Teachers Going to WDW

[timandlesley]

Hi, I am a special education teacher in Ohio and THANK GOD for my 3 personal days per year. We have been going every year for the past 8 years and when we started out (the first 6 years of these 8) we weren't DVC members and only traveled in the summers during the brutal heat. While we still do our annual long trip in the summer now that we own DVC and have invested in annual passes we also enjoy taking trips during other times of the year.
I get 3 personal days per year so this year I will use them so Tim and I can get away for Food and Wine for a long weekend in November and then again hoping to get away in February for a short trip. Last year Tim was able to go to Disapalooza and I missed out because I was out of days but it was made up (kinda) by being able to enjoy a girls only getaway weekend in April (HEAVEN!!!) These short getaways are priceless to us because we get to experience Disney at different times of the year. We've enjoyed the Halloween party with our kids (yeah, we pulled them out of school for 2 days), Food and Wine, Flower and Garden festival.
I recommend using those personal days if you have them!
Lesley

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

I prefer spring break over the summer. Spring breaks are staggered throughout the country so I don't find it to be more crowded than in the summer, and the weather is much more bearable!

 

[msteddom]

I'm a high school teacher in Los Angeles, and I generally make it out to the World twice a year: once in August and once over winter break. In LAUSD we get three weeks for winter break. So I go either the week before Christmas or the week after New Year's depending on how break falls that year. I would love to go during Food and Wine, but that would mean changing careers!

Melissa

 

[Moms]

As a teacher I "enjoyed" many and August week during the early years. Hated the heat but just had to deal with it. We did do trips twice during the Christmas break but not unless we were returning to school on or before January 7th ... that way we could have Christmas at home.

I am a principal now and work 12 months a year. I get five weeks vacation so I can now enjoy WDW whenever I can get away (unfortunately not always when I want). My daughter is a teacher now and is in a year round school. She will have a break the last week of September and the first week of October. Guess where we're going!

 

[JVL1018]

I'm not a teacher-my mom was though-and in her district you could not use your personal days together, nor could you use them before or after a holiday, so no stretching out a 3 day weekend and no taking 2 personal days in a row for a long weekend trips.
On her one and only trip with me, she was able to get special permission to take 2 days off in a row, so we could go Wed. evening-Sunday but she had to jump through hoops to do it.

I love the last week of August/beginning of September-the week leading up to Labor Day-we've always had very low crowds and my kids don't miss any school. I do pull them out every other year(we stagger the trips due to APs and one year is the fall and the next is the pre labor Day trip) because they're in grammar school right now and can make up the work easily, but DD starts middle school in 2011 so those days will come to an end.
So for those with school schedules that allow it, I think it's a great time.

 

[mejkjj97]

I'm not a teacher but my DH is. We are lucky enough that his contract does not have him starting school until after Labor day so we have been going the last week in Aug for the past few years. We have loved it. The crowds are not bad and we make due with the heat. We have also learned how to work our way through the parks that we never really have to wait and we are always back at the hotel during the day and get to enjoy the pool.

I would prefer not to go in August but we have learned to love it.

 

[RutgersAlum]

NJ teacher here. End of August into Labor Day Weekend for us.

We have done a 4 day "Jersey Week" weekend, and the crowds and temperature are as close to "off season" as we will get! Love that first weekend in November, though sadly this year, that weekend falls between free dining weeks. NOT that I was planning to go this year, but I sure was hoping that would be in place to make it worthwhile...

One more thing about absences and personal days. I have worked for a school district like the one JLV1018's mom worked for--you were not allowed to take a personal day on a day before or after a break (like Spring Break, or Thanksgiving Weekend, for example). My current district does not state this policy directly, but it's still ingrained in my head and makes me reluctant to take a personal day around a school break.

 

[rsauer]

As an educator who has both been a teacher and administrator, I feel for those who must vacation at times when school schedules allow it. I thank Kevin for scheduling some ABD tours during vacation periods. I have seen the dilemma that teachers face from both sides and find the comments about different district policies interesting. In Oregon, generally personal days cannot be used to extend vacation periods or to allow for vacations; as for sick leave, while missing a vacation might make you sick, that is probably not within most contracts' language. If you have very liberal language, hey, go crazy!

And people need to remember that a teacher contract is a powerful thing and provides a great deal of employment protection. There are parts you will love and others you won't. You are NOT a criminal for taking time off. You might, however, be UNEMPLOYED or sanctioned if your employer finds out you were taking sick leave for a trip. And if the inability to take Disney vacations during the school year is a major factor in determining whether to take a teaching position, my advice as a former principal and superintendent (and current parent and grandparent!) is that you find a career other than teaching.

As for taking your children out of school, you might check out my blog at www.travelscribbles2010.blogspot.com for a discussion of this dilemma. A revised version of this will be on Len Testa's touring plans website blog next month. There is also an early version of a comparison of all Disney parks around the world which will be published in an upcoming CELEBRATIONS magazine.