What do you think about the TEACHER taking time off for a vacation?

[PaulaSue]

Everyone deserves a break to recharge! Now if they took off every month for a whole week, well that would be overboard.

 

[PrincessPAC]

I'm not a teacher anymore, but I am a school counselor (in a high school), and I just took off all of last week to go to Disney with my parents, DH, & my children. We have 3 other counselors here, so if a student really needed to see a counselor, there were 3 other qualified people to take care of them.

Before I left, though, I did talk to the students whom I often work with to explain to them that I would be gone & the other counselors spoke to them as well to let them know that they could come talk to them. Everybody's really close in the counseling dept., so the students don't usually seem apprehensive about talking to someone other than their "assigned" counselor.

This is the 3rd year I've done this & no one has ever seemed to have a problem with it (other than saying that they were jealous ).

BTW: We only get 3 personal days a year, so I was docked the other 2 days.

 

[declansdad]

No they should not.

They get off the summer, week at Christmas, Spring Break, Fall Break and a myriad of other times the rest of the work force doesn't get off. They are paid by tax payers dollars and their disruption affects a whole classroom of students.

I work in public accounting (but not doing tax work) and I don't get 1 day off from New Years to Memorial Day. And technically I am not supposed to take vacation time either. Yes, I was well aware of this when I took the job and felt my pay and other perks made up for it. The dates of the school year are no secret to anyone....they are well aware before they even go to college for their degree. I think they should be expected to be there during the school year.

Let me add though that I don't see a problem with a days off here or there for funerals, weddings or something else along those lines.

Those same arguments can be made to support the position that students shouldn't be pulled out for trips. They also get all those days off and probably a few more than the teachers.

Are you saynig that you receive none of the federal or state holidays between Jan 1 and Memorial Day (such as Easter, Martin Luther King Jr Day, Presidents Day and the others that are celebrated in the US.)

 

[My2Cinderellas]

Are you saynig that you receive none of the federal or state holidays between Jan 1 and Memorial Day (such as Easter, Martin Luther King Jr Day, Presidents Day and the others that are celebrated in the US.)

Holiday schedules differ from state to state. Easter is not a federal holiday. MLK, Presidents, Columbus and Veterans days are Federal holidays, so federal offices are closed everywhere, most banks choose to close as well. The state of Iowa does NOT close down on these days nor do our schools. Each private business can set their own rules. Federal holidays that everyone with a traditional work schedule has off are New Years, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and Christmas.

DH used to work for a company that based their schedule on the stock exchange. if the stock exchange was closed, no work. He got the federal holidays and Good Friday off, but had to work Christmas eve and the Friday after Thanksgiving. Now his schedule is such that yes, there are no holidays between Jan 1 and Memorial Day.

 

[mickeyboat]

If I was a policy-setter, I would say no vacations during school time.

I have to chuckle a little bit about the argument that what if the spouse can't take time off during the times teachers have off. Why is it o.k. for the spouse's work to set a policy requiring vacation time be taken at a certain time, but not the schools?

Denae

 

[bluefairy13]

Kids missing and teachers missing are not the same thing. Not even close. A teacher's vacation is much more of a disruption.

.

I think it is the other way around. When my child was in school I don't remember any problems ever when a teacher was out, save the time there was a 3 month strike. That was a lost year. But if my child missed, it meant alot of work, especially in later grades.

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

My daughters teacher was out for the whole week 2 weeks ago due to personal issues. In that week my daughter learned her spelling words and had her normal test, had all the same homework she would have had if her teacher was in, had her usualy math test and got 100, plus the substitute worked with the kids on their play which we got to see last week and was phenominal. I dont feel that my daughter missed out on anything while her teacher was away for the week. Teachers leave lesson plans which are more extensive than the used to be. When i was in school , when we had a sub, we would have to just sit quietly and do reading. Now its entirely different. I have no problem with any teacher going on vacation.
Personally i think its more harmful for a child to miss a weeks school than a teacher to miss a week. When the teacher gets back to school the kids are still on the same level as they were before the teacher went on vacation. When a child is absent for a week, the child may fall behind. Dont flame me for that , I am all for taking my child out of school for a vacation which i do every year. They are only young once and you never know what lies ahead in life. Enjoy it while you can.

 

[declansdad]

Holiday schedules differ from state to state. Easter is not a federal holiday. MLK, Presidents, Columbus and Veterans days are Federal holidays, so federal offices are closed everywhere, most banks choose to close as well. The state of Iowa does NOT close down on these days nor do our schools. Each private business can set their own rules. Federal holidays that everyone with a traditional work schedule has off are New Years, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and Christmas.

DH used to work for a company that based their schedule on the stock exchange. if the stock exchange was closed, no work. He got the federal holidays and Good Friday off, but had to work Christmas eve and the Friday after Thanksgiving. Now his schedule is such that yes, there are no holidays between Jan 1 and Memorial Day.

Well that bites.

 

[JVL1018]

Those same arguments can be made to support the position that students shouldn't be pulled out for trips. They also get all those days off and probably a few more than the teachers.

Are you saynig that you receive none of the federal or state holidays between Jan 1 and Memorial Day (such as Easter, Martin Luther King Jr Day, Presidents Day and the others that are celebrated in the US.)

My husband is an accountant, not a tax accountant, but he has worked at places in the past who are busy with preparing things for the auditors who come in and there were NO days off from Jan 2-April.
No MLK, no Presidents Day, no Good Friday-they technically had them off, but everyone had to work and you were give a personal day to use when you wnated instead, as long as it was after April.

As for schools here, you don't get vacation days, so you really can't take vacations during the school year. You get 3 personal days per year, but you cannot use more than 1 at a time and you cannot extend long weekends with personal days.
I do know 2 teachers that have taken a week off, but it's very rare, and is not something people normally do.
My best friend got married during the school year, took the Monday off and then was back at work. She took her honeymoon months later during the summer.

My Mom(teacher's aide-even they were held to the same standards re:time off) went to WDW with me one December and she could manage just a Thursday and a Friday, one sick, one personal, but even that took some jockeying to get and it was a 1 time thing.
She understood and agreed with it.

 

[jrmasm]

I think it is the other way around. When my child was in school I don't remember any problems ever when a teacher was out, save the time there was a 3 month strike. That was a lost year. But if my child missed, it meant alot of work, especially in later grades.

Let me try again, if my child is on vacation for a week the affect on the other kids in her class is minimal to none. If the teacher misses for a week, the affect to many children is much greater.

 

[bluefairy13]

Let me try again, if my child is on vacation for a week the affect on the other kids in her class is minimal to none. If the teacher misses for a week, the affect to many children is much greater.

But in the end, the one who will miss out the most is the child who misses school.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I think there is a difference between a child missing school (impacting himself) or a teacher missing school(impacting the entire class) Teacher's are getting paid to be there-by mine and others tax dollars. So yes I have a problem with teacher's taking time off UNLESS it is in their contract to do so. If their Teacher's union contract allows for time off then go for it.

So you're saying that because you pay my dad's salary by paying your taxes (just for instance), you should be able to rule his life and tell him when he can take a vacation? I'm sorry, but that's not fair. First and foremost, he's my dad and if he's earned the time, he should be able to take the time, just like I can from my job.

Luckily, in my dad's contract, he does have the ability to take off if need be, but he rarely does. When he had his heart attack last year, he was ready to go back to school very shortly after he got out of the hospital!

Imagine people that work 52 full weeks.

I understand what you mean by this statement, but what job really requires people to work a constant 52 weeks a year on a permanent basis? The only one I could think of would be a doctor, and they still can take time off if needed for vacation and personal time.

Being from a household where there are two teachers, I can understand how hard it is to not have one day off or early dismissal for 8 weeks. It causes the kids to get very rowdy because they don't have time to relax and recoup which makes teaching them all the harder. I work at a science center and we have many school field trips come through the building. You can tell when the kids haven't had a day off in a while because they are wild!

 

[java]

So you're saying that because you pay my dad's salary by paying your taxes (just for instance), you should be able to rule his life and tell him when he can take a vacation? I'm sorry, but that's not fair.

I'm not looking to tell someone else when they can take off time just because I pay my taxes. What I was trying to get across was that if their contract states they can take off time then go for it. Teachers have the toughest contract negotiators out there. So I am all for time earned and taken. And honestly in elementary school I wouldn't mind if a teacher wanted some week off with her family. And I brought up the PAID part as the reason you can't compare it to a child taking time off for vacation. It isn't the same- not even close. I'm not saying because I pay taxes I should be ruling anyone's life in any way. But I do fight for what my $16,000 a year is paying for and I don't like to see my money wasted.

But as they get older, middle school through high school I think it impacts them more. Missing a week out of a semester is tough. A sub isn't going to get across all of what your dad is able to do.

Oh and I was saying the 52 weeks thing because to complain about having to work 2 months without a vacation day is the entitlement that gets the public I think. My dh works year round with 2 weeks off. One in July and One is December. Is that when I would chose to go on vacation. No but that is when we can. So that is what we do.

I love hard working teachers. Those that are commited to their students and wish that they were paid what they deserve based on merit. Not just time spent in a classroom but the QUALITY of education they provide. There are plenty of teachers in our district that I feel are underpaid just by what they do. And several others that are severly overpaid for the effort they put forth. But they have a union and I support what their negotiated contract says.

 

[jrmasm]

But in the end, the one who will miss out the most is the child who misses school.

When I ask my kid at the end of the day what she did in X class and she says "Nothing, we had a sub" I disagree.

When I take my kid out of school and her grades don't suffer, how can you say she's missed anything? And let's not forget the other 100 kids in her grade that only missed out on her sparkling personality.

 

[englishteacha]

Didn't read the whole thread, but I can attest that in my district, we do not get "vacation" days. We have paid leave time each year for sick time and to complete "personal business that cannot otherwise be completed outside of the school day." We used to have 3 personal days and some sick time, but this year they combined them into paid leave. Apparently, some staff were assuming that this change meant vacation time, as our superintendent needed to send the staff a letter clarifiying the leave. I guess people were asking for a week off to a time. The superintendent has usually been OK with giving a day or two off before or after a vacation week, or near a long weekend, but several days is not OK. We get time off in summer, and school holiday/vacation weeks when the kids do. For me, that means I'll NEVER get to travel during an off-peak time as long as I'm a teacher.

I've just missed a week due to surgery (it was supposed to be 2-3 days, but there were complications), and I'd normally be stressed out, but they did get me a wonderful sub, so I'm not concerned. Some folks asked why I didn't wait to have the surgery during school vacation week. Hmmm...my vacations are as important to me as anyone else! I had plenty of leave time accumulated, and I knew I had a terrific sub. I also left good sub plans, so I know my students were learning cool stuff while I was gone.

 

[Aimeedyan]

My sister took a trip during school two years ago - she did not get paid for those days and had to arrange a sub and lesson plans.

She had a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit a dear friend in Italy that could not be arranged any other time. She worked out with her principal and team in order to leave. Her kids still got their lessons as usual and did not fall behind.

 

[MushyMushy]

Let me try again, if my child is on vacation for a week the affect on the other kids in her class is minimal to none. If the teacher misses for a week, the affect to many children is much greater.

Doesn't your child do group work? We're "encouraged" to have the students do group work as much as possible. When one child misses a week, it sets the group behind. I've got 3 groups out of two classes who are behind because of kids going to WDW. We deal with it, but it IS a hassle for the kids who are in school working their behinds off.

Again, I don't begrudge those kids their vacation (and I happily sent them off with big smiles and mickey heads on their assignment sheets), but please don't think it doesn't impact other students. It does.

Also, aside from group work, who do you think has to catch them up on what they missed in class? The teacher. And when does the teacher have time to do that? In class, which affects the other kids. It's not like we can do it after school on their time.

 

[daisyduck123]

No they should not.

They get off the summer, week at Christmas, Spring Break, Fall Break and a myriad of other times the rest of the work force doesn't get off.

Not all do.

I work in Anne Arundel County...a large public school system in Maryland.


We have only ONE full-week vacation between Sept. & June....at Christmas.

 

[bluefairy13]

I just liken it to having a job. If you don't have much work to do, then maybe you catch up with old work or just catch your breath (like if a sub is in school and doesn't do much with the kids) but if you miss work, the work is still going to pile up while you are gone (and the classwork is still going forward without the child) and when you get back you have more to do.

I don't care if either teachers or students take off, that's not the point. I just know that as a parent, I was more concerned about my child missing. Not everyone has to think like me.

 

[Daxx]

I think that removing a child from the classroom is different then removing the teacher.

That makes no sense. If a teacher is removed from the classroom, then another teacher comes in to take her place. If she's a good teacher, she will have left comprehensive, extensive lesson plans for the substitute to follow.

Who takes your child's place when he's taken out of the classroom?
It's me who has to bust my butt to catch him up on what he missed while he was out ... at the detrement to the other kids who have already learned it. Lots goes on in the classroom that isn't covered on worksheets.