Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Grandsons Teachers won’t help him hunt - ideas

My 15 year old grandson, good kid & good student, is coming elk hunting with us 3rd season in CO. 2 years ago when he last came teachers all gave him independent studies assignments for the week he would miss. This year even the PE teacher isn’t helping. Apparently 5+ miles hiking at altitude with a pack & rifle doesn’t qualify as PE.

We are in Southern CA so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised but our little rural community used to have common sense. Do I write a letter to the principal or let him deal with the PITA teachers?

Suggestions welcome.

Does the school have a policy regarding completing work in advance before being absent? I was a HS science teacher for 33 years and our policy was as long as students communicated in advance of the absence the policy allowed them to complete work missed. A policy like this doesn't just address work that is missed, but teaches good work-related habits through communication. I would definitely have your grandson try to address the situation with teachers and then with the principal, if needed, but would then follow up if that doesn't resolve the situation. Hope he is able to get the situation resolved. Good luck on your hunt.

Fuuck 'em. A bunch of Stalin wannabes. Communication is still your best tool, with whomever is relevant and will listen, but in the current climate, personal politics are going to hold sway regardless of what you do.

He should have told them he was spending the week exercising his political freedom of speech, liberating oppressed minorities, protecting citizens from statues, and rescuing persecuted immigrants.

Home school

Hope your boy does not have to deal with too much hassle. I went to a prep school, and my Pa was a HS principal at another school at the time . There is no way I would have gotten to miss classes to go hunting! Your boy is lucky in that regard. That being said, if he can get the work done, where's the beef? In the end , they work for you, and are paid on your dime! Good luck on your hunt!

Call in sick and tell them he lost his sense of taste and smell. That should get him a week of scouting plus the hunt. The best part is he can do this over and over because supposedly there is no immunity.

That might be the easiest way...

In the long haul, a week spending time with family and grandpa is a helluva lot more important than a week of school at age 15.

When my son was in 6th grade, the first year he could legally hunt, I called his teacher saying he was going to miss a couple of days of school to go hunting with me. His teacher said, " I wish more Dad's would take the time to do stuff like this with their kids." He wasn't a hunter either, but he could see the big picture.

I learned very early not to tell anyone connected with the school district that my son was going hunting. It was always a trip to spend time with family members in another state.

Also, shouldn't this be the kind of things that his parents handle? Sometimes administrators and teachers are restricted in what they can do for anyone who's not a parent or guardian.


Okie John

Don't do or say anything to make your kid the victim of this situation. He is a tennis ball between two opposing views and right and wrong have nothing to do with it. If they are that chknshit they will act vindictively when he gets back.

When I took my son out for a week of hunting last year I just told him we were going on vacation. Once approved by the principal, he asked for and received his homework for the week.

Shouldn't be that hard, just have the parents go to the administration and tell them. Kids are taken out of school all the time for all sorts of reasons.

we just did this for my 16 YO and 1st rifle.

key is just to say it's an out of state family event and leave it at that.

several of his teachers always ask if he got his animal when he got back, but thats not how the conversation starts.

we're lucky to live in a rural school district in TX.

Echoing the comments to say he is going on a family vacation and I would emphasize to the kid to say the same in front of his teacher. Don't need to provide anymore details than that. Keep it simple, believable, and vague.

Something I was taught as a kid, you need to know your audience.

Back in the day 1972 to be exact, I when Moose hunting in Newfoundland with my Uncle George. I was so loaded down with homework that if I did nothing but 24/7 I still would not have completed 25 % of the assignments. I did what I could. I shot a decent bull. When I got back to school, I pretty much did everything right up to mid-Feb. I was in High School at the time. I learned something really important, they lied and did this on purpose to spoil a hunting trip. I never took any of those teachers' word for anything after that. My mon was just out of the hospital after a bout of cancer. She thought I really needed the break. After that, I never did any more than what I needed to do to get a passing grade, it was not hard. Every year since I graduated, in '74 they ask for a donation (private catholic school), and every year since I toss all correspondence in the trash, I don't go to reunions or any other alumni events. Take the boy elk hunting, that has more value than sitting in front of a computer as they do here in CT for school. I hope he gets a shot at a big herd bull. As for that PT, teacher tell him to go screw himself. The boy is going hunting.

I am a HS teacher in TX. If we have a student with "covid" they are told to stay away from school for 14 days on quarantine and the teachers are required to either assign work virtually or allow full make up work upon return. I'm not saying to go that route, but it would be an option for an elk hunt.

My communication would be, "See y'all when I get back."

Does the school have an absence policy? Check it, see if it's even allowed. Where my kids graduated they had an "x" days and you are held back policy. Don't recall by the "x" was pretty high.

No need to lie to the school. No need to go into details either.

Johnny won't be at school from the 10th till the 20th. We need the makeup work.

When I was in school I believe we had 18 days we could miss without getting into trouble.

I kept my grades high and went hunting.


-Jake

I was in education for 30 years most PE teachers I knew were lazy pricks.. Except one... The hunt is more important than any PE class ever given.. Get a Doc's excuse and hunt on.. We used to sign kids out for 1-2 weeks depending on the hunt... Have fun and screw them..

Something to seriously consider, last month my oldest went to the school nurse for a headache (think he just wanted out of class) and apparently really ran with it when the nurse went through the checklist of covid symptoms with him, "". 10 days vacation until we could get the 2nd negative test.

I've never had a problem getting my kids out of school for hunting trips but I also make it a point to not tell the school anything other than they're going to a "family obligation out of town".