Teacher taking Vacation to Disney during school year?

[cinabug]

I'm a teacher. We only get three paid personal days a year, and we're asked not to use them around holidays or all together. That being said, the district might let me use them all together if I planned in advance at a reasonable time of year. We went on vacation to Vietnam at Christmas once, and the district let me attach two of my personal days to Christmas break. They almost certainly wouldn't let me do it at the end of the year.

If I really felt like taking a week was the best thing for my family, I still might do it using unpaid leave. I'm guessing that the school district might let me do that if it was a one time thing. Most of my long maternity leave with my second son was unpaid leave. Unpaid vacation leave would be even more of a loss though, since the family leave act would not kick in and the district would not be paying even my medical benefits during the days off.

Bottom line: I'd have to feel like it was really important to be gone during the school year before I would go through the hassle. It's always harder to be gone from teaching, with lesson plans and catch up, than to just be there. I wouldn't, however, feel guilty about an absence of up to a week. That's similar to bad flu, and I don't often miss days for illness. Just like a kid who misses a week, I would need to be prepared to live with the consequences of the absence. For kids, they might have a lower grade. For me, I might lose some pay.

 

[imthatgirl]

Would you be willing to pull a kid out for a week to go? I think kids and parents should have the same level of commitment they ask thier teachers to maintain.

edited

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

I am not overly surprised anymore when I see the posts about kids being taken out of school for vacations. But I was shocked when I realized that teachers were doing it as well.

I am an Education Administrator but I started out as a teacher. It was expected that most "vacations" happen during your school breaks (in Texas we work on average 187 days) which leaves about 73 non weekend days off a year split differntly by each district. Most places will have time off during the winter, spring and summer. Each teacher gets 5 State days for "personal buisness" and most districts kick in a few "sick" days. The assumption I have always worked under or been told is our days were for illness, emergencies, funeral, closing on a house or other financial buisness, an ocassional mental health day but not vacationing.

So would it bother you if your child's teacher took a vacation during the year and left your child the rest of the class with a sub (in our state they can have little or no training in education and often times only a few college hours )?

I personally would be appalled and probably complain to the Supt. about it. (unless it was for a family wedding, which I would forgive since I do not expect everyone to be considerate of the school year and I do not think teachers should have to miss out on major family events).

So my question is for parents: how would you feel if your child's teacher took off 3-5 or more days to go on vacation (doesn't matter if it is Disney) during the school year?

My daughter is in first grade, and it would not bother me at all. I would much rather have a happy, well-adjusted teacher, who puts family first (as family should be put first). In my book, a teacher who would take time away from school for family is a better teacher than one who would not.

 

[twins4disney]

Teachers are expected to do more and more each year. They typically have high numbers of students and are still expected to perform at an outstanding level each day. I would have no problem with my kids teachers taken some much needed rest time during the school year. Like others have said, a well rested teacher is a happy teacher.

 

[princessmom29]

edited

I am not sure i understand what you are saying? Edit my post, or you decided to edit yours?

 

[princessmom29]

I'm a teacher. We only get three paid personal days a year, and we're asked not to use them around holidays or all together. That being said, the district might let me use them all together if I planned in advance at a reasonable time of year. We went on vacation to Vietnam at Christmas once, and the district let me attach two of my personal days to Christmas break. They almost certainly wouldn't let me do it at the end of the year.

If I really felt like taking a week was the best thing for my family, I still might do it using unpaid leave. I'm guessing that the school district might let me do that if it was a one time thing. Most of my long maternity leave with my second son was unpaid leave. Unpaid vacation leave would be even more of a loss though, since the family leave act would not kick in and the district would not be paying even my medical benefits during the days off.

Bottom line: I'd have to feel like it was really important to be gone during the school year before I would go through the hassle. It's always harder to be gone from teaching, with lesson plans and catch up, than to just be there. I wouldn't, however, feel guilty about an absence of up to a week. That's similar to bad flu, and I don't often miss days for illness. Just like a kid who misses a week, I would need to be prepared to live with the consequences of the absence. For kids, they might have a lower grade. For me, I might lose some pay.

This is how I feel about it. We get 3 personal days, but there is no restriction on when they can be taken or for what reason. I have taken them for a trip once, when DD's school was out for a whole week and we had school. It is MUCH more wrok for me to be out, and I worry that my kids are not getting everything they need while I am gone. I prefer to work within school breaks.

 

[sillylily]

My youngest DD's teacher HAS done this! They are allowed a certain amount of vacation days, and the teachers in our area are doing mandatory fulough days due to budget cuts. Teachers are human beings, dedicated to something that, the majority of the time, is a largely thankless job. I'm taking my kids out for a week in September-they are entitled to the same.

 

[hsembrick]

Edited: I was being really rude and probably shouldn't have posted that in the first place. SORRY!

I would not have any problem with my kids teacher taking a week off during the school year to do whatever they see fit with their time.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

When I taught, there was a teacher in the grade level ahead of me who took a week off every year. There was a group of them who went on a vacation in the winter together every year.

This teacher was so good that parents all wanted to request her. I was always asked "How can I get in so and so's class?" One week off did not bother these parents. She gave 110% the rest of the year.

None of my kids' teachers have done this, but it wouldn't bother me if they left good plans. Hopefully, they would get parents in there volunteering to keep things running smoothly.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I am a teacher and there is no way this would fly where I work. In fact, I am not even allowed to take a personal day next to a holiday or long weekend. (In other words, no such thing as flying home the Monday after vacation to save hundreds of dollars or turning a three day weekend into a four day one.) If I were to take a vacation during the year, I would be fired! Exceptions can be made with the express permission of the superintendent. For example, a colleague was allowed to take two of her days before April vaca. to attend her sister's wedding. It stinks because it makes it extremely difficult for us to afford a trip as airfare alone for our family is generally over $2000 on a vacation week. Also, for many years, DH was not able to get the same weeks as me off because he did not have seniority. So, I took a lot of trips to visit relatives without him.

I am honestly surprised at all the people who say it would be OK. Not saying it's right or wrong, just that it's so NOT the norm around here that if it weren't for the DIS, I wouldn't even think that teachers elsewhere were able to do this.

I will say, there is lots to be learned on the DIS. In this area, kids are allowed to take vacations during the year, but it's a big no-no for teachers. OTOH, I see posts where people are taken to court because their kids missed a week of school. I'm always amazed at the inconsistencies across our country.

 

[KBoopaloo]

I was just going to post something similar to the post above.

My cousin and his wife are both teachers and they just came with us on a big extended family vacation to WDW over April vacation. There were 15 of us total, 11 of us flew to Orlando Thursday night but my cousin, his wife and his kids could not fly down until Saturday. There was no way they would be allowed to take a day off before a vacation week. It wasn't even something they could entertain as an option. I guess the norm really depends on the district where you live.

 

[daisyduck123]

I am an elementary teacher.

I've pulled DD16, DS13, & myself out every year for the past 7 years. I don't see that it is anybody else's business what I do with my leave. I'm glad to see that so many people posting here don't have a problem with it.

My school's reading teacher is leaving next week for 8 days in WDW...I'm so JEALOUS!!!

 

[mkwj]

I don't have a problem at all with it. I used to be a teacher before I had children. I actually planned my wedding for late September. My husband and I both wanted a fall wedding. Just because I was a teacher I didn't feel like I had to have a summer wedding (or spring break, or Christmas). My principal was totally supportive and understood. At my school we used to call sick days mental health days. lol........ Teachers need breaks if they can get them. They work their butts off

 

[Snow Shoe]

mbuh you and I are old school. I'm going to get on my soapbox now. I started teaching in 1974 in Dallas ISD, and my wife in 1972 at Terrell ISD. Both of us would have never given the thought of taking a vacation during the school year, that's what summer time was for!

However now days it's a very different story. You as an administrator in a Texas school know very well the pressures that the teaching staff are under in the state with TAKS and any new student testings that come along by whatever name they want to call it. Texas education is going to take some very serious funding hits in the billions of dollars, and teacher RIFS. Teachers now are being called upon to do more with so much less, and larger classroom sizes. Teacher burnout has been a big problem for years.

So here it is, experience has taught me this. The teachers that are going to be left behind in the classroom should have the right to "take a vacation whenever they want!!!!!" Be it during the school term or summer time. They have enough stress on them, and so deserve this from their school districts. Teachers are people to, you know. Happy teachers are so much better for student achievement.

I'll step off of my soapbox now.

 

[mb_uh]

I guess I am old school. But I am not old I am only 32.

I just believe that this is a huge sign of what is wrong with my generation. We seem to be so impulsive. In my state teachers are on contracts they sign a commitment to work 187 days (leave time is for illness, emergencies).

There is a huge difference between being sick and a planned vacation.

Teachers USED to a highly respected field because they put CHILDREN first or at least as a high priority. Now teachers feel that the communities disrespect them and show little value to them- well honestly I think that if you believe that you child is perfectly okay with a sub making minimum wage while your kid's real teacher is on vacation it is a huge disrespect and is a reason why we no longer hold teachers in high esteem.

I just think that if you don't plan on working from late August until June then you probably not sign a contract saying you will.

 

[okeydokey]

I think a teacher should be able to take vacation when they need or want to.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

I have no problem with it... I think ALL teachers should get 1 to 2 weeks vacation DURING the school year. Teachers should be able to take a planned vacation... and there should be OTHER qualified teachers (not substitutes) who can teach.

Most businesses are staffed to cover for when people take vacations. But not schools. Instead, teachers are strongly discouraged from taking any leave and your replacement is just a substitute - baby sitter who most likely is not qualified to teach.

And this could be a win-win for the schools. Teacher morale is boosted by being able to take a vacation during the school year.... a badly needed break. The school can have guest teachers (qualified teachers) teach on special subjects to broaden the curriculum. Students benefit by learning from different people. Everyone coaches/teaches differently... and students learn more by being exposed to different teachers.

I think it is a GREAT idea to not have students stuck with the same teacher all year. Why not rotate teachers at times to broaden the experience?

People will think... but teachers have off all summer! Really? The school year ends mid-June (maybe later). Teachers return mid-August or earlier for training and to set up classrooms and other administrative duties.. So that's only 8 weeks. During those 8 weeks, teachers have to take summer college classes to maintain teacher certification and/or design lesson plans for the next year and/or work another job to pay bills because the regular teacher pay is low.

If a teacher gets any vacation during the summer, it's probably no more than 1 or 2 weeks. I get 6 weeks vacation a year in my current job.... that's why I don't teach anymore.

As a former middle school teacher.... I was expected to work every day of the school year... and work all evening and weekends at home (to do lesson planning) because there was NO time to do lesson planning at school. The little free time I was given was used to make phone calls to parents, or use school resources (copiers, printers, etc.) or I was required to babysit kids at lunch time. I don't remember ever getting a "lunch break".

I rarely ever called out sick because that just meant I had to make up more sick lesson plans (had to have a weeks worth on file).

 

[redandblue]

Taking 2 days around a weekend is one thing taking a week long vacation is another. I don't mind a long weekend but yes I would have a problem if the teacher took a week out of school for a vacation.

 

[LisaNJ25]

nope.. no problem with it at all.

Should teachers have to plan their weddings only during a school break to be able to enjoy a honyemoon?

 

[princessmom29]

Taking 2 days around a weekend is one thing taking a week long vacation is another. I don't mind a long weekend but yes I would have a problem if the teacher took a week out of school for a vacation.

Would you have a problem pulling your kids for a week?