Hey all, My question is, how much do you let your gut feelings help you make decisions? Of course I'll use my brain to weigh the pros and cons, but there's always something pulling me one way or another in the back of my mind. As an example, I've been trying to pick between two schools and it's been super difficult. There's one school that will be more rigorous in terms of work for me, but has a better reputation. The second school is way more relaxed, but the district has a bad rep. I thought I would be happier at the 2nd more relaxed school, but walking through the halls, I couldn't get the gut feeling that something was missing. So what do you think? Do you trust your gut feelings? Or do you go more with your head?
I would go to the school with more rigor, but that would be my gut feeling. The relaxed school may not be challenging the students enough or this may the reason that the rep is bad. Best wishes on your decision.
I kind of feel the same! I mean i would have alot more free time and less stuff to do at the relaxed school, but I know that students often dont get held accountable and its alot more stressful when it comes to classroom management. Good for you for sticking it out!
Thank you! My gut feeling was to go with the more competitive school too. I would defiitely have to do less work at the more relaxed school, but at the same time it really stresses me out when kids have no discipline and arent held accoutable at more relaxed schools.
I would say the one that challenges you... next year when you have a better feel the challenges you face now may be on the back burner...to allow you to challenge yourself in improving lesson, classroom not, etc. I hope that makes sense.
I think I am the one person whose "gut feeling" is never reliable! I've worked in three different schools. I had major reservations about my 1st school and my current school, and both of them turned out to be good places to work. I thought the second school was my "dream job" and it ended up being an absolute nightmare!
A more relaxed school may involve more work because of the classroom management you will probably have to implement. You will have to figure out how to follow the pacing when your kids are disruptive. You'll have to do after-school tutoring that nobody will attend. The staff as a whole will probably have to write and implement interventions and plans to work with targeted students. There's a lot of work that goes into those situations.
Yes :/ now its just trying to decide whether to go with the school that was more competitive, has more bureaucracy and is more rigorous, or with the new school in a bad district that's alot less strict/rigorous but potentially more relaxing. Gah.
I strongly believe in listening to your "gut feelings"! (What a funny idiom, haha.) I have taken a few jobs where everything looked good logically, but they just didn't feel right. Every time, I have regretted it nearly instantly. You have to do what feels right for you.
OP, you seem to find appeal in a job that lets you be 'more relaxed' and have 'less work' and 'more free time' . I'm afraid no education job is really going to fulfill all those wishes all the time and still be a successful experience for students....at least not for the first few years. The behaviors and potentially some unknown factors at the 'more relaxed' school could be A LOT of work...the more 'rigorous' school will also require work. Any job is what you make of it. I've seen excellent teachers put a lot into making a difference for kids in more 'lax' schools and I've worked with teachers who put in very little effort and somehow fly under the radar in more rigorous school climates. Make the decision that's right for you and for the students you will teach.
Both my P and AP were absolutely horrible people. There was major corruption (stealing district money, discrimination, etc.) amongst all of the district leadership. The P I worked for ended up getting fired mid-year and losing both her administrative and teaching licenses. That's how bad she was. Unfortunately, that was her 3rd year at the school so she got a lot of damage in (my 1 year there was her 1st year).
That's rotten. All this focus on "bad teachers" by politicians and reporters... very rarely are bad administrators covered by news outlets unless there's major corruption going on.
