Any teachers going to WDW during the school year?

[Mlopez]

just ask your students,they will be more than happy to see you gone for a week.

 

[mellyf]

I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable taking off during the year anymore, especially with the new common core standards, etc, but I do think there is a double standard going on. There are many parents (in other threads, not saying here) that think nothing of taking their kids out, especially in elementary school (I'm a 5th grade teacher) because it's "easy" for them to make it up. Teachers put a lot of work into their daily lessons. Just because I can hand you a packet of work for your child to do while s/he is gone on vacation, have him/her keep a journal, etc, doesn't mean that's what we're doing in class. We have one textbook in our curriculum...our
social studies book. Science is mostly hands-on, our math curriculum is very much day by day as we move through the new common core standards. Not that my plans are day by day, but this is completely new curriculum, so we may move through something quickly, or it may take three days or more to learn a new concept.

I'm very conscious of the fact that having a sub is not the same as me being in the classroom. If I have to be gone (twice this year....once (one day) w/ my friend in October because I was signed up for the ToT 10-miler and once (one day) because my son's wedding was the next day - 2 hours away), my plans take an extremely long time to write...especially if I don't know who my sub is. I work in a small enough district that I can ask if a particular sub is available. Some of our subs are retired teachers and they are excellent. Of course that doesn't count the full days and half days that the district gets subs for us when we have grade level meetings, curriculum meetings, leadership meetings etc, during school. Ugh...I'd MUCH rather be w/ my students than sitting in a meeting.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, while I don't think I could ever take 4-5 days off again for a vacation...things are so different now than they were 18 years ago when my husband and I went to WDW for our 15th anniversary...AND I worry about my students way too much while I'm gone, it just seems like many parents disregard what we're doing in school because their kids need family time, but that same consideration isn't given to teachers. I chose my job. I absolutely love my job. But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice every few years or so, to take a vacation to Disney (or Universal ) at a time when prices and crowds aren't thru the roof.

 

[goaliedude]

My wife is a teacher and she is able to take 5 days unquestioned but they are unpaid.

It was worth it to us not to vacation on spring break but wait till April to take her week off.

By the time we would have battled the huge crowds, paid more for flights, car, hotel it actually was the same financially without the crowds to go in April.

I know my wife didn't feel guilty as she works hard during the year and bargained for these 5 days the last round of union negotiations.

If you have them use them! But make sure you use them strategically if they are unpaid!

 

[anjalee6]

My husband and I are both teachers. We have been in the fall during the school year four times. We love the fall. We have been lucky to pick long weekend where we have only ever used one personal day. We are allowed to back them up to holidays with prior permission. We just need to ask well in advance.

 

[DisneyMama21]

We went this past May and I teach third grade. We are fortunate enough to be able to accumulate/carry over five personal days. I am fortunate to have a principal who encourages family time and quite frankly the superintendent has no idea who is there or not, at least at the elementary level.

Pretty much the same situation for me...seeing as my principal is my husband!! Our superintendent is pretty good about personal day usage as well. We are going to WDW (just the 2 of us!) after Thanksgiving this year and using all 5 of our personal days...but seeings as my DH NEVER uses sick or personal days (he only took 1 paternity leave day when we had each of our kids) it would be hard for the superintendent to argue about him finally using some!

 

[Sadie22]

Nope, our superintendent is a huge jerk. They question everything, even the use of consecutive personal days. She called my friend (who had to leave the state and travel to FL to make end-of-life decisions for her father) after she had been out 3 consecutive days, wanting to know when she would return. She also wanted to let her know that if she was going to be out a 4th day (which she was) that she had to fill out FMLA paperwork and fax it back to Ohio, get a doctor's signature, etc. So yeeeaaaah.....we're leaving for Disney the day after school gets out (June 4).

Sometimes there's another way to view matters like this. I don't see where the superintendent making sure the friend gets paid for the days off during the stressful time is being a jerk. The friend might have had real problems if her pay was short four days. The boss may not be able to override systems to authorize pay when proper paperwork is not received, and the doctor was in Florida, so that was the time to get the FMLA paperwork done. I had to use a lot of FMLA time myself, and the paperwork was supposed to be completed before any time was taken, so the friend was getting some help here.

I support teachers taking time off when needed so they don't get burned out and leave the profession. We need more dedicated and experienced teachers, and Disney World is a great relaxing and recharging experience -- even if a vacation there requires so much planning and coordination that it's like work!

 

[Crl1817]

As far as the thought that some students miss for vacation, well, I'm sure some do. Even here with the strict truancy rules. But I think that's the exception and not the rule. If one or two kids miss a week or more for a vacation, that leaves twenty six kids who don't.