.02
12-15-2010, 06:40 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,926
Many decades ago
I lived in a community that saw the opening day of deer hunting season on a Monday. Schools remained open, and there was a quiet understanding that more than the average number of students would be absent from school.
In our modern society, it is clear that hunting is no reason for not going to school. There is no real reason, for many, to hunt at all.
In our modern society, it is clear that hunting is no reason for not going to school. There is no real reason, for many, to hunt at all.
12-15-2010, 06:58 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,473
I lived in a community that saw the opening day of deer hunting season on a Monday. Schools remained open, and there was a quiet understanding that more than the average number of students would be absent from school.
In our modern society, it is clear that hunting is no reason for not going to school. There is no real reason, for many, to hunt at all.
In our modern society, it is clear that hunting is no reason for not going to school. There is no real reason, for many, to hunt at all.
12-15-2010, 07:24 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Posts: 1,401
As long as his grades aren't suffering I don't see a problem with it at all. I've seen folks actually use hunting trips as a carrot to get kids to bring their grades up so they could go on the trip.
