A Teacher MISSING school 4 WDW...

[nicki.momof3]

Public school teacher here!!!

I would love if I could ad up my personal time. We can carry the days from year to year but after the first year they turn into sick days.

We are only allowed 2 personal time days a year, can't be 2 days in a row, and can not be the day before or after a holiday.

So basically we can not take more than a 3 day weekend off using personal time.

I teach and live in a very demanding ihgh income district and the parents would freak out if a teacher took a week off. It would never happen.

I the OP's district allows it I say go for it. I would love to not have to limit my travels to high season (it will never happen, but what a nice dream).

Happy travels.

OP - they do offer free dining and great deals during breaks many times.

Easter week 2009 - we got the 4/3 deal
Easter week 2010 - We got 30% off moderate
Christmas Dec. 18-25. 2010 - We got free dining
THIS YEAR Christmas Dec. 16-25 - Free dining

The deals are also available many times in August. You do have to deal with the higher crowds and higher airfare.

 

[nicki.momof3]

minimal interruption, .

same quality

I am a teacher and have no problem with OP taking a week of (my district won't allow it but more power to him it his will.

However, the above words just don't go together.

When the regular teacher is not there there is always a good amount of disruption to the classroom structure and learning. Just starting the day takes a ton more time with a sub. I would bet on a good day a child learns about half of what they would with their regular teacher.

Now is it going to kill the kids - NO

Will some parents get upset - YES

Is it tough for many professionals to leave knowing their students are learning less - YES

It is a question only the OP's husband can answer.

 

[MamaJessie]

I have also run into my students on a school day while in WDW, the most recent being this past late January. Both the mom & I took photos of me with the kids right in Tommowland.

I have a picture of DD riding Dumbo with her teacher. She's BEAMING from ear to ear, like it was some special secret thing that no other child ever got to do

Oh even better

Seriously I have always wondered why people feel the need to judge others and why they feel it is ANY of their business.

Really, I can not believe that people care so much about things that do not have anything to do with them.

I don't expect my children's teacher to tell me why he or she is taking time off school.

Our school district changed the vacation days we were going to have off this year and a teacher friend of mine had to cancel her Disney Cruise I will never tell anyone when they are allowed to use their vacation time, and expect the same courtesy in return

 

[Dorisk3]

I would respect his wishes and not force him to take time off. A good time to go to get free dining without crazy crowds is last week in August, maybe you can try then.

 

[EKW]

What other people think doesn't matter.

Your husband's contract does.

I've never seen a contract that allows a teacher to take 5 personal leave days in a year.

Some districts I've worked in had a clause in the contract making it very clear that personal leave days could not be used for vacations.

Other districts have said that your three days are your three days.

None of the districts I've worked in have allowed teachers to back personal leave onto vacations or long weekends of any kind.

If your husband's contract allows him to take an unlimited number of personal days, then it is at his discretion as to whether to take them for a vacation.

I can fully understand why he doesn't want to do this. Being gone one day is tough enough. Being gone a week could stir up such chaos that the hassle when he returns to work wouldn't be worth it.

Also, personally, after a week at Disney the last thing I want to do is get up at 5 the next day and go to work. It takes me at least a couple of days to make up for lost sleep and get all the laundry done!

If he changes his mind and his contract allows it, when you do go, don't post the details here or spread the news far and wide that you're going to Disney. That would be asking for trouble. Go, enjoy, then come home quietly and return to your routines without trumpeting where you've been!

 

[lisateaches]

I understand that most teachers do not have a contract like mine. Our contract use to be very different and involved sick days and two PTOs. Now, we have no differentiation. Nine days to be used for whatever, whenever and not to be accrued. The only stipulation is that we cannot use more than two Fridays and two Mondays.

I think I preferred our previous contract, but I cannot change it so I will enjoy the current one.

 

[Dorisk3]

What other people think doesn't matter.

Your husband's contract does.

I've never seen a contract that allows a teacher to take 5 personal leave days in a year.

Some districts I've worked in had a clause in the contract making it very clear that personal leave days could not be used for vacations.

Other districts have said that your three days are your three days.

None of the districts I've worked in have allowed teachers to back personal leave onto vacations or long weekends of any kind.

If your husband's contract allows him to take an unlimited number of personal days, then it is at his discretion as to whether to take them for a vacation.

I can fully understand why he doesn't want to do this. Being gone one day is tough enough. Being gone a week could stir up such chaos that the hassle when he returns to work wouldn't be worth it.

Also, personally, after a week at Disney the last thing I want to do is get up at 5 the next day and go to work. It takes me at least a couple of days to make up for lost sleep and get all the laundry done!

If he changes his mind and his contract allows it, when you do go, don't post the details here or spread the news far and wide that you're going to Disney. That would be asking for trouble. Go, enjoy, then come home quietly and return to your routines without trumpeting where you've been!

Best post on this thread- thank you for the voice of reason, which can be hard to find on the disney addicted disboards.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I have also run into my students on a school day while in WDW, the most recent being this past late January. Both the mom & I took photos of me with the kids right in Tommowland.

I have a picture of DD riding Dumbo with her teacher. She's BEAMING from ear to ear, like it was some special secret thing that no other child ever got to do

That sounds cool. In first grade, my teacher took us to the movies one time. We got to see The Jungle Book 2. That was a few months before my first WDW trip.

 

[mebbradley]

I am student teaching, so not actually teaching..yet. But, I do know that things come up, and opportunities arise. We have 3 kids, and they are all great students and I will pull them out of school in a second if I need to. As for teachers, I say do what is best for your family. Family is always first. We are a military family and my DH does not always get to take leave during school holiday time. For instance, this past May, my kids missed the last 3 days of school for us to go to Disney because that is when my husband could take leave. If I were teaching then, I still would have asked for the time off. Our vacation was very important to us as my DH is leaving this Monday for a 1 year deployment.
Do what is right for your family. There will always be someone who disagrees. Some of my fellow students do not think I should have taken this past week off of school to be home with my DH before he leaves. I personally could care less what they think as none of them are military spouses and have no clue what it would be like to be separated for a year. Good luck getting your DH to take time off!!

I pretty much agree with this completly. I have had teachers who have been on maternity leave ALL year [yeah, whole other story], a teacher who got in a car accident and then to top it all off, a teacher who deployed to Iraq.

If while I am student teaching, my fiance gets told he is deploying...I will be spending time with him. Time off is time off. I don't think that it should matter what a teacher uses their time for.

 

[princessmom29]

I am a teacher and have no problem with OP taking a week of (my district won't allow it but more power to him it his will.

However, the above words just don't go together.

When the regular teacher is not there there is always a good amount of disruption to the classroom structure and learning. Just starting the day takes a ton more time with a sub. I would bet on a good day a child learns about half of what they would with their regular teacher.

Now is it going to kill the kids - NO

Will some parents get upset - YES

Is it tough for many professionals to leave knowing their students are learning less - YES

It is a question only the OP's husband can answer.

I don't think this is true everywhere. In DD's school all of the subs are retired teachers that still hold a certification. Most of them are former teachers at the school. They can run the classroom just as well as the teacher becuase they know the clasroom procedures. They ar consistent acroos gade level and these subs are in the building enough to know what to do. The same is true in my high school classroom. I only leave a compotent sub, and I meet with her to let her know where we are, what is going on, and what needs to be done. A well executed sub program means the kids are getting what they need.

 

[daisyduck123]

In DD's school all of the subs are retired teachers that still hold a certification. Most of them are former teachers at the school. They can run the classroom just as well as the teacher becuase they know the clasroom procedures.

My "Disney sub" for several years was my school's retired reading specialist. She was the person who had trained OUR ENTIRE SCHOOL (including me) on our reading program. I knew that my 1st graders were in good, no EXCELLENT hands.

 

[tinkerpea]

Wow totally disagree with EKW!!!!! Nobody has the right to tell you that you should not post on Dis boards about your holiday if you do manage to go in school time! I'm sure there are plenty of people that would be thrilled for you to sing it from the rooftops that your going to DISNEY no matter what time of yr! ...... I have no issues what so ever with a teacher taking a holiday when ever they can and when ever they can afford to! As a wife of a RAF intel instructor I fully sympathise we actually take our children out of school for a few wks every other yr to do a Disney trip ( go ahead Flame me) as we never know when the next free time will be that we can get 3 wks together booked in advance!!! My DH is actually an Intel Analyst but 2 yrs ago was picked up to be an intel instructor for the next 3 yrs, whilst he loves his job being a teacher our schedules that we had become used to very much changed lol teachers bring so much of there work home it never ends so if your Dh or any teacher for that matter gets the chance to go on any holiday that they can comfortably afford then Go For It I won't be talking about what a disgrace you are! I will be thinking how wonderful it is that you got to spend quality time away with your family after all a happy teacher will make for My happy child

 

[amym2]

This is one of the reasons I am so glad that our district just passed a "balanced calendar" for next year with 2 weeks off in October, 2 in December, and 2 in March. The teachers are so excited because they can actually vacation when it is not as expensive and the weather is better. I think we are going to have much less teacher burnout. I would have loved it when I was a teacher- a week for a break and a week to do some work. I can't imagine taking a week off as a teacher- it was tough being out more than a day. Just writing sub plans takes hours. I wouldn't mind if my kids' teachers took a week off, as long as they had a consistent sub who knew what they were doing.

 

[ilovefh]

My parents were both teachers and never took time off during the year.

Three years ago I went on my honeymoon during school. I took the 4 days off after Columbus Day. I used 3 personal days and 1 unpaid day. This was cleared through the school principal and the superintendent.

I was also out for 6 weeks last year when DS was born.

Other than that I haven't taken any time for a vacation.....yet. If we stay here I may take some time in the next few years because DH works for Disney. He has only been there a year so vacationing on school breaks is impossible without seniority.

I will be using one day this year for my sister's wedding in NH, but luckily we were able to plan her bridal shower during my spring break.

At my old school they were very clear that family came first. They understood that not everyone has the same time off. My coworker took a week long ski trip last March and got the okay from administration. I don't know about my new school yet. It is a first year principal and I am still getting to know her.

Someone in a supervisory role did say to me the other day "I cringe when I see pregnant teachers." I understand teacher absence plays a part in student achievement, but I wanted to explain to her how "planning" to have a baby isn't really a reality. Our "plan" arrived two years after we "planned" for him to arrive! Although I don't think she realized what she was saying when she said it. I think she just meant long absences are hard, just not the greatest choice of words. It did make me stop and think what she would be saying if DH and I are able to have another child though!

I think the opinion on teachers taking time off differs from district to district. I'd stick with your DH's feelings on this one. His district may really frown upon it.

 

[popej1]

I am a teacher, and I wouldn't want to mis a week unless it was absolutely necessary. I am taking one day right before a holiday break, but I wouldn't miss a whole week. It's hard enough getting work together for a sub when you are out because you are sick. I also feel like I would not be being fair to the kids. I'm not sure what the sub situation is like where you are, but I know the kids here don't do nearly as well for a sub as they do for me and there have been times the sub has completely disregarded my lesson plans for the day. For that to happen one day is frustrating but for a week could put you very far behind. I missed yesterday due to being sick and every time I am out I dread going back to see what happened while I was out.

 

[Macprincess]

I’m in the minority here but I do have a big problem with a teacher taking time off during the school year to go to Disney. I get that there are a multitude of reason a teacher may want or need to vacation during the school year. I also agree it’s none of my darn business what the teacher’s contract states about PTO. My issue is that my family is not extended the same courtesy by our school district. Until we are you better believe that this Mom is going to make a stink when a teacher can check out for a week to go visit Mickey and students can’t without huge consequences.

Yes, I have pulled my children from school to go on a Disney Cruise for a week. When my children missed school for this family vacation they were not allowed to collect missed work in advance or make it up upon return. They were given a zero for every assignment and test missed during our vacation. This had a profound effect on their grades. I elected to pull them anyway because they were in grade school. I knew that if policy in my district didn’t change this would not be possible once Middle School started. My kids need certain classes and grades in Middle School as pre-requisites for some High School classes. I guess we could have lied and told the school we were all sick but I’m not comfortable teaching my children to be dishonest.

Ironically that same year two of my children’s teachers took time off during the school year for family time. One was married that year and went on her honeymoon for a week. The other had a grandbaby born and took a total of three weeks off work that year to go visit the new grandchild in another state. I have no idea what these teacher’s contract are like or if this was paid time off. Both are still teaching at the same school so clearly it was approved time off.

My husband is in a line of work that requires him to work during traditional school holiday periods. Now that two of our three children are teens family vacations all together were going to be impossible if we had stayed in our local public schools. The attendance policy played a huge part in our decision to pull our children from public school and place them in private school. I know in my state this is more about the money a child generates by having their butt in the chair then it is about teaching a child. As long as my children come to school prepared, willing to learn and making good grades I really don’t think it’s the districts business to tell me when our family can take a vacation. However, they clearly disagree with me on this. It disturbs me greatly that a teacher in my district is able to vacation during the school year but a child’s grades and therefore future is in jeopardy if a family must vacation during the school year.

 

[kohlby]

It really depends on the circumstance. In my state, the subs only need a high school diploma. You can't expect them to do any teaching at all. In a friend's district in another state, all the subs are certified teachers! When I taught, I hated to miss any days and never would have taken off several days for vacation. (I did take off two days to travel to and run the Boston Marathon but there was no getting around that date and gave lots of notice). I used to teach high school math. If I was gone, then there wasn't learning taking place. I could get away with one day by leaving review work to go over the next day when I returned. But if it was two days, then the second day would be a waste spent doing busy work. Plus, upon my return, I had twice as much work to do to catch up, which isn't fun. Add in block scheduling where each math course was one semester for double periods, and there's absolutely no way I'd take even one vacation day unless there was no way around it.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I’m in the minority here but I do have a big problem with a teacher taking time off during the school year to go to Disney. I get that there are a multitude of reason a teacher may want or need to vacation during the school year. I also agree it’s none of my darn business what the teacher’s contract states about PTO. My issue is that my family is not extended the same courtesy by our school district. Until we are you better believe that this Mom is going to make a stink when a teacher can check out for a week to go visit Mickey and students can’t without huge consequences.

Yes, I have pulled my children from school to go on a Disney Cruise for a week. When my children missed school for this family vacation they were not allowed to collect missed work in advance or make it up upon return. They were given a zero for every assignment and test missed during our vacation. This had a profound effect on their grades. I elected to pull them anyway because they were in grade school. I knew that if policy in my district didn’t change this would not be possible once Middle School started. My kids need certain classes and grades in Middle School as pre-requisites for some High School classes. I guess we could have lied and told the school we were all sick but I’m not comfortable teaching my children to be dishonest.

Ironically that same year two of my children’s teachers took time off during the school year for family time. One was married that year and went on her honeymoon for a week. The other had a grandbaby born and took a total of three weeks off work that year to go visit the new grandchild in another state. I have no idea what these teacher’s contract are like or if this was paid time off. Both are still teaching at the same school so clearly it was approved time off.

My husband is in a line of work that requires him to work during traditional school holiday periods. Now that two of our three children are teens family vacations all together were going to be impossible if we had stayed in our local public schools. The attendance policy played a huge part in our decision to pull our children from public school and place them in private school. I know in my state this is more about the money a child generates by having their butt in the chair then it is about teaching a child. As long as my children come to school prepared, willing to learn and making good grades I really don’t think it’s the districts business to tell me when our family can take a vacation. However, they clearly disagree with me on this. It disturbs me greatly that a teacher in my district is able to vacation during the school year but a child’s grades and therefore future is in jeopardy if a family must vacation during the school year.

In this case I would be upset as well. I feel that students as well as teachers should be able to take time off without consequences mentioned in this post.

 

[burnurcomputer]

My advice? Go and have F-U-N!!!!!!!!!

 

[BLTby40]

When I started teaching we had great mentors. One story was of the woman who retired never having missed one day of school. She said, "I should have." Teachers need to take care of themselves (dentist, eye doctor) cultivate relationships with aging parents, and keep their own families in tact. A week is a lot to miss, and in a weird way, taking 2 months of leave (where the kids get used to someone else) is less disruptive than a week. It also matters if you know you'll a lot of missed days for children who are ill, or other circumstances. Last year I had a kid with asthma and an IEP (meetings, meetings, appointments), another getting ready for K (field trips, book buddies, exposure to new germs(, a hubby who was traveling more and a parent in hospice. I saw a lot of sick leave being used up (not good for students) so I bowed out and left the school system for a few years. We know when kids count on us. Another older teacher told me it isn't how long you are out, it is the # of occasions that the administrators notice. Every school is different, but if it stresses hubby out to be away from his students, it might not be worth the free dining, because he might not have as good a time. Can you get 10 day passes and stay at a value for 2 weeks over the summer instead?