A BIG clue of a BAD charter is the teacher turnover rate.
If you are a brand new teacher with a lot of other brand
new staff members, there is probably a reason for
it...poor pay, terrible working conditions, 0% job
security, unprofessional/incompetent administration, or
clueless board members...hopefully, it's not all of the
above.
Plus, if you are right out of college (this is your first
position) you are SO desparate for a job, more experience,
and a good reference/recommendation to add to your file
that you work tirelessly to please your principal...But,
wait, the principal finds out that you are looking
elsewhere for another position so she makes the rest of
your school year so miserable that you can't even ask her
for one...Ugly scene - get out before you start!
On 6/03/09, Been There Done That wrote:
> Don't work for a Charter School unless you really must.
> The pay is
> competitive at the entry level but you will quickly
> fall behind the traditional publics. No job security
> and miracles are expected regardless of the student
> demographics.
>
> You're expected to work seven days per week, prepare
> for three different classes/grade levels, and you are
> supervised by clueless administrators who may not have
> even been teachers themselves in the past.
>
> That's right, some Charter schools have administrators
> who are not certified or licensed by the CO Dept of
> Education, yet they view themselves as "master
> teachers".
>
> You basically can get more job satisfaction working in
> virtually any other profession.
