Time off for teachers?

[lucigo]

For those of you out there who are teachers, when do you vacation? I know that might sound like a dumb question but we are NOT summer vacationers! We usually participate in an autism summer camp and besides its too expensive!

So...we have good news and bad news...DH (who just graduated) got a job teaching! The bad news...its in the county next to ours so he will have different spring breaks than my kids. As a matter of fact, I'll have 2 public school calendars, a jr. college and a university to try to schedule around.

Are we destin to have separate vacations? What do other teachers do?

 

[kimmylaj]

i teach 3 days a week in a private school. luckily my boss doesnt mind me taking 2 or 3 days when i feel like, if dh who teaches jhs in nycboard of ed comes we go in august, although sometimes we leave him home ( my mom, me and my 2 kids are planning our 2nd nov trip) his school would never let him have off. he cant even take 1 day before or after a weekend or holiday. we did do passover one year. that was pretty nice weather wise and crowds werent terrible (nyc gave passover week off) i think most schools had easter week that year. so pretty much only when he is off.

 

[smphbear]

Well, I have been teaching for 10 years. Luckily, DH's work has been pretty flexible about vacations for the past few years. As long as he is first to ask for the week off, he can have most weeks. Holidays can be an issue.

In the past, we traveled to Disney as soon as I got out of school. We did avoid the holiday week at the end of May / start of June.
This year, DH and I booked an adults only trip which will require my absence for 5 days. The 4/3 deal came along when we were discussing a trip.

Last year, I would never have done this, but I changed what I teach this year. I now teach computer and take care of all IT work for my school (private). I have had some health issues. We are going for DH's birthday and to celebrate our 12th anniversary. I have decided that life is too short. I chose a week right after some major duties are completed. I told my boss that he might have to be mad at me. When I told him about our trip, he told me that he is not mad and understands. I have an awesome boss!

You have to do what works best for you and your job! I wish you well in getting around all those schedules.

 

[DawnM]

I have almost always worked in year round schools. I loved it! I haven't worked since we moved to NC, but it would be very hard for me to have a traditional calendar school year and only be off when the rest of the world was off.

Dawn

 

[suebedo]

My DH is a teacher. He is taking a week off on Feb and we are going to Disney. He is burning up a lot of his time so it will be a few years before we can take a "during school" vacation.

Our next Disney trip will have to be during the summer or a Holiday week.

 

[lucigo]

Thanks for all of the replies, sounds like I'm just going to have to go without him if I want to go in the off times, and then go with him during holidays! I wish we had the year round school option here, it sounds so much better!

 

[dougsmom98]

I am teacher and so is my DH. Our district does not allow us to take any time off for vacations other than the regularly scheduled school vacations. We went one year the week between Christmas and New Years, it was crowded but magical. We have been once in June. I hated that because it was too darn hot and humid and crowded. We have found President's week to be our favorite time to go. It is crowded but the weather is perfect so it makes dealing with crowds more manageable. We haven't been over spring break yet, but someday we might do that.

 

[Nicoleclaw]

I am teacher and so is my DH. Our district does not allow us to take any time off for vacations other than the regularly scheduled school vacations. We went one year the week between Christmas and New Years, it was crowded but magical. We have been once in June. I hated that because it was too darn hot and humid and crowded. We have found President's week to be our favorite time to go. It is crowded but the weather is perfect so it makes dealing with crowds more manageable. We haven't been over spring break yet, but someday we might do that.

Ditto to everything except we don't get pres week, we get a 3 day weekend. I have been during spring break, and would do again except it was late april that year and hot. Been to disney in summer a few times and swore never again, too hot. going xmas next year....kinda scared of crowds but atleast I won't be covered in sweat 20 seconds after walking outside at 8 am.

 

[miprender]

DH is a teacher, so we have gone to Disney in the summer (but like another poster is it just too hot). So we are going in April for the first time.

Usually RI schools have the 3rd week off in April and President's week in February.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We're trying April this time, too, but at least I get the same week as DS! It sounds like you have more of a problem.

Whose vacation is first? - If DH's is first, maybe you could take your kids out for the last 2 days before their week (less gets done than usual anyway) and have a friend collect their assignments. - This means you could leave Wednesday right after school. (DH could get everything ready, as he will already be off.) - Then maybe DH can take one or two personal days on the end of his week, so you could return Monday or Tuesday. The kids will still be off, so you don't have to worry about getting them right back in routine if you get back late at night, and you have a few days to do any make-up work with them. - That would give you *almost* a week, and you all get to go.

Good luck! Different schedules can be a nightmare.

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

I'm a teacher, DH is a CPA. All my time off falls during his tax season. My mom went to Disney last year w/ me and DD in Feb. She's doing it again this year.

We normally take a family vacation in the summer somewhere like Kings Island. last spring I burned a day for a long weekend in Chicago.

I get 2 personal days a year. Outside of that, you have to go without pay.

It's the one thing that REALLY stinks about teaching. Sure we get alot of time off, but it's when it's the most $$$$ to travel!

 

[disny_luvr]

I am a SAHM and no longer teach, but here is what I did.

My DH, who does not like heat and humidity, would rather travel in the fall/winter/spring to places where it is warmer rather than in the summer. Being a teacher, this caused a problem when we wanted to travel to Disney. In the district where I taught, we received three personal days a year and were allowed to carry two personal days to the following school year, so we could take up to five personal days a year. I knew this when I was hired so we started planning our 2004 trip early so I'd have time to figure out my personal days. For the 2003-2004 school year, I only used one personal day and carried two personal days over to the 2004-2005 school year. This allowed me to take a week off of work to travel to Disney in November, 2004. The only downfall - I didn't have any more personal days for the rest of the school year and that school year was a LONG school year.

I don't know if this is an option for you, but it may be something to look into.

 

[lucigo]

I am teacher and so is my DH. Our district does not allow us to take any time off for vacations other than the regularly scheduled school vacations. We went one year the week between Christmas and New Years, it was crowded but magical. We have been once in June. I hated that because it was too darn hot and humid and crowded. We have found President's week to be our favorite time to go. It is crowded but the weather is perfect so it makes dealing with crowds more manageable. We haven't been over spring break yet, but someday we might do that.

We went this year over spring break and it really wasn't bad! My problem though is that the county my DH will be teaching in has a different spring break than the one my kids go to school in.

 

[lucigo]

Ditto to everything except we don't get pres week, we get a 3 day weekend. I have been during spring break, and would do again except it was late april that year and hot. Been to disney in summer a few times and swore never again, too hot. going xmas next year....kinda scared of crowds but atleast I won't be covered in sweat 20 seconds after walking outside at 8 am.

We are considering Christmas this year, but if we do will probably hang out at the resorts a LOT more and do a LOT less in the parks.

 

[lucigo]

We're trying April this time, too, but at least I get the same week as DS! It sounds like you have more of a problem.

Whose vacation is first? - If DH's is first, maybe you could take your kids out for the last 2 days before their week (less gets done than usual anyway) and have a friend collect their assignments. - This means you could leave Wednesday right after school. (DH could get everything ready, as he will already be off.) - Then maybe DH can take one or two personal days on the end of his week, so you could return Monday or Tuesday. The kids will still be off, so you don't have to worry about getting them right back in routine if you get back late at night, and you have a few days to do any make-up work with them. - That would give you *almost* a week, and you all get to go.

Good luck! Different schedules can be a nightmare.

They aren't even butted up next to each other! The kids are out March 21-30 and DH is out April 4-12. Nice huh!

This might be the year we stay home and buy an in-ground pool LOL

 

[lucigo]

It's the one thing that REALLY stinks about teaching. Sure we get alot of time off, but it's when it's the most $$$$ to travel!

You are right about that!! UG!

 

[lucigo]

I am a SAHM and no longer teach, but here is what I did.

My DH, who does not like heat and humidity, would rather travel in the fall/winter/spring to places where it is warmer rather than in the summer. Being a teacher, this caused a problem when we wanted to travel to Disney. In the district where I taught, we received three personal days a year and were allowed to carry two personal days to the following school year, so we could take up to five personal days a year. I knew this when I was hired so we started planning our 2004 trip early so I'd have time to figure out my personal days. For the 2003-2004 school year, I only used one personal day and carried two personal days over to the 2004-2005 school year. This allowed me to take a week off of work to travel to Disney in November, 2004. The only downfall - I didn't have any more personal days for the rest of the school year and that school year was a LONG school year.

I don't know if this is an option for you, but it may be something to look into.

It will be worth looking into, thanks!

I tell ya, I respect you all who work all day, how do you possibly get everything done! No personal days....wow. I work at home and have flexible hours and still have a hard time finishing everything by the end of the day! LOL

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I'm an administrator in a year round school. My 9 year old attends a "traditional school", so our vacations overlap a little but not much. Summer vacations aren't a great option for us -- I'm knee deep in hiring, teacher training and setting things up for the fall. Christmas is beyond our budget. So, we go during my vacations (this year in October) and I just pull him out. I'm not sure that would work with high school students, but for us it's the best bet. I figure after 17 years in the classroom I can help him catch up on anything he misses.

 

[homedad]

my wife teaches in a different district that we live in, for disney she takes off 4 days in late sept for our trip. We are going skiing during her feb break, but our 7 and 5 yr old will both miss 2 days of school. When they get older we'll have to come up with plan B....

 

[starbox]

I'm a public school teacher and DH works for a university. I do go to Disney for Spring Break without him.

We also vacation together as soon as school gets out - like that very weekend. It gets me out of town - if I did not leave town, I'd end up taking much longer to finalize my grades, put together my accountability folder, clean my classroom, etc.

The weather is not too hot, crowds are not bad, and there are always great deals the end of May/start of June.