Teacher Sabbaticals

A teacher sabbatical is that one right teachers should not disregard lightly. Nowadays the stress levels of teaching run high and teachers are now faced with more demands than ever.

The primary purpose of a sabbatical is to engage in academic work, research, or other purposes that will increase the individual's competence in a subject area or give further professional growth and will ultimately, contribute to the improvement of the school. The idea behind a sabbatical is that such experiences will enhance the competence of the teacher to make himself or herself more productive in the classroom.

Here are a few important questions that should be asked regarding the nature of sabbaticals.

Are you in a school district that allows a sabbatical leave?
Are you guaranteed your teaching job upon your return?
Do you run the risk in being moved to teaching a different grade or school upon your return?
Do you have to return the sabbatical money upon your return?
Is one year enough or do you want (or need) a longer leave of absence?
What is your purpose in taking a sabbatical?
Do you see the value in taking a sabbatical?

Here are a few issues to help time and plan your sabbatical without a bag full of unexpected worries.