Do homeschoolers get teacher rates at Swan/ Dolphin?

[cinderella73]

I just got off the phone with a rep from the Swan &. Dolphin. I asked about whether or not homescooling parents who were teaching their kids qualified for the teachers rate discount. The girl was confused but asked her manager then came back and said as long as you have proof to show upon check in and to bring your teachers certificate etc etc..

Now I am just seeing a disaster coming here. I asked her will my approval letter from the school district be ok and she sounded confused butthen squeaked out a yes. I can imagine how checking in I might be given a hard time if the policy is not clear.

So has anyone here who homeschools ever stayed and gotten the teachers discount?

Thanks in advance!

 

[dreaminofdisneyx7]

In NC, when we register our homeschool, they give us an orange registration card that lists us as the administrator of the school. I am guessing that would work for this situation. Does your state give you anything like that?

 

[cinderella73]

Here in PA ( one of the worst places to HS) they only send us a letter stating our approval for the upcoming year. It is on official letterhead with contact info and such. I also have membership cards for HSLDA ( homeschool legal defense) . Do you think they would take this?

 

[mommyof2princesses]

How good of a discount do you get? I am in NC too and have my orange card! Hmmmm

 

[cinderella73]

I think its 159... But I am not positive .I have it written down here somewhere. I will post the specifics as soon as I hear back from them. I wrote the hotel directly so that way I could always print out a written response to have with me just in case. I will lyk for sure.

 

[emh1129]

I never thought about it, but it would only make sense that hs'ers would get the discount.
We are in CT and there is no approval or any required correspondence with the public school system. The only thing I have is a membership card showing I'm part of our homeschooling network (comes in handy for discounts at Borders, etc).
Let us know what you find out!

 

[cinderella73]

Sure thing. Hopefully I will know something by tomorrow.

Yeah those Borders / Barnes discounts come in handy the way we go through books!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I haven't actually stayed there, but I have looked into the teacher rates. As I understand it, you have to produce either a certificate that shows you have a current teaching credential or a current paycheck stub to show you are employed by a school district. Support staff, such as teaching assistants, are included as long as you are currently employed. I don't know for sure, but it would seem to me that homeschoolers would not be covered under the discount. But, I could be wrong (stranger things have happened)! Good luck!

 

[Jesussavedme]

Here in PA ( one of the worst places to HS) they only send us a letter stating our approval for the upcoming year. It is on official letterhead with contact info and such. I also have membership cards for HSLDA ( homeschool legal defense) . Do you think they would take this?

Off Topic, but just wondering why Pa is one of the worst to HS in?
I was considering a move back there and would be Hs'ing my 2 youngest, but would love to know your thoughts on Hs'ing in pA!

thx

 

[cinderella73]

Off Topic, but just wondering why Pa is one of the worst to HS in?
I was considering a move back there and would be Hs'ing my 2 youngest, but would love to know your thoughts on Hs'ing in pA!

thx

Well Pa is a commonwealth state to begin with , so it just seems to me like the whole state is difficult about everything and anything they possibly can be.

PA has more requirements for homeschoolers than most states. For instance after you submit your childs portfolio for evaluation by a certified teacher then you have to submit the teachers evaluation report AND your child's portfolio for approval by the school district. If you ask me its a conflict of interest . But while some districts here are decent you always have the school districts that will test on your knowledge of the law and try to intimidate you or ask for more than is required by law. This seems to be the case happening to parent's especially in PA .( IMO)

My school disctrict is so helpful ( sarcasm) and will send us all a form that we can bring to our evaluator. It has all kinds of personal questions on it asking about socialization . Which is not required by law and invasion of privacy. Another woman I know was told that she had to put pictures of her kids in her portfolio to prove the kids had fieldtrip's. Which is also not true. They will try to tell you that you need to list a child's grade level but according to the law you need only list the childs age. Basically the more you give them the more they expect and it gets worse.

Now that I vented ( sorry for that) I want to say that homeschooling is so worth it. Even in PA where rules are tougher than most states. Its really rewarding and as long as you know the law . Its easy to get intimidated by school districts but I find that joining a good homeschoolers group help's you feel more powerful and in the know. I joined HSLDA and the minute I get a hassle from my school district asking me for something they have no right to I just call them up. Its worth the 11 a month!

Here are some great links that explain the basics and even show the state laws.

This site is the best! http://home.comcast.net/~askpauline/index.html

http://www.youcanhomeschool.org/starthere/default.asp?bhcp=1

state laws http://www.youcanhomeschool.org/starthere/info.asp
and www.hslda.com

 

[mommyof2princesses]

WOW! PA is strict for homeschoolers! There are very few requirements in NC.
Submit proof of hs dipoloma or colege diploma or teaching certificate. Test once a year and keep attendance. That is all. No rules on how many days to school, what kids need to get on the tests, what to teach. I do use hs graduation requirements and college requirements as an outline for what my dd needs to learn.

I do have a teaching certificate. I taught ps for year before I decided to homeschool.

 

[I_Know_You2!]

Yes, you can use the discount. We used it 2 years ago. Get the name of the manager who confirmed it for you, though, JIC.

 

[allison443]

Maybe you could send an email and try to get something in writing that they will give you the rate...just so you feel better when checking into the hotel.
Have a great trip!