Re: What's it like out there?
Posted by tle on 4/04/07
I teach in a small town (not the metro areas) so my
experience isn't the norm. The teaching environment in my
area is alright, though by far not the best system I have
taught in. I was certified in California (and a product of
California schools myself) and have taught in New Mexico,
Texas and Colorado. This system seems the most backward in
attitude and achievement. It may be because it is a smaller
system, but they have quite a lot of turnover both
administrative and teachers.
The evaluation system they have implemented in this system is
very difficult to feel positive about. I had always had
strong evaluations in all previous systems, and yet in this
one, I often feel that they don't appreciate the challenges
and strengths of their staff. Sometimes it feels like they
have to knock you down so they have something to say
you "developed" in later. They are not using performance or
merit pay in this area yet. The district does pay insurance,
but the pay overall is very low (but again I'm in a small
district).
I hope this is some help.
On 4/01/07, Jeffrey wrote:
> I am looking to relocate to Colorado, from California, and
> I am trying to get a feel for the teaching environment, as
> well as the market. From the little web research that I
> have done, it doesn't look promising
>
> Can anyone please help me with a dose of what the reality
> is like for teachers in Colorado? For instance, how do
> you pay your health insurance costs? From the district
> information that I have looked at, your insurance costs
> are quite high, to say the least. How many districts are
> using perfomance-based, or merit pay? Coming from CA,
> where that idea was recently shot down by voters, it
> appears that several districts are using it. How do you
> like it? Does it destroy the collaborative environment
> among teaching colleagues? I thank you all for your time,
> and for any tips or suggestions. Thank you.
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