Teachers -- When do you go to WDW?

[teacher31]

tubachick - I lived in NW suburbs of Chicago until last year, and I miss Pulaski Day! Best day off in my opinion. Low crowds for shopping, gets you through until Spring Break, and not many people get it. Fond memories!

We usually leave the last day of school and hit WDW. This year we had to do it differently due to dh's schedule and ended up going 6/26 - 7/5. It was great! No where nearly as crowded as I was anticipating. We're planning for next year and it looks like we'll be hitting WDW the day after Memorial Day. Doesn't it help you get through the school year knowing what you have to look forward to? I love teaching, but WDW gets me through standardized testing!

 

[Figaro8398]

The only time I've gone during my teaching career was in 2001 for Christmas - and loved it. Yes, there were crowds, but the overall atmosphere was more magical than other times of the year. That's why I'm planning my next trip for that time as well.

 

[blueangel]

I go Fall break (Oct), and we sometimes hit just before the Christmas rush depending on when I get out. Last year two of my coworkers and I took a personal day and went down for a long weekend. It was a frustrating process, we had to change the dates a couple of times to make sure we all had subs. We ended up going only two weeks before school got out, but it was sooo worth it at that point in the year.

 

[MickeyDee]

Well, this is my first "real" trip as an adult, and I'm going this very week. Though I'm thinking I'll be taking a couple of personal days to go. Maybe not this year, but during the 07-08 year so I can experience the World during a quieter, cooler time of year! lol

 

[mom2missmous]

basically summer here. We used to go during Feb vacation, but grad school for the last 4 years nixed that. now grad school is done- yippeee-BUT DH switched jobs. part of new job involves maintaining roads for town, which requires him to be available to PLOW said roads as needed-hence NO trips during winter months any more .And in our district, we are not allowed to use personal days for vacation. SOOO we try to go mid-to end of July now. It is hotter and more crowded, but with the beginning of school inching backward further and further into Aug, I like to still have a couple weeks of summer left before classroom set-up and all!

 

[ItGirl753]

Wow. I love to hear people say, "I should've been a teacher so I can have the summer off" and other such comments! My district has a day where business people can be a "teacher for a day."

I teach in an inner city school where I have had a freeze on my wages for several years. I have parents who threaten me, and other students and their parents! The superintendent is now telling us that it is OUR fault the district's students are doing poorly and that we are only working summer school for the money (HA! he's cheating us too), and not because I care about my students. Even if I am not teaching summer school, my summer is cut short because I go in to prepare my room which takes 2-3 weeks to do a good job of it (unpaid time). Do you non-teachers know how much work I do at home? I get 30 minutes a day to plan and correct everything, make materials, clean the room, make copies, call parents...and many days a week I will work through my lunch break too. Believe me, I do not get it all done at school.

One of the "perks" I get in the city that my friends in the suburbs don't get, are many sick days and several personal days that I can pretty much use at my discretion. It is true that I am not allowed to use them at certain times, but a lot of it is at the Principal's discretion. I am always honest with her if I am going away IN CASE something were to happen and I had to take another day! If I use one before/after a paid holiday and get caught, I believe I would not be paid for the holiday.

We work Labor Day through the 20's in June. We do not get a "fall break" or a February break. Our Christmas and Easter have been cut to about a week and a half.

Anyway, to answer the OP's question. This year we went in November for a week. I had Election Day and Veteran's Day off and they fell in the same week so I only took three days off. I take very, very few days off normally and do not take days for vacation. This year was an exception as my BF returned from some military service and it was a trip he paid for. I have tossed around the idea of Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I would never go at Easter! I want to go again before I go back to school after Labor Day.

 

[jennyh2829]

Last year we left the day we got out for Christmas holidays and it was nice. The weather was good and loved the holiday decorations. We also went for a day in June before we left on our cruise. Didn't enjoy that time of year as much. Too hot, bigger crowd. We plan on going the week after Thanksgiving in '08. I will have to take off. Not sure how many yet. We get 5 state "personal' days and 5 local "sick" days. Personal days are not to be taken before or after a holiday, etc. but it is also at the principals discretion. So we'll see.....

 

[figmentfan704]

Middle school teacher from georgia..........
We usually go during fall break (1 week in September). However, we also get a week off for Thanksgiving, 2 weeks at Christmas, a week for winter break in February, and a week off during Spring break (1st week in April). Yes- it is a lot of breaks but we love it!!!
School starts for us on Aug. 1st. and we finish @ the end of May.

If I could afford to go more.....I'd be there during each break!!!

 

[teacherkaren]

I am from the Pacific NW and have a really hard time enjoying myself when it is in the 90's for the temp and humidity. So with the summer not being an option for me that leaves Christmas break and spring vacation. Another fellow teacher and I went to DW the first week of April this year and I am going with another co-worker for Christmas this next year.

 

[TwoMonkeys]

Next week! Seriously, school starts for us (the teachers 8/3), so we're going the week before for a getaway.

Julie

We're going next week too!! I don't go back until 8/7 so I've got one more week after Disney to enjoy summer. Although I'll probably spend some of that week getting into the classroom to do some things ahead of time. Enjoy your trip!

 

[DizGeek]

Wow. I love to hear people say, "I should've been a teacher so I can have the summer off" and other such comments! My district has a day where business people can be a "teacher for a day.".

I guess thats a shot at me. It sounds like you got your hands full....almost like a full time job!

What? What'd I say?



Dont take it personal, its just a little humor. I get in arguments all the time with my brother in law who is a teacher and we still get along.

 

[CheshireVal]

I go during Christmas break.

 

[Cupmom]

End of Aug. for me. School starts after Labor Day.

 

[tubachick]

Wow. I love to hear people say, "I should've been a teacher so I can have the summer off" and other such comments! My district has a day where business people can be a "teacher for a day."

I teach in an inner city school where I have had a freeze on my wages for several years. I have parents who threaten me, and other students and their parents! The superintendent is now telling us that it is OUR fault the district's students are doing poorly and that we are only working summer school for the money (HA! he's cheating us too), and not because I care about my students. Even if I am not teaching summer school, my summer is cut short because I go in to prepare my room which takes 2-3 weeks to do a good job of it (unpaid time). Do you non-teachers know how much work I do at home? I get 30 minutes a day to plan and correct everything, make materials, clean the room, make copies, call parents...and many days a week I will work through my lunch break too. Believe me, I do not get it all done at school.



One of the "perks" I get in the city that my friends in the suburbs don't get, are many sick days and several personal days that I can pretty much use at my discretion. It is true that I am not allowed to use them at certain times, but a lot of it is at the Principal's discretion. I am always honest with her if I am going away IN CASE something were to happen and I had to take another day! If I use one before/after a paid holiday and get caught, I believe I would not be paid for the holiday.

We work Labor Day through the 20's in June. We do not get a "fall break" or a February break. Our Christmas and Easter have been cut to about a week and a half.

well said.

 

[wild4dis]

DW is a HS teacher in CT...
We always used to go in Oct and pull the kids out of school, but for the past 6 years her teaching wont alow that...so we have gone recently in April...this past year during easter..the crowds are worse than Oct, but not terrible especially since we've been to WDW so many times we manage our time very wisely. The worst part now is my oldest DS plays on the hockey team in HS and they wont allow the players to go on vac during the season.....that means Xmas (and all the wonder of WDW) trips are not happening any time soon ....I keep telling him we will send him a postcard !!

 

[dgaston]

DH is a CT HS teacher. With 35 years under his belt he has accumulated 215 sick days (max) and has 3 personal days to use each year. There were many years he did not use the personal days. He is scrupulous about using days only as permitted and is not allowed to use sick/personal days to extend vacations. That said he is using personal days for our Food and Wine weekend. We have spent 4 Christmas weeks at WDW, several February vacations (2007 cruise on the Magic for youngest DS's HS graduation trip coming up), and April vacations when it does not coincide with Easter. We did one trip at Easter, and found it even worse that the Christmas crowds. We have also been in the summer four times, just DH and I. I work year-round at a college and have much more flexibility with my vacation time.

 

[klmall]

DH and I are both teachers though DH now works in central office. When we were both in the classroom and DS was young we used our personal days (legally) and went the 5 school days before Thanksgiving. This was nirvana - low crowds, great weather and nice, long trips.

Then DS grew older and we couldn't have him miss school anymore so after 7th grade we switched to long weekend trips and spring breaks. The first spring break trip was a killer since we had never experienced crowds or waits of any kind or Florida heat for that matter. But we got used to April and even began to enjoy the benefits of longer hours and more events.

Now that DS is in college we're trying October to celebrate our anniversary and going when he can join us during his short fall break.

Luckily our school system contract allows us to carry over up to 5 personal days per year and use them whenever as long as the principal approves.

Retirement is on the horizon and early December and January will then be the months of choice!

 

[zookeeper]

A little OT, but since a lot of teachers have gone over Christmas I thought I'd ask. Are the crowds really that horrible at Christmas? I always thought it would be a nice time to go and see it all decorated. I can only travel during school holidays so we would have to go right around Christmas Day. Is it manageable at all with FP, EMH, etc.???

 

[dgaston]

Christmas trips are why I subscribe to Tourguidemike!

 

[lissawynn]

The last three years I've been going in the summer. I went during the school year in 2002 for my honeymoon. I went in 2003 for MNSSHP. Now that we're expecting another addition to the family, we'll probably be going every other year in the fall or winter. DH refuses to go in the summer, and I really want him to be there with our kids, so the cooler months it is!