Leaving School Early for Vacation
By Brianna Rundell
Vacations are always fun, especially when they come at the end of a school semester. Sometimes, people get a bit too excited for a trip to somewhere they have never been. They end up booking a hotel, an Airbnb, or even a cruise, but forget one little thing. School is not out yet.
Leaving school early might sound like a dream, and that “it’ll be easy.” I was wrong about that. Those few days you miss can have a considerable impact. Teachers are assigning end-of-year schoolwork, semester tests, and presentations. Missing that time can be stressful. Most teachers will have you make up the work before you leave, plus all the work you're already doing in class. Even if teachers provide the work ahead of time, completing it outside of class can lead to confusion, lower grades, and late work.
There is also the responsibility of holding yourself accountable. School calendars are usually made at the beginning of the school year. Leaving early sends the message that vacation comes first and school second. If you're a senior like me and graduating early, there is a bigger time crunch to get things done. The risk of coming back next semester is not particularly fun to deal with. Believe me, no one wants to come back another semester if they do not have to.
Honestly, vacations do not disappear if you wait. The beach will still be there on Saturday. Flights and cruises still run after school gets out. Missing class and the unnecessary stress created just to leave a week early do not save time. If anything, it costs more in the long run.
So, is leaving school early for vacation really worth it? When you look past the excitement and think about reality, the answer is simple: probably not. The trip will still be waiting, but the essential school days will not happen twice.
