Teachers are giving me a hard time pulling kids out of school

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I am not a teacher, as I said, but I do know what goes on in the classroom and how much time teachers put into their job (like I said...I have a sister who is a teacher and I hear it from her ALL of the time). I guess my point is this: it's kind of like beating a dead horse. You can try to explain to non-teachers until you're blue in the face...they just won't get it. Some don't want to get it. I gave up a LONG time ago trying to explain to people the pitfalls of my job. (Believe me, there are a LOT and I could post for days!) I just decided it was time to move on. Some people just don't get it and NEVER will... know matter how much you try to explain it to them! My point may have been lost in the last post...but I was only trying to convey that almost EVERY profession has duties that others just won't understand... not JUST teachers.

I agree with your points, but I think the problem lies in the fact that parents and teachers HAVE to interact, and the quality of that interaction and understanding is paramount to the child's education. i know parents who have no clue what teachers do, and I have met teachers with no clue about parenting. It would be nice if there were some mutual grace in the situation.

 

[rgf207]

1 e-mail per student WHO IS ABSENT. The 3.5 hour number was based on the total number of students, which was entirely irrelevant because there'd be no reason to e-mail assignments to the kids who were in class. Further, it was based on the premise of composing an e-mail to each student, which would be wholly unnecessary. Realistically, the teacher would have to take a few minutes to write a single summary of the course content and BCC the e-mail to each student that was absent that day. Assuming a teacher has 6 classes per day with no repeats (a worst-case scenario; here, most teachers have several sections of the same course and a planning period), that's an hour at most, assuming there are kids absent from every class, every day.

(And ironically, the original post from the calculus-based-physics teacher calculated 5 minutes spent on each e-mail times 100 students would take 3.5 hours... My math puts that at 8 1/3 hours, but what do I know? I'm just a parent who can't help my kids catch up if they miss a week of school for vacation. )

This from someone who obviously has no clue what it's like to be a teacher.

 

[Withacy]

You know, as important as being a teacher is, and as hard as it is, it doesn't give you sole claim to difficulties, long hours or stress!

If you work on salary, there is no "overtime". Lots of people have to work long hours, respond to people who are unreasonably demanding without being thanked, and try to fit their life in around other people's schedules. And obviously EVERYONE thinks that they should have the priority on your time. Teachers & school administrators think that obviously what THEY consider to be the needs of your children should be your top priority - but then, most bosses think that families are something you do in your free time, and since they're paying you THEY should be your priority.

Where I work, we work long hours & get no overtime pay. We travel a lot - almost always out of State - for weeks at a time. Our work is unique to each of us - our areas of responsibility - and when we're not here, there's no substitute to take it up and do it, and there's no "off" season when work isn't in session and we can easily take a break. If a crisis comes up, even if we're on vacation, we have to deal with it. And all that work we're not there doing just piles up while we're away, and has to be handled when we return.

My previous boss said to her employees "If I can spare you for a two week vacation, I obviously don't need you working for me in the first place".

So while bosses & their children's teachers (among others) think that THEY know what a family's priorities should be, only the family can decide that.

I don't think a parent should expect a teacher to rearrange their classroom & personal time to accommodate that one student or that one family. But I don't think a teacher or school administrator should assume that they know what a family can - or should - do internally, and that includes vacation time.

 

[rgf207]

I haven't read all of this thread...and I really wasn't going to post. But, it's just killing me not to say something! Before I get flamed by teachers... no I'm not a teacher but my sister and sister-in-law are teachers (kind of like "I slept at a holiday inn last night" so it makes me an expert today!)! Honestly, I get tired of hearing teachers (AND EVERY OTHER PROFESSIONAL!!!) gripe about the bad parts of their job: the fact that they work after class is over, when they get home in the evening, grade papers in the evening, etc. I'm assuming most people who chose teaching as a profession did so KNOWING about the pay, hours, extra hours, open houses, crazy parent requests, etc., etc. I am a nurse practitioner. When I went into nursing, I went into it KNOWING I would have to work any hour of the day, holidays, weekends, overtime, deal with CRAZY patients and parents, etc., etc. That's PART of my job. Let's just all suck it up and move on!

OP: I would take my kids out of school in a heartbeat to go to DW. After all, I am still their parent! My kids are honor students and I am a parent who would insist they did their make up work. If the truth be told, the schools are more concerned about how it effects the school system with the absences than they are whether the child does make up work. Just like everything else, it's all about the $$$$$!!!

I think the issue in a lot of cases isn't that teachers didn't know what they were getting into when they chose the job but the fact that most (not all) people think their job is cake. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say that teachers only work 7 hours a day and 180 days a year. It's hits home because most of my family either teaches or taught.

It's the constant ridicule and harassment from parents and people (on this board too) who think that they should just drop everything and cater to them regardless of the effect on the teacher.

Just reading this thread and seeing how people think it's nothing for a teacher to spend and extra 1-3 hours just to send an email to the students. This is in addition to the 8 hours of school and 3 hours of prep/grading work that needs to be done. If my wife did this, she would work 14 hours a day. Don't you think that' s a bit excessive especially because she only gets paid for 8 and never gets any overtime.

There is a huge difference between nurses, nurse practitioners and teachers. The tax payers all contribute to the teacher's salary and for some reason they think that gives them the right to dictate their every move which adds so much more stress. Teaching has it's rewards but I'm glad I didn't choose teaching. My dad did everying in his power to discourage me from teaching because he didn't want me to go through what he did. My wife is now going throug it though.

 

[rgf207]

I don't think a parent should expect a teacher to rearrange their classroom & personal time to accommodate that one student or that one family. But I don't think a teacher or school administrator should assume that they know what a family can - or should - do internally, and that includes vacation time.

Then you need to take that up with the school board not the teachers. The teachers don't make the rules, they follow them or risk losing their position. They may not agree with the rules but they have no choice but to follow them. They do not put the attendance policies into place. Attendance policies are there for a reason and most likely it's because if they weren't, there would be a lot of kids that don't show up because the parents don't care. The policies can't only apply to some, not all.

Your job has rules, they require you to be there 8 hour a day minimum or you don't keep your job. They require you to travel and they require you to suspend your vacation to fix emergencies that pop up. You follow those rules don't you? Why do you think your children should not have the same types of rules or, if they do, why do you think you should not follow them? So it's OK for your workplace to dictate what you do but when a school tries to uphold their rules and mandate children go to school, you think that should be a family decision.

The schools don't do this for themselves. They do it for your children so they get an education and become successful.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I do agree about pointing out spelling mistakes and typos is normally tacky, however, the post in point was not the odd spelling mistake and typo and given the general theme of the thread it seemed to me to be quite ironic.

I can't spell to save myself, despite never having been pulled from school for a holiday anywhere.

Will I take my children out of school maybe (my family lives in New Zealand and I in England so sometimes we might have to take an extra week). But I certainly won't be expecting any special treatment from the teachers.

(probably a lot of spelling and punctuation issues in my post.)

Kirsten

LOL, I just caught the post that poster was referring. OMG!! That was a pathetic post! I know that spelling is difficult for some, but that is why God gave us spell check!

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I would love to know some of these jobs that make it impossible to travel during those 185 non school days.

 

[Withacy]

Than you need to take that up with the school board not the teachers. The teachers don't make the rules, they follow them or risk losing their position. They may not agree with the rules but they have no choice but to follow them. They do not put the attendance policies into place. Attendance policies are there for a reason and most likely it's because if they weren't, there would be a lot of kids that don't show up because the parents don't care. The policies can't only apply to some, not all.

Your job has rules, they require you to be there 8 hour a day minimum or you don't keep your job. They require you to travel and they require you to suspend your vacation to fix emergencies that pop up. You follow those rules don't you? Why do you think your children should not have the same types of rules or, if they do, why do you think you should not follow them? So it's OK for your workplace to dictate what you do but when a school tries to uphold their rules and mandate children go to school, you think that should be a family decision.

The schools don't do this for themselves. They do it for your children so they get an education and become successful.

First of all, the bad experience we had with my DGD was a TEACHER deciding she didn't want her out, after the administrators had given permission, so that ISN'T always the case.

Secondly, my work has rules that I follow because they PAY ME to do so. Yes, my work helps a lot of people. But in the end it's for the paycheck that I follow the rules. Teachers may be providing a valuable service for my children, but MY paycheck wins over their convenience when I'm considering the best interest of my family.

If the needs of the parent's job and the needs of the child's school just don't sync up, they have 3 choices. Like my parents, they can never take a vacation with their children. They could quit their jobs and go when it's convenient for their children, but not quite so convenient for the families long term finances. Or they can go when it's convenient for their job and take the children out of school. I get that you don't like that option. That's unfortunate. But for a lot of families, that is what makes sense to them.

And for the record, a child missing a week of school to go on vacation in the 1st or 3rd or 5th grade is NOT going to make a bit of difference to whether or not they succeed in life.

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm sure you're a brilliant teacher - but really? I'm curious what you teach that's so unique and important that no parent could grasp it well enough to approximate with their child, and no child could make it through school if they miss even a few days.

I'm assuming there's some form of factual element to your teaching. A period of history, a periodic table - something. I'm sure with enough effort your student's parents could impart at least a small bit of the knowledge to their child.

Believe it or not, as important as you undoubtably are, you're not the center of your students' universe - or their families' lives. If you don't feel like putting in extra effort to recreate the wisdom you've shared with your attending class, then don't. I'm sure making do without is punishment enough.

But in the end, the choice belongs to the parents. Not you.

Wow. Just wow. I am not a teacher, it's not my job. I have plenty to do already. And I'm not giving my child's teacher even more to do in order to keep my child up to date if we decide to take her out of school, outside of school vacations. It is my dd's responsibility to get her assignments and do them in a timely fashion.

I don't think 3.5 hours is unreasonable in a year's time. You are saying as a teacher you are too lazy to send a 60 second email? What if the child was failing due to failure to submit homework? Wouldn't you send off a note to the parent? All the OP's email would have to say is we covered pages 2-4 or whatever. Did the OP say her child was in AP classes? Did OP say her child was Special ED? No one is asking for a teacher to copy & paste your lecture. Parents realize that their child is missing something valuable, but a family vacation is also valuable.
We chart several hours past our 12 hour day without pay at times. If a patient has an emergency seconds before we are due to go home should I not save that life because it is too much paperwork? If I am able to jot down something on 106 patients, then a teacher should be able to write a small summary of an assignment or lesson on a homework message board for each class. How many classes can a teacher have 8-10? At 3-5 minutes an email you could do it before the bell rings after each class.
I am glad you aren't teaching my child. I do appreciate my child's teachers for putting forth the added effort & so far providing me with enough information to keep my children from getting too far behind. (Even if we did have to learn the Civil War in 4 days.)

And again....wow. Teachers lazy because they won't take on more work in order to facilitate a family's desire to vacation? Sorry, not the teacher's job.

I'm sorry if I've been a bit snippy to the teachers here, but there is a reason I'm still a bit angry.

In January, 2008 I took my DGD to WDW for her 9th birthday. Her mother cleared it with the principal at the begining of the year, but her teacher was not happy about it. At the end of the school day, the day before we left, she gave my DGD a huge packet with several dozen exercises in it & told her (and her mother) that it had to be done by the time she got back. This was what she would be missing - and if she didn't complete it all, she would be behind.

We spent 1 to 2 hours on it every night, and barely made a dent. It was a complete mess. There were questions on readings that weren't included (and not in the text books - we brought them all with us) - and no indication what they were to. There was a cross-word puzzle that was missing all the Across questions (the second page). Pages missing from exercises (on several it was the first page - with the instructions). Some were so poorly copied, you couldn't read them. It was a big mess.

She had one day between the time we got back & school (the MLK Jr holiday). Her adult half-sister sat down with her and they worked for 12 hours to finish the assignments.

And when she went back to school the next day, her teacher told her she didn't need to collect it just then. Eventually, TWO of the assignments were given to her class - about a month or so later. The rest were never assigned (and her mother found out that most of them were years old, and the readings were from books they didn't use anymore).

Basically, her teacher decided to punish her. To teach her a lesson about how HER CLASS was too important to miss. I'm sure she thought she was totally justified. I don't happen to agree.

That is truly sad. And it's teachers like that one that give all teachers a bad reputation. Thank God most aren't mean and nasty like that. I'm truly sorry to hear that a child had to go through that. It's just wrong.

Sounds like a dreadful, robot school! Be glad that your son did not get in (unless the other schools in your district are horrible) - no input from the teacher? Can the teacher at least add current events into the daily, already planned out, don't deviate from the protocol lessson?

But here in Mass we have MCAS....and classes have to revolve around that. Drives me nuts. We had one teacher tell us that she would love to deviate from the curriculum when a student asks something out of the ordinary. But she can't...can't waste time (her words, said sarcastically) with stuff not on the MCAS tests!!! It's so wrong. It takes away any creativity on the part of the teacher.

Really folks.....I've said it before and I'll say it yet again. Everyone knows (or at least should know) what their particular school district rules are regarding unexcused absences. And each family should then make a decision as to how they want to proceed. No one, not one single person, should expect a teacher to bend the rules or to make an exception, for their child. It is not the teachers job. Not to mention that most teachers are part of a union. The unions have rules...way too many in my humble opinion...as to what can be expected of a teache. I'm sure the union will frown on a teacher taking time each day to get out an absent students work, while that child is on vacation.
Take your child out and deal with the consequences. Arguing about it on an internet discussion forum isn't going to make a bit of difference. We are not going to all agree on this issue....plain and simple.
But to denigrate teachers and parents for not being what 'we' feel they should be is just wrong. Not every family is going to have the same way of doing things.

And while I'm at it....for those of you who feel that a vacation in WDW is the best way to 'make family memories'....what happens to those poor families that can't go to WDW??? Are you trying to tell us that there are no other ways of having treasured family memories??? My God....my family never did anything like WDW, but I have terrific memories of going to the beach for a weekend or to an amusement park for the day. WDW is not the only place for family memories.

 

[RMulieri]

I would love to know some of these jobs that make it impossible to travel during those 185 non school days.

Nursing at a Teaching Medical Center while DH is a Clinical Pharmacist at a teaching Medical Center.I am a float , who is needs to complete one major ,one minor holiday PLUS immediately before and after all holidays must complete a 12 hr shift( makes going ANYWHERE to visit even family almost impossible).I am required to work every other weekend.Summers are a seniority first thing and all the Full timers and part timers get to pick their weeks first, meaning there is not much left after that.July is generally not approved since they want "all hands on deck" for the new Dr's and nurses that start July 1st.DH has more flexibility BUT he is also generally limited because he may not work holidays or weekends, but he is on call ,which means he has to be within a 50 mile distance of the hospital.He also has students, and residents to teach and precept .Generally if i am off he can't and vice versa..Our vacations ( if we have them) are Sept-Dec excluding holiday weeks.Sorry- Forgot to add .None of this is a complaint.I knew getting a job in nursing meant holidays,weekends, and crappy hours.At this point with everyone becoming unemployed, and nursing jobs scarce here( too many nursing schools in the immediate area for 2 major hospitals and people postponing retirement ), I am happy to have a job.Before we had DD, I would go to WDW when I could since DH didn't care one way or another.Now that we have our daughter ,We don't go on a family vacation every year.Some years are mini-staycations in the backyard or local sites.I would love to do a Beach vacation in the summer, but haven't been able to .

 

[dzorn]

We leave next friday and this makes our fourth trip to WDW. This is the first year the teachers at school are giving us a hard time. They implimented a new attendance policy. I thought we were going early enough in the year that it wouldn't be such a big deal- both my DH and I have jobs that it is difficult to travel any other time then the fall-

I emailed the teachers and stated that we are taking a laptop and that I would email them daily to receive assignments since most of them can not give me a prepared lesson prior to our trip. No disrespect to teachers out there but I don't understand why they can not email me daily to let me know what pages in the text book they went over and what homework they assigned. I can not even get excited about our trip because this has become such an ordeal... Anyone else experience this with their trips?

Just ask one of the kids in class if they can e-mail it. Problem solved. Sometimes you have to find solutions yourself.

I do try to keep the kids missing to a minimum so they have less work to do upon return. They will miss 3 1/2 day for our trip in Nov. but I did also mention that we have a family wedding in may they could be out another week. The wedding is in Seattle and we can manage it with DH work a trip to Alaska from there. School work is important but so are some life experiences.

There is also a big difference between taking out a elementary student and a high school student.

Denise in MI

 

[rgf207]

First of all, the bad experience we had with my DGD was a TEACHER deciding she didn't want her out, after the administrators had given permission, so that ISN'T always the case.

Secondly, my work has rules that I follow because they PAY ME to do so. Yes, my work helps a lot of people. But in the end it's for the paycheck that I follow the rules. Teachers may be providing a valuable service for my children, but MY paycheck wins over their convenience when I'm considering the best interest of my family.

If the needs of the parent's job and the needs of the child's school just don't sync up, they have 3 choices. Like my parents, they can never take a vacation with their children. They could quit their jobs and go when it's convenient for their children, but not quite so convenient for the families long term finances. Or they can go when it's convenient for their job and take the children out of school. I get that you don't like that option. That's unfortunate. But for a lot of families, that is what makes sense to them.

And for the record, a child missing a week of school to go on vacation in the 1st or 3rd or 5th grade is NOT going to make a bit of difference to whether or not they succeed in life.

You are completely missing the point. This is what I have taken from your post and I hope I'm wrong because it's a horrible outlook. I've hilighted your post with my responses so you know what I'm referring to.

1. If someone pays you to do something than you have to follow the rules. If you are not getting paid, the rules don't apply.

2. The needs of your family come before the needs of the teacher/school board or the teacher's family. Just because you want to go on vacation does not mean the teacher should take his/her personal time to send you updates or emails or prepare lessons ahead for you

3. As I've said in other posts on this thread. I don't care when you take your kids out of school but just don't expect special treatment or don't expect the teacher to bend over backwards to help you when they have other students. It's your choice what you want to do but you have to accept the consequences for your actions even though the school is not paying you.

 

[Karibeth19]

I would love to know some of these jobs that make it impossible to travel during those 185 non school days.

Here's one: My husband runs a sports bar, and cannot take a long vacation when major sporting events or holiday parties are going on. Let's start with Fall Break (Usually that weekend has BIG college football matchups, esp. OU/Texas.), Christmas Break (College bowl games, last few games of NFL regular season, plus many, many holiday parties scheduled.), President's Day weekend (Daytona 500), Spring Break (Start of college basketball's March Madness, St. Patrick's Day), Summer (Indy 500, NBA playoffs, the U.S. Open golf tournament, the PGA tournament, Wimbledon, MLB All-Star Game, Summer Bash parties, etc...). Add to that his monthly district meetings out of town, and his need to be in store to run end-of-month numbers.

Considering all that, perhaps it's not "impossible" for us to travel during non-school days, but it's pretty darned difficult.

 

[Withacy]

I would love to know some of these jobs that make it impossible to travel during those 185 non school days.

You're kidding, right?

First, let's forget this 185 day nonsense. We're talking about taking a week-long family vacation. More than half those days are weekends during the year. We're talking about 10-12 weeks in the summer, maybe 2 weeks around the holidays and another week in the spring. Some schools might have a week in the fall.

Do you think we're talking about jobs that have a blocked out 185-190 days in a year that they can't take, and that those days just happen to be school days? Maybe some jobs work that way. But the jobs a lot of us have have all sorts of obligations throughout the year, and it's a struggle to find ONE WEEK ANYTIME where we can get away. If you've got two working adults in a household, finding a single week in a year - or out of 3 years - where both can happen to get off, regardless of WHEN that week is - you grab it!

I'm sure they're sorry if that one week they can manage to both get away isn't the most convenient for their children's school - but something has to give. If you can't quit your jobs, and if you don't want to forgo EVER going on vacation with your kids, then you take them out of school.

 

[dzorn]

And while I'm at it....for those of you who feel that a vacation in WDW is the best way to 'make family memories'....what happens to those poor families that can't go to WDW??? Are you trying to tell us that there are no other ways of having treasured family memories??? My God....my family never did anything like WDW, but I have terrific memories of going to the beach for a weekend or to an amusement park for the day. WDW is not the only place for family memories.

Actually I have a special needs daughter with food allergies on top of that. WDW is one of the very few places that can meet her dietary needs and get her excited enough to over come her anxiety of new situations to try new things. Finally got her to try Goofy's barnstormer this trip and after 4 additional times had to tell mom's tummy could not handle another ride.

Any other trip takes more planning the the D-day invasion.

Denise in MI

 

[Tracy041500]

Heres a solution: Homeschool.

 

[Withacy]

You are completely missing the point. This is what I have taken from your post and I hope I'm wrong because it's a horrible outlook. I've hilighted your post with my responses so you know what I'm referring to.

1. If someone pays you to do something than you have to follow the rules. If you are not getting paid, the rules don't apply.

2. The needs of your family come before the needs of the teacher/school board or the teacher's family. Just because you want to go on vacation does not mean the teacher should take his/her personal time to send you updates or emails or prepare lessons ahead for you

3. As I've said in other posts on this thread. I don't care when you take your kids out of school but just don't expect special treatment or don't expect the teacher to bend over backwards to help you when they have other students. It's your choice what you want to do but you have to accept the consequences for your actions even though the school is not paying you.

1. If the school's rules allow you to take your child out of school, with certain requirements - but they don't LIKE it - how is taking your child out of school within the stipulations set by the school, and taking whatever consequences go along with that - NOT following the rules?

2.&3. I've certainly posted a lot of messages in this thread, and some of them have been ruder than I'd like - but find ONE where I suggested that a teacher should give special treatment or extra time to make up for a child who's parents chose to take them out of school. On the contrary, I have said - MORE THAN ONCE - that a parent SHOULD NOT expect that special treatment.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

You know, as important as being a teacher is, and as hard as it is, it doesn't give you sole claim to difficulties, long hours or stress!

If you work on salary, there is no "overtime". Lots of people have to work long hours, respond to people who are unreasonably demanding without being thanked, and try to fit their life in around other people's schedules. And obviously EVERYONE thinks that they should have the priority on your time. Teachers & school administrators think that obviously what THEY consider to be the needs of your children should be your top priority - but then, most bosses think that families are something you do in your free time, and since they're paying you THEY should be your priority.

Where I work, we work long hours & get no overtime pay. We travel a lot - almost always out of State - for weeks at a time. Our work is unique to each of us - our areas of responsibility - and when we're not here, there's no substitute to take it up and do it, and there's no "off" season when work isn't in session and we can easily take a break. If a crisis comes up, even if we're on vacation, we have to deal with it. And all that work we're not there doing just piles up while we're away, and has to be handled when we return.

My previous boss said to her employees "If I can spare you for a two week vacation, I obviously don't need you working for me in the first place".

So while bosses & their children's teachers (among others) think that THEY know what a family's priorities should be, only the family can decide that.

I don't think a parent should expect a teacher to rearrange their classroom & personal time to accommodate that one student or that one family. But I don't think a teacher or school administrator should assume that they know what a family can - or should - do internally, and that includes vacation time.

Amen, sister.

And yes, we took our son out of school last year for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to WDW, meaning he missed a total of 5 days of school. It was all he missed all year. The teacher wasn't pleased, but he worked ahead BEFORE we left to minimize the disruption. He ended the year with a straight A-B report card, and it was a great lesson in planning and personal responsibility.

In the end, my DS missed less days of school over the course of the school year than his teacher did. Not bad for a 13-year-old kid in the 7th grade.

Life is WAY too short to get all hung up on an issue like this. As a brain tumour survivor, I have learned alot about what is really important in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Nancyg56]

I would love to know some of these jobs that make it impossible to travel during those 185 non school days.

Meet my sister. She is a respiratory therapist at a major children's hospital, vacations are seniority driven. She is not given any choice in her Holidays, she must work two out of every three. When she transferred from the sister hospital she was very high on the seniority list and was told her seniority would transfer with her. Oooops, they made a mistake. Now she is at the bottom and must plan her vacation times with what is left. Yeah, by the time it gets to her she is left with the times that the people with kids did not want or need. Summer is out. Spring and Winter vacations taken. She is at Disney right now. Awesome for crowds but not so much for anything else. All of the family she would have liked to share her vacation with is commited to jobs and school.

Actually I have a special needs daughter with food allergies on top of that. WDW is one of the very few places that can meet her dietary needs and get her excited enough to over come her anxiety of new situations to try new things. Finally got her to try Goofy's barnstormer this trip and after 4 additional times had to tell mom's tummy could not handle another ride.

Any other trip takes more planning the the D-day invasion.

Denise in MI

My DGD was allergic to dairy and eggs. My DD would not take her anywhere else if the trip was longer than a day or two. No vacation destination is as prepared for foos allergies than Disney!


I have read every post and am a little disturbed by the attitude some folks have towards the teachers their children's education is entrusted to. The bottom line is that if a teacher either will not or cannot accomodate vacation requests has nothing to do with the dedication or commitmint that teacher has to your child. Parents who choose to remove kids from school for vacation are not bad parents. Everyone has different priorities and different time constraints. The choice rests with eth parent and the responsibility of the missed work, tests and knowledge lies with the parent. Take your child but do not ask the teacher to reimburse the time and do not blame the system that you are choosing to participate in.

 

[Colleen27]

I would love to know some of these jobs that make it impossible to travel during those 185 non school days.

Plenty of people have listed them. Just the ones from my own personal experience:

DH is a self-employed contractor. His slow times are Dec-Jan-Feb, and he has to work the busy times to get us through the months when we've got almost nothing coming in. The only school break in that time is Christmas, and the only way we could travel then is with DS because of the custody arrangement with his dad. I have a really sweet deal there - he's with us on Christmas Eve & Morning every year, and then with his dad's family for Christmas Dinner through until New Years' Day - so I'm not rocking that boat. We don't have the long Presidents Day break that other areas get, just a four day weekend, not long enough for Disney or any other vacation involving more than a couple hours travel time.

When I worked retail, I couldn't take off around peak times, including all those "big sale" holidays like President's Day, Black Friday, 4th of July, back-to-school season, etc.

When I worked tech support, I was the junior tech in the county and the only one in my office. The only times I could take vacation were times when someone could cover for me - meaning that someone in an office with 2+ techs had to be available to "float" over to my office. As low man on the totem in an organization with generous, seniority-based vacation time accrual, that essentially ruled out school breaks as well as other times like first day of school, Halloween, etc when parents like to be off for the kids. I was working in that job during the whole Y2K thing - guess who had to work both NYE and NY Day to make sure our systems weren't effected?

When DH was working for a moving company, he could take off school breaks and only rarely got weekends off. People tend to move when their kids aren't in school and on their days off from work, and as a driver, DH had to be there for his truck & crew to be running. That job was the worst for vacation time - basically, if there was work he had to be there. He got written up for refusing to take a long-haul job the day after our wedding and was told he'd be fired if he wasn't at work the following weekend, so we had to cut our honeymoon short. He really intended to stick with that company forever; his boss was nearing retirement and was training DH to take over with an eye towards selling him the franchise, but once we met and started a family he realized it wouldn't work with our other priorities. It was a great job for a single man, but not so much for a husband and father.

I know on the DIS, the typical poster is a professional and tends to have more flexibility with work scheduling and such, but in the world of blue collar employment, being able to freely choose one's vacation time is the rare exception, not the rule.