This is my exact thought as well. The principal barely knows you and you're asking to leave school for a vacation.
Yeah. This might be a question best reserved for better understanding of school culture. Would they think nothing of you requesting a couple of unpaid days to take a vacation because, hey, vacations are really nice? Or do they prefer teachers reserve that sort of thing and you're making yourself look bad? Culture check needed.
Can you really think of any school or place of business where it would be cool to ask for a vacation within the first 8 weeks of employment? Especially since the ask is within first few weeks of employment?
No, not really. I keep forgetting OP is brand-new to the school. Depending on the culture of the school, a teacher with a few more years under her belt might have the clout to ask for one... even, yes, at the beginning of the year.
I'm glad this worked out for you. It sounds like you work for an amazing district. Going on a trip during the school year is really frowned on in my district. For example, a coworker tried to take three days off for her step-daughter's destination wedding. She was new and only had two personal days. She was willing to take a day without pay. This special request was denied because if they approved it, it would set a bad precedent. She ended just calling off for the day before the wedding and flying back immediately. To add to this stressful trip, she came back with a bug and was really sick at work. She never got in trouble for calling off that day. However, she made sure no pictures were on social media and didn't tell anyone about it. I have a chance to also go on an almost free trip this school year. Now, I have four personal days and over 80 sick days. If it pans out, I will probably run it past my principal before filling out the paper work. If it is during state testing or around a holiday, I know that I will not be able to go. In 20 plus years of teaching, I've never gone on a trip longer than three days during the school year. I would just prefer to go in the summer.
Hijacking for personal reasons. I just found out my husband's boss has offered to fly me out to L.A. for his next business trip. This would be three days out of school for me, before conferences (which I'd be back for). Now, I made it clear I have little issue with teacher vacations, but, three days off before conferences. Thoughts?
For me, conferences wouldn't have anything to do with it... aside from feeling like I'm under too much stress to travel given that the days before conferences are always so busy with report cards. For me, again, it would be dependent on how I felt about the school and the signals I've picked up from administrators. At my last school, I took three days off towards the end of the year to go on vacation... but I was already one foot out the door. I knew I wasn't returning to that school. They knew I wasn't returning. I didn't need a sub for my position either. At my current school, I'd never take more than one day off for a vacation. I like this school and want to stay here. My admin would think less of me for even asking, so I just wouldn't do it.
If you definitely know you have personal time that can be used (and not questioned) then use it. I personally only get 2 personal days so I wouldn't be able to do it but if I had 3 I would.
As long as it isn't frequent, it wouldn't hurt to ask nicely. You could say," I understand if I can't" but I have an opportunity to go to so and so. If they say yes, it's their problem. If they say no, then we have the answer. A boss, especially a principal needs to have good boundaries of saying "yes or no" for these types of things. There shouldn't be anything in between. If the principal says yes, the teacher shouldn't feel any guilt.
I officially have it approved. I agree it should be a simple yes or no. Yes with seething resentment is bad management.
My principal will take a few days or even a week off here and there. Teaching is a stressful job, even though we get summers off, a lot don't understand that we need to check out here and there a take several days off, or we still have to take vacations, even if it's not in the summer. If I ran a school, I would say, "you get 12 days off per year that are included in your pay and no questions asked, just make sure you have a sub lined up unless you get ill unexpectedly" Long term leave with illness would be allowed too with human resources to set up pay and such.
I love your no questions asked line. My school is technically like that since ours is just a PTO bucket, but I have a bad habit of giving too many details they probably don't care about. I totally understand wanting to keep teachers in the classroom, but I also feel that a little bit of trust goes a long way to hardworking employees. I think it's good morale to offer a few days' off without drama.
Admin take their vacations throughout the year because they have more personal days and no summer vacation. They wouldn't want them to be away for weeks in the summer.
This is true for some, but definitely not all. Ours takes the occasional day (usually only for major events, like a graduation or visiting family over a weekend...otherwise usually for health reasons), and instead takes the majority of the time during summer -- usually during July, when the prep isn't fully happening yet and the previous year has been wrapped up. Doing so allows there to be as little interruption as possible throughout the year.
Our P would tell us not to even take a day off, that what Summer Vacation was for. Administration was horrible.
