Only Adults Dawn 2/10/05 Can't Be!

[jfishe]

"If a teacher can't schedule their vacation in the 9-12 weeks we typically have off per year, and leaves their students so they can vacation cheaply for a whole week, I'd call that irresponsible. "

Wow - I'm not sure what your teacher's salaries are, but all of my son's teachers have summer jobs to help make ends meet. I have no issues with substitute teachers... happens all the time in college. And in real life... bosses change too.

[Girlsnightout]

Average teachers salary is about 70K, and that's usually the second income in the family, it's an overwhelmingly female profession. It's one of the highest paying districts in the country...and I have no problem with subs either, for a day, not a week, I was one once. A substitute does not necessarily have a mastery of the subject matter, experience teaching that particular subject or lesson plans. If it were that easy there wouldn't be so many requirements and credentials for teachers, I'm still going to school. A boss is not the same as a teacher. Sheesh!

 

 

I only know 1 or 2 teachers with summer jobs.

[breeding]

Average teachers salary is about 70K

 

I only know 1 or 2 teachers with summer jobs.

 

Wow - Don't tell our teachers they will all move to wherever you are at. I don't know any that earn that much except the Superintendant. All the teachers I know, and I know a lot all the way from Kindergarten teachers to College Professors in many different school districts and they all have some kind of supplemental income in the summer. I also know a lot of teachers that are married to teachers.

[Girlsnightout]

it's one the highest if not the highest in the country, and don't think I'm not grateful for the hours, I worked in the private sector for nearly 10 years before going into teaching. I could have made more money had I stayed where I was, but that wasn't my top priority.

 

Look, if high income and taking vacation when the mood strikes is the main goal, then become a doctor or a lawyer. After getting a BA, MA, 6th year, continuing education and an internship to be a teacher, a person could have finished med or law school. Hopefully that's not why teachers choose their profession.

 

In addition to myself, there are 2 teachers, a college professor and a college administrator in the family, and none of us works summers or second jobs. They use their ample time off to travel (or go back to school!).

 

Oh, and by the way, we're looking for a middle school principal. The pay is between 155K and 190K depending on experience. Interested?;)

[cruzinrn]

FrankieSayRelax;Didn't exactly mean that only teacher members of my family have taken sick days for vacation. I Just know of teachers in general. I am a taxpayer also and some of the adjunct teachers step in an do a wonderful job educating children. It is all in the lesson plan and sometimes children learn different methods of application that suits them whether it be their teacher or another. No one said it should be a free for all while the teacher is out.

 

Many teachers lose accumulated time off if it is not taken for whatever reason!:) I reinforce learning everynight with my children and do not just rely on the system no matter how good it may be.

 

This is what makes the world go round. I wish I could delete this thread. It turned into nonsense and judgemental perceptions. This web is supposed to be informative on cruises and a way to meet and greet those who will be cruisemates on wonderful journeys.

[ALIASapoFan]

Average teachers salary is about 70K, and that's usually the second income in the family, it's an overwhelmingly female profession. It's one of the highest paying districts in the country...and I have no problem with subs either, for a day, not a week, I was one once. A substitute does not necessarily have a mastery of the subject matter, experience teaching that particular subject or lesson plans. If it were that easy there wouldn't be so many requirements and credentials for teachers, I'm still going to school. A boss is not the same as a teacher. Sheesh!

 

 

I only know 1 or 2 teachers with summer jobs.

 

I am just curious where this is. I have never known teachers to make this amount of money. If that were the case, I would think that we wouldn't hear stories upon stories of how teachers are underpaid for what they do.

 

I am not sure how I would feel if my dd's teacher was out for a week to go on vacation. I guess it would depend on the substitute's ability. My neigbor's son has a substitute because his teacher is on maternity leave and the sub is better than the regular teacher.

 

I can't judge anyone for the choices they make. Nor should anyone else.

 

Edited to add:

 

I was really curious about salary for this field, so, according to Monster.com the average salary in the US for an elementary teacher is $45,221. Interesting.

[TWA4Ever]

Average teachers salary is about 70K ... It's one of the highest paying districts in the country.

 

Middle Country School District?

[lovemylife]

We also reinforce learning at home, school takes precedence over everything else in our family. However, my kids teacher spends more hours a day with them than I do, (my kids are in bed usually asleep by 8pm) and they rely on them.A wonderful teacher can not be replaced by a sub, I disagree that it's all in the lesson plans.

 

My kids have been blessed by some truly gifted teachers, who make learning exciting , fun, and interesting.

 

I'm sorry this is taking the pleasure out of your cruise, if I were you, I would stop responding to this thread, and find one you enjoy. Just because you start a topic doesn't mean you have to continue to read it. Some people enjoy debate,(I married into a family of world-class debaters) if this is upsetting you, move on and have a great time on your cruise!!!!

[ALIASapoFan]

Very well-spoken lovemylife. I agree with all your comments!

[cruzinrn]

My daughter had a very wonderful sub. teacher who was out on leave for a week or two and she created a lovely bond with another teacher who has sinced became a teacher for the following grade. She can't wait to possibly be in her class next year. I feel it is the personality of the child and teacher whether they will bond and have a great learning experience. I have a friend that says her son and his teacher do not have the best relationship, learning wise. He has needed others to assist in different learning techniques so that he could comprehend the information and apply it. Not every teacher can master the best techniques for each individual child's learning needs. We only hope that our children do. Stating opinions is wonderful in my book as long as it is not patronizing and condescending. No one appreciates that. Remember we are all supposed to be cruisemates.:)

[Girlsnightout]

Alia, I'm hesitent to post the school district where I work on the worldwideweb, but trust me, that is the average. My SIL, who works in a nearby town, makes 85K. She's been teaching for 25 years. I'm sure you can figure it out if you do enough searches.. the starting salary with only a BA is 40,400. Then again, the average household income in the particular area I'm talking about is very high, almost 190K, as is the average home price, so we have to pay teachers enough to live here.

 

I also agree with Lovemylife, very well said.

 

And cruznrn, I'm sure your daughters LONGTERM sub was wonderful. She had to interview for the position just as though it were a permanent position and she had to be certified. That is the normal protocol for replacing a teacher out for an extended time, like maternity leave. That is not what happens when the teacher goes on a cruise. The children won't be damaged, I just think that it's highly irresponsible of the teacher to take off for vacation, especially when they only work approximately 39 weeks a year. I'm not being judgmental, just stating my opinion, like everyone else here.

 

Teachers know the school calender when they choose their path. If that's a problem for them, they ought to find another career, perhaps one where they are expected to work 50 weeks. Just my opinion. I love my job and the hours are a wonderful fringe benefit, especially coming from the corporate world. Again, I responded to the question with the reason I felt that there wouldn't be many kids onboard, and I stand by that theory.

 

I personally like to hear all opinions.:)

[cruzinrn]

I personally agree with the fact that teachers are off all summer and they should take vacation during that period if it permits. They do owe that to the children. But on the other hand, there are some teachers that need to work 2 jobs to make ends meat and also have significant others that may not be able to go on vacation during the summer months or holidays. I do understand that they are human just like myself. Holidays are out for me because I only get one a year and it is usually July 4. My hubby can't take off in the summer for any reason. This is why we usually compromise a family vacation sometime in the winter.

Too bad it is not just a perfect world and we can have everything we want and deserve from ourselves and others at all times. It never works this way even though we are tax payers in the world of the red, white and blue! Then again, no one would be content with that either.

[ALIASapoFan]

Girlsnight, gosh, I didn't really want you to post your school district, so I am glad you didn't! :) I am very glad to hear that teachers are paid well by you. More places should pay their teachers more. It is such an important job!

 

I would have to say that I lean more towards thinking that a teacher should take vacation over the summer months or a school holiday also. You all made very good points for why that is important. However, I won't judge a teacher here who made a different choice, you know? I'm not saying anyone is judging anyone, but it is easy to sound that way when you are just reading words and not hearing tone.

 

Anyway, very interesting topic everyone!

[Girlsnightout]

I just got a very timely phone call, one of my friends, who is a teacher, just called to tell me her husband, who is also a teacher, just got a job in another school district with different vacation time. They rented a condo to ski for Feb. vacation, and had a cruise booked for April. My kids and I are going skiing with her and her son in Feb., and her H cancelled his booking for the cruise, just she and her son are going. So, even though he had all these plans and already spent the money, he's not going to go on vacation. Those are the breaks, and I guess that goes to show you what sacrifices he's going to make for his job.

 

On the other hand, I just figured out what I'm doing over presidents week, which worked out great for me - my H doesn't have as much time off so he wasn't going to take any time then anyhow. Now I get to go skiing, yippee!:D

[kitty9]

No one has the right to tell a parent whether or not taking kids out of school is right or wrong because it's a parental decision. My own opinion as a former teacher is that I'm not for it, personally. But each parent has to decide the merits on their own.

 

As to the person who said they take a week off for a cruise, and they're a teacher, I don't know how you can do that. I was the head of the teacher contract negotiating team for Milwaukee Public Schools for 9 years and I can tell you, if any teacher, who wasn't an 11 month employee (yes, there are such teachers in Milwaukee) took off a week for a cruise, they would be brought up on misconduct charges, put through a nasty school board hearing, and probably fired. In many districts you can be asked to produce a doctor's letter if you're more than 3 days absent in a row. Also, the starting salary in Mil is a mere $29,800 and the average salary is around $43,000. Pretty bad for a tough, urban district.

 

As to the OP, the general rule of thumb is: the longer the cruise, the older the passengers. While there may be some kids on board during your cruise, it won't be nearly as many as when the schools are out. We did a 10 day cruise last March and there were exactly 4 kids on board, out of 1900 passengers, and only one was school age---7.

[cruzinrn]

Well, hopefully there will be more than 4, but if not that's okay too. We'll have more family time, which is much needed and deserved.

 

Last winter we went on a 7 day and there were hundreds of kids, probably too many. I guess you are probably right there will be less since the kids would have to miss 7 days of school for the 10 night sailing. The way I look at it the same way you do. It is a parental decision. And I also know that my kids won't miss out on any learning because I already have most of the school work completed, so she is a leap ahead of her classmates already.

 

It looks as if I'm the only one that knows of teachers that don't sacrifice for their students and do take vacation time. That is a shame. Some of them are excellent teachers, even more so than the ones that never take off.

Keep cruisin,

Sharon

[Dolphins]

I assume from some of the previous posts that teachers, who work only 180 days a year, are entitled to take time off when school is in session to take a cruise? As for the parents who feel it is their right to take their children out of school to go on a cruise, it is my humble opinion that aiding and abetting truancy is hardly setting a good example for their children. Since children are off from school 10 weeks in the summer and additional weeks at Christmas, mid-winter recess (President's week) and Easter week, is it really necessary to take them on a cruise when school is in session?

[Girlsnightout]

not necessary, just a commentary on the entitlement attitude that is becoming pervasive....As an example, all public schools have busses for children to take, but only half the children take them, preferring to sleep later and have mommy drive them to school, or not wanting to stand in the cold, etc. This creates tremendous traffic jams and back-ups, not to mention lots of work for the school secretaries who have to write up all those late passes and the teachers who must repeat whatever the tardy students missed...the parents are asked repeatedly to please have their children ride the busses, but most are too selfish to think of the problems doing what suits them causes.....:(

[cruzinrn]

This thread began as a role call for any children sailing but turned into children should not be allowed to sail during school session. If that were the case, no one would would be on any sailings except for christmas or the summer. My children do not get president's week off. I've never heard of president's week vacation until these boards. My children only get 3 days off for Easter spring break, unlike some other districts that get a week or 2. I don't make judgement on anyones behalf for making parental decisions, as you do. For all you know I could be home schooling my children. So labeling this as misplaced priorities is a little rude. Also judging people in general is rude. There will come a day for judgement and I'll leave that to the big man upstairs. I am not on roles calls trying to find out who is calling in sick at work or school to go on this cruise or to tell people they should be ashamed of themselves for going. I'm merely asking are there any other children that are coming. And there are. I've had some people actually just answer the role call. I probably should have posted the questions in role call rather than family cruising. I hardly consider taking children on a cruise that can be considered educational and conducive to learning (it's what you make it) or spending quality time with my husband and kids any type of truancy. Not everyone has the perfect life and can take a family vacation during school break. Listen to yourself, you may as well send the truancy police on board. Actually I am glad that my daughter will not be in school that week. There is a terrible flu and virus going around at this time. She has had 1/2 the school out with illness this week. They were even considering closing the school next week to decontaminate. Wow, that would be perfect, not only will she already be ahead of the game with her school work, she won't even be counted absent. I guess you will not be taking any children on board. Or do you even have children?:)

[Girlsnightout]

to the problem of overcrowded, expensive, vacation weeks would be staggered vacations....I've been wishing for years that school districts would take different vacation weeks. Even if you take your kids out of school when they are younger, which, granted, is easy to do, you'll probably not want to do it when they are in high school, because it's so difficult for the child to catch-up....If only administration would wake-up and realize that having common vacation time encourages removing kids from school, we'd all be a lot happier!;)

[cruzinrn]

not necessary, just a commentary on the entitlement attitude that is becoming pervasive....As an example, all public schools have busses for children to take, but only half the children take them, preferring to sleep later and have mommy drive them to school, or not wanting to stand in the cold, etc. This creates tremendous traffic jams and back-ups, not to mention lots of work for the school secretaries who have to write up all those late passes and the teachers who must repeat whatever the tardy students missed...the parents are asked repeatedly to please have their children ride the busses, but most are too selfish to think of the problems doing what suits them causes.....:(

 

Well girlsnightout, we meet again. I guess you didn't choose carnival? I just have to say that my school district must be a total screw up. Teachers take vacation, parents take kids out of school for vacation, parents are allowed to drive their kids to school, etc. As far as the busing situation goes, I've had my share of problems with busing. Our district contracts the busing to companies. There was a major problem for the first 2 months of school and the kids were over an hour late or never getting picked up due to the bus. The school had to go to court to get rid of them and void the contract. The background of some of the drivers were even questioned. Another district close by even had a driver fired and went to court and was charged with child endangerment and that was not just for his careless driving either. To make matters worse, last year my daughter's bus driver let her off and she has to cross the street to go to our house. Normally the bus driver opens the door lets her out and she crosses. As my daughter started to cross and come to me. The bus driver started to go. Luckily she was nine and knew to jump back as fast as she could. The bus almost ran her over!!!! And now with the snow and icy roads, I drive them to school when I can. Especially when the buses have to travel the back roads to pick up the other kids. So when I can I take them to school. I know anything can happen whether I drive or the bus driver, but I feel safer when it's me. That is why I take them whenever possible. But I don't make them late. I don't agree with tardiness just because they did not make the bus. We also have a certain designated area at the school for drop off. So anyone can take their kids to school by car. It doesn't make traffic jams or make it difficult for anyone. I guess every district is different.

[cruzinrn]

to the problem of overcrowded, expensive, vacation weeks would be staggered vacations....I've been wishing for years that school districts would take different vacation weeks. Even if you take your kids out of school when they are younger, which, granted, is easy to do, you'll probably not want to do it when they are in high school, because it's so difficult for the child to catch-up....If only administration would wake-up and realize that having common vacation time encourages removing kids from school, we'd all be a lot happier!;)

 

My sediments exactly!! Yes and you are right it is easier when they are younger. I just mentioned that to my husband last night about maybe not doing it as they get older. I guess it would depend on how well they are doing and how much work it would be. I would never ever take my kids out if it would jeopardize them academically. :)

[cruzinrn]

Wow, I typed too much. I think I'll lay low for awhile and go to work or pack. I haven't started at all yet. Hey guys, I'm really not upset with you at all. I'm too happy about going on the cruise to be mad. I don't hold grudges even if I don't agree with the opinions. That is what makes the world go round.

 

Happy cruizin!:)

[abbyndrewmom]

to the problem of overcrowded, expensive, vacation weeks would be staggered vacations....I've been wishing for years that school districts would take different vacation weeks. Even if you take your kids out of school when they are younger, which, granted, is easy to do, you'll probably not want to do it when they are in high school, because it's so difficult for the child to catch-up....If only administration would wake-up and realize that having common vacation time encourages removing kids from school, we'd all be a lot happier!;)

 

I agree too!!! My Dh is a teacher and I am a travel agent. You would not believe the deals we have to pass up because he would never even dream of taking time away from school during the year nor would he have a job when he got back!!!

 

A local high school had the kids go back 1 week early in August and then took a week off in November. I thought this was a great idea!! My Dh is talking to his principal in hopes that his school might do something similiar next year.

[gregandamy]

I'm taking my 7 yr. old out of school and his teacher is excited about it. She actually didn't want to give him homework, we're going to have him write a daily journal instead.

 

Yes, cruzinrn, we're on the Dawn 2/10.