With exactly one month to our big trip, I though it would be appropriate to have a travel quote:

“The world is a book…those who do not travel read only one page”.

I also thought it was specifically appropriate as Gabe went and saw his school VP today with a letter from us and a copy of the itinerary as proof (as requested by the Principal) to discuss missing some school.

I get how important school is, and I get how missing school really causes a student to fall behind, but this VP read Gabe the riot act I tell you. About how irresponsible his parents are to pull him out of school (well that was the gist).

My response: “Whatever”.

Sorry, I mean, I GET all the reasons we should NOT pull our kids out of school for one week (we are taking an extra week before our March break to make the trip longer), but I’m wondering do they get all the reasons we SHOULD pull them out?

Do they understand what benefits exposure to travel has on a young mind? How it broadens their perspectives and provides an education in itself? An education and a passion that can burn on for YEARS?

Do they get the kind of quality time you get with your family when you travel? The bonding that occurs and the memories that are created are LIFE LASTING?

Do they understand how important the uninterrupted time is for a BLENDED family?? For two whole weeks we don’t have to go back and forth, negotiate, deal with stupidities and petty issues. We get to cocoon together and just be our family uninterrupted.

Of course we know our kids will fall behind and need to catch up. And of course we understand that teachers are in no way obligated to help the kids out who miss school for reasons like this. But we know our kids will make the work up, and we will help them catch up.

(And actually, sorry, I don’t get why teachers won’t help out. I know they say, “Imagine if all our students do this. Imagine all the extra work that would create”. But not all the students do do this. And I don’t see how hard it is to tell a kid: read this chapter, learn these concepts and have this completed by this date).

But we know good teachers, who actually care about a child’s whole development will be willing to help us out. Especially the ones who use their summers off to travel….:)

Yes there is something about travel that falls in the highest level of education in my mind, and I’m thrilled to be able to educate my family in that way.