OT-Do teachers get vacation?

[Tallent]

1

 

[Tallent]

Well, I know it may be frowned upon but I consider myself a mother first and then a teacher (yes, yes, wife is in there somewhere too!). My husband does not do well in the heat at all so we avoid summers in fl or any other 'hot' area as well. This coming year I WILL be taking 3 days off from my Kindergarten class to go to WDW with dh and dd5 and ds2. I'll be taking off Wed-Fri in December. It is not any of my parents' business how I spend my days so long as their childrens instruction is not impacted. I know many teachers who have taken a week off to take a cruise, or go to WDW or elsewhere during school time. And what about those who choose to get married during a season besides summer? No honeymoon for them? <though I do know some who have postponed it until a break> It's your time to use as you wish--at least that's how I look at it.

Rachel

 

[DawnM]

I have never worked in a traditional calendar school but may very soon. I much prefer year round to allow for breaks when everyone else is off. In fact, I think it would be better all the way around if the whole school system nationwide would go to something other than the traditional school year (which was designed so that kids could work the fields for harvest.)

Anyway, I digress.....

I had 10 sick days a year. We *could* take 5 personal days but it was easier to take a sick day because of the paperwork involved in taking personal days (our secretaries would always mark it as sick.) We were not allowed to take 5 days in a row though, without a doctor's signed note. Not all principals required it, but it was written in our contract that way.

So, I would take a few days when I had out of town company or if I wanted a long weekend. It isn't just physical health that our teachers need!

Dawn

 

[George69]

In reply to the "Are you kidding? June, July August" post: I teach and I highly disagree that we have "June, July, and August". If I sit and add up the time I spend: grading papers instead of eating lunch, calling parents instead of going home, attending meetings that run overtime, coming in early by an hour a day at least, thinking about how to change/add to plans during my dinner, waiting for parents to come to pick up children who were to be picked up an hour ago, attending dances as a chaperone, staying late on field trip days, doing extracurricular activities, attending classes to obtain two plus Master's degree's, etc., etc., etc., I would say that I, and most other teachers, probably have a week free to ourselves as real time off in the summer, if that, when all is said and done...after all of our hours are added up. My husband always tells people who think we have paid summers off, "If that is the case, why didn't you become a teacher?" The grass always seems to be greener coming from those who haven't walked in our shoes. Sorry, but PLEASE do not refer to teacher's having summer's off....we make up for this "free summer time" ten fold.

 

[mjantz]

I have never worked in a traditional calendar school but may very soon. I much prefer year round to allow for breaks when everyone else is off. In fact, I think it would be better all the way around if the whole school system nationwide would go to something other than the traditional school year (which was designed so that kids could work the fields for harvest.)

Anyway, I digress.....

I have to digress too. I'd love to have year-round school. If I was in charge, we'd start in August, get out from the Monday before Thanksgiving through the first week of January, month of April off & Month of July. However, no one has asked me so we're still doing the same old thing.

 

[ilovepooh]

I would love to be able to put in for a vacation whenever there was a great deal, but I have to stick to Easter, Christmas, Summer, and Jersey week (November). I do get personal/sick days, but I save them for an actual sickness, doctor appointments, and for when DS is sick, etc.

Heck, I have to plan when I can go to the bathroom, because I can't just get up and walk out of the room.

 

[nessz79]

Well, I know it may be frowned upon but I consider myself a mother first and then a teacher (yes, yes, wife is in there somewhere too!). My husband does not do well in the heat at all so we avoid summers in fl or any other 'hot' area as well. This coming year I WILL be taking 3 days off from my Kindergarten class to go to WDW with dh and dd5 and ds2. I'll be taking off Wed-Fri in December. It is not any of my parents' business how I spend my days so long as their childrens instruction is not impacted. I know many teachers who have taken a week off to take a cruise, or go to WDW or elsewhere during school time. And what about those who choose to get married during a season besides summer? No honeymoon for them? <though I do know some who have postponed it until a break> It's your time to use as you wish--at least that's how I look at it.

Rachel

I totally agree. I'm a teacher, yes, and my students would say a good teacher that genuinely cares about them and their learning. However, I am a mother first and once in a while I have to take care of that family. It's not always physical care and nourishment, as another poster put it. If you have to take a long weekend once in a while (rarely do I do it, but once in a year isn't that bad!), then who can really complain??

 

[jpeka65844]

I haven't read the whole thread but I'm a teacher too. Before I had DS, I would've been appalled at the idea of taking personal days or a vacation in the middle of the school year (i.e. NOT on school breaks)

Now that I'm a mom, it makes me a little angry how my district makes you feel like a criminal for trying to find a few days off within the school year. We get 10 days sick leave and 2 personal days. BUT we have a laundry list of restrictions re: the personal days and if we don't follow them we are 1) docked pay or 2) docked DOUBLE for personal days.

And for those who say "Yeah, they get T'giving, Xmas, summer, etc..." but many teachers I know have 2nd jobs! (me included!) So my school breaks are times when I put in 40 hrs schlepping lotion to shoppers or working a summer camp!

Go look at the "empty parks" thread on Theme Parks board; that'll really get the teachers salivating for an off-season trip!




Denice T.
Olathe, KS