There is a charter school that opened here and I hear they frequently are in need of teachers. I know what a charter school is, but that's about it. What's it like teaching at a charter school? Any opinions on them (I don't plan to send my kids there)? This charter school has the students wear uniforms. I don't know if that is normal or not, but I don't have a problem with it considering I used to teach public school that had uniforms. So give me all your knowledge on charter schools. Please...and thank you!
My DH just spoke with a woman that works at a charter school. She said that the teachers all LOVE it there, and the atmosphere is really supportive and positive. I know not all charter schools are like that. Some have longer hours, unsupportive admin, etc. Just like public schools, there are good and bad schools.
I'm in my second year at a charter school. Our school year is about 2 weeks longer than the regular public school districts in our area and our school day is about an hour and a half longer. We also have quite a bit more required professional development outside of school hours than the teachers in the other area schools. That said, I really like it there. It's a public school, so we have to teach the state standards and our students take the state tests just like in all of the other public schools in MA, but because we're our own district (not part of the city we're located in), we're able to choose our own curriculum and a lot of it is teacher-developed. We write our own units of study based on the state standards in most subject areas, which gives us a lot of freedom, but it's also a lot more work than being given curriculum guides and books to follow. Our pay is also the same as the other local districts, but considering we work almost 10 more required hours a week than those teachers (not taking coming in early or staying late into account) the pay really isn't equivalent. Anyway, that's my experience at the charter school where I work. They're really all pretty different.
The one thing I've noticed in particular about my charter school is that the state achievement and graduation tests are life and death matters. Ohio has started to pull the charters from schools state rates them in academic emergency three years in a row and, for two of those three years, students perform below expectations on a new measure called ''value-added.'' My school is not anywhere near this level, but enough schools are closing that we keep a close watch on our scores.
It's true. Test scores are huge for us too (although they kind of are in all public schools in the state anyway). There's always the threat of the charter not being renewed if the school isn't meeting AYP.
I know of some really great charter schools. However, I also know of many schools, primarily in and around large underperforming districts (I'm from the Detroit area), that basically exist as an alternative school for kids who arent making it in their public school. This can be a great thing. But without really, really good administrative support and parental involvement, kids who weren't making it in public school arent going to fare better in a charter school. My sister was in a charter in Detroit that ended up being filled with kids who were expelled from DPS schools. There was no coherent plan to get this kids back on track and undo the damage so it was a pretty scary and sad place to be. She now teaches at a charter that was created for students who wanted to focus on arts and she LOVES it. So I would say research the school itself and talk to some parents if you can. They are all different!
Charter schools have a tendency to have longer days and longer school years. I'm in one charter school where the school year is one month longer and we work one hour and a half longer also. You are also expected to do after school duties, which makes the days longer, and working hours can be changed according to the needs of the school. On the other hand, the environment is very supportive, friendly, and there is access to any needed resources. Most of the teachers don't have kids so it works fine for them. I think it would be difficult for teachers who have a family. I've also worked at a regular public school and although the environment may not be as supportive, the amount of working hours is less, better benefits, and there is protection from the union. I don't think Charter schools are for everyone. I myself struggle with the hours.
From the research I have done I have seen that the school hours for the students are the same. I would talk to the teachers at the school I sub at, but the few that have talked about the charter school have had nothing but negative things to say. I know that when the charter opened, they lost a Sped teacher to the charter and some students to the charter school. This is the first year the charter school has been in operation and I haven't heard anything really positive which also makes me hesistate about applying there. I heard the majority of the teachers are supposed to be student teaching but were hired to teach at the charter so they are not all certified. I know also that some kids went to the charter school only to come back to the public school, and that is a second reason I hesistate. I had no idea that they might work longer hours after the school day than a public school. I checked the calendar and the days they are in school and get out of school align with the public school. So they follow the same calendar for the most part.
Try looking up the school on greatschools.net, a site where teachers, parents and students can write reviews about any school. They also compile information on test scores, demographics, etc. Some charter schools are also part of a parent organization (Imagine schools, National Heritage Academies, etc.), so you could research those organizations if that's the case for this school. Also, many of these schools are chartered by a university or foundation. If you can find out who chartered the school you could do research that way too. Because my sisters and friends have had such a range of horrible/great experiences working at charter schools, I would definitely advocate finding out as much as you can about the specific school.
I'm at a charter school. I'm sure every charter is different, but my assumption is that with charter schools, experiences are going to vary widely. My school is very odd: Classes go on from 7am-7pm. I teach from 11:30-6pm. No teacher has their own classroom, some stay in one place and share theirs, some (like myself) are in a different room each period. We meet in two next-door buildings, some rented office spaces and a church. There's about 500 students and we're in our 4th year as a school. I actually get paid about 5% more than regular LAUSD scale, but since I feel like I have to deal with way more stress and chaos than normal, I figure that makes up for it. Charters can be nice and more personal and teachers/parents have a greater say how the school is run, but there is less organization with everything and sometimes that is difficult.
I've never worked at one but a coworker last year had been at one for four years. She liked it but switched to public due to the longer day and longer school year at the charter. She was also expected to be on campus 45 minutes before the start of the school day to provide extra help. And she was observed once or twice a week every week. So although she liked the school, the kids, their families, and her admin, it just became too much with all the extra hours and constant observations. I personally could not see doing it as I have two children in elementary school and the longer hours would kill me. But if I was young and without a family I would consider it because I do think it can be a great experience where you really learn a lot.
