Washington's Supreme Court says a Spanish teacher who tried to do his school district a favor by quitting early -- instead of in the middle of the school year -- was not entitled to unemployment pay.

Robert Campbell taught in University Place for six years before his wife learned she had won a Fulbright grant to study in Finland in 2011. Campbell asked for a leave of absence so he and the couple's 3-year-old daughter could go along, but the district denied it.

So Campbell had two options: He could quit in June 2010, giving the district time to hire someone else before the next school year, or he could quit in the middle of the school year. He chose the former.

The state denied him unemployment benefits, saying that to be eligible in such circumstances, people must stay in their job as long as reasonably possible before following their spouses. The court unanimously upheld the decision.