Should I Take a Sabbatical?

'selfishly inconveniencing' your school to have a life-changing memory-making amazing adventure that will enrich your family immeasurably?

um.

khairete
S.

I think these are great years to cement things with kids this age, especially if you feel at least one of the kids needs a "reset." I'm not sure if part of the problem (or better: limitation) of your school is that it's so small that you're the only 8th grade teacher and so both your kids are in your class. I'm not sure what you mean about "no prep here" for college. Do you mean that the school is so small that there are no AP classes or SAT prep? Or something else? I don't think college is the only post-high-school route for kids, and I think we've come to put so much emphasis on it that we devalue people who work with their hands, whether it's tradespeople or artists or musicians. But if your school offers few opportunities, then it would be great if you could provide them.

What do you mean by "selfishly inconveniencing" your school? Is it hard for them to get qualified teachers? I taught in 2 small private schools, and it was hard for them to put together full time jobs due to tuition constraints, the need for scholarships, etc., so I get that. But I also wonder if there are other reasons they may have trouble filling the job. Or do you mean that it's mid-April already, and most schools have gotten far in their hiring for next September, and you're putting your school at a disadvantage by thinking of this now? Or is it because it would only be for 1 year and then you want your job back?

So expanding the kids' horizons is a good thing. Taking time for yourself as a professional is a good thing. I am not sure it's really considered a sabbatical after only 6 years (interesting that you have tenure already) or if you don't spend more than 2 months of it working on professional development. Perhaps it's more of a "leave of absence" and not necessarily for advanced study. That doesn't mean it's a bad thing, but it means it matters how you word it.

I think discussing it with colleagues can be good for perspective, but bad because it's going to get back to the administration, who might not be pleased to hear about it through back channels. And that will put it well into May, further limiting their options and lead time.

But I also sense that you feel your child needs you. That's what you should focus on. But you have to give your child (both children, really) the advantages of that kind of individualized instruction. If you're going to travel, can you take them? Maybe not for all of it, since you need some adult time for scholarship and maybe a personal reset. But perhaps for some good chunks of time? These years go quickly, and then the kids are gone - it would be great to make memories and change up the structure and enhance the bonding.

Some of our Mamapedia members home school, and they have filled their kids' lives with experiences of a lifetime: learning in the real environment, experiencing new places and cultures and even languages, and showing them that education takes many forms. But this means lesson plans and a curriculum, and a plan for activities and socializing things too, which I'm sure you realize as an experienced teacher.

If you need to do this right now, then I say to do it, to give your colleagues and the administration the most time to adjust, which would reduce resentment. Figure out how you're going to phrase it that you really want to come back vs. if you maybe might come back if you get recharged and don't get a better offer or situation. You need to leave with them still loving you if you want a good re-entry and good references if you don't return.

If you feel you aren't quite ready, then you may have to give it a year to really plan out all of it - priorities, lesson plans, itineraries, etc.. That means, though, that your kid(s) can manage another year as is. If you're getting into risky years (behavior, depression, whatever) and your kid needs a better situation, I wouldn't wait, and I'd trust that my teaching experience would carry forward to new situations.

It’s a great opportunity. What’s more important is how you feel about it. Are you excited about doing this adventure for a year? Do you need a break? If the answer is yes, go for it.

My kids and I have learned so much living in New England for a year, so much history. It is also a much deserved break and quality time with your children.

Your school can find a temporary fill for the year. Take your sabbatical. A Happy teacher equals happy students.

Will you have your job when you get back? Is it normal to take a sabbatical where you work? When my husband was a professor it was normal after teaching 7 years, but you had to apply for it and get the sabbatical approved. If you can get your sabbatical officially approved by the school you work at, then YES you should do it!

I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud or tell you not to do it, but proceed carefully since sabbatical leave is not just time off. Make sure you have checked the guidelines of leave. In my area, it has to be approved by the board or superintendent. It also has to be something that is approved coursework, resident study, or travel that specifically is deemed to improve your job or the school system. You have to prepare a plan, submit it for approval, stick to it, and not modify it without prior consent. At some places, you have to present what you did when you return to make sure it satisfies the approved plan. Also, since you are still receiving pay/benefits, then you have to comply or face returning what you were compensated during that time. You may not return to the exact job you had either, and you are generally required to commit to at least another year of contractual employment once you return.

Go for it, if you can (meaning, you get the necessary encouragement and approvals for it, and you know you can come back to your job), life is short. It's only two months. Do you even teach during that time? If not, it would not even affect your students, or inconvenience the other teachers in the department. I have a friend who is a college professor, he took a year sabbatical and had no issues, he came back to his job and everything proceeded like normal. His students just took other courses and waited for him to return. Another friend takes time off to teach in foreign countries during the summer, then comes back to teach here in South Florida. He is very sought after and his classes fill up like crazy upon his return. Some professors take sabbaticals to publish articles or books, or to do research for articles or books, so the schools have no issue or encourage the professors to do so, because they want to have a widely published professor on board. If you're a high school teacher, I am sure they have other teachers for the same subject and grade level that can fill in for you...when I went to high school, there were at least 4-5 teachers for each subject. I would first ask the principal if it's okay, and what the next steps for approval are, as well as the repercussions (if any) for taking a sabbatical, so you can decide whether or not you want to proceed. Doing this during the summer, as someone else below suggested, might not be a bad idea, especially if the principal is hesitant or tells you that there is no guarantee of still having your job when you return.

So is the main concern how your employer will view your decision and whether this will affect your job/career (security)?

Do you know anyone else who has done something like it that you can talk to?

Here, we have the odd teacher who has done this - or half a year (which is much worse in my opinion, for the kiddos). Usually they do it when they've been there longer than 6 years (more towards the end of their careers).

You don't mention why your kiddo needs you to homeschool, but if you can swing it, and your child benefits (I'm assuming your older one will too), then there's your answer. Provided you know people from your school who have done this, and it hasn't affected their career.

I agree with B though. If you could do the trip/spend time with your sons over the summer, maybe that would be enough? Do you need the full year?

I wouldn't do it but then I'm not a big risk taker.
If you're in a rut after only 6 years how are you going to get 30+ years in?
Perhaps you don't love your job as much as you think you do - you sound kind of bored with it.
Also your 8th grader is getting closer to high school and then college after that.
He needs to prepare and start taking practice SAT tests - that starts in 9th grade.
It's not a matter of inconveniencing your school - some places swap teachers in and out quite easily - but they might figure out that they can do without you without any hardship and they might not put you in the same position when you get back.
Can't you do your 2 month trip over summer break?

If you were in the same School district that I am I would say no way. We are shorthanded and desperate for anyone qualified. (I am one of 3 filling the shoes of 7)
I think you should start by talking things over with your coworkers. See if it's possible for your classes to be covered without too much of an issue.. Then decide if you should or not

I would use the same words you did in this post. Getting time away to spend with your kids is invaluable. You would probably treasure these moments in years to come. It only goes by one time around

I hope you'll come back and update us. I note that some posters are thinking you're talking about a two-month break but you're talking about a full school year of work that you would take off.

I wanted to reiterate what some have mentioned below: If this is an official "sabbatical" you need to work with whatever system for approving sabbaticals your employer uses. I'm not clear on whether what you propose would be an official sabbatical for your work -- which likely would require you to produce some proof of what you studied, with whom, where, etc., or write up your studies -- or a year of leave, which likely wouldn't have the same standards for showing your employer evidence of academic work done. In our schools you could do a year off but if you called it a sabbatical for academic purposes, you'd need to document those purposes in specific ways.

I'm just saying: Be clear with your employer why you want a year off and what you would do with the time. I think that if the main purpose is to home-school your child (and it sounds like, in terms of time, that would be the main reason for 12 months off, if only two of the 12 are for work-related travel and study) -- then you aren't asking for an academic "sabbatical" but for leave. Many school systems do want to keep teachers happy and prevent burnout, so go for it either way if you have tenure that means you are allowed time off at this point.

One big question I have, though -- If you're talking about next school year, that's very close; it's already mid-April and in our schools it likely would be too late for a teacher to request the next year off with any guarantees of returning to the same position in the same place. If you haven't officially looked into this or made the request you may need to do so ASAP or be denied on grounds that you didn't do it early enough for the school to plan appropriately for your absence. Of course that may not be the case in your particular school or school system but I really would not wait another day before making an official request. And be prepared to hear that you might or might not get to return to your same school or same position when you come back. Are you OK with that possibility?

Regarding your kids, consider that if you feel your child needs a reset and it requires you to home-school, it's wonderful if you can do that, but have you home-schooled before? Your state will have regulations about home-schooling and you will have to find those out and follow them; in many places, a parent can't necessarily pull a child out and say "I'm home-schooling." The parent has to produce evidence of actual schooling, document the curriculum, etc. (at least in our area). Have you researched that?

Another thing to consider well: Is one year of home-schooling going to achieve whatever you and your child need it to achieve? If you do one year at home, it's possible you're going to find that you need to do another, or conversely, that you need to return your child to school if you both find home-schooling doesn't work out as planned. Are you ready for those possibilities? As someone below said, your kid who will be in 8th grade next year will be heading into high school after that; if you plan for your child to do 8th with you at home but go into HS from there, are you looking at finding a home-schooling group, classes for home-schooled kids, teachers who can handle subjects you can't but which your child needs to have to be ready for HS, etc.?

I'm not here to dissuade you; I'm just not clear on whether you've considered the many factors like those.

Your child does not have to be college-bound to need a very solid preparation for high school courses. And many pursuits that don't require college DO still require a good HS education, decent grades in HS, etc.. (Friend's son is "in the trades" and would not have gotten into a great, intensive auto mechanic program if not for doing well in HS and showing a lot of initiative.) I'm a little concerned that as a teacher you're quick to say your kids aren't college material when one isn't even in HS yet -- things can change a lot in HS and I hope you're open to it if they do want to try things you and they don't yet foresee....