Colorado Teachers Chatboard

Out-of-work in Colorado On 3/02/09, Belinda wrote: > Hello I am currently a student working on my Masters in > Elementary Education. I need advice. I am needing a > sponsor/mentor for my program and I have been in Colorado > for a week. I do not know how to go about finding an > educator that would be willing to take a few minutes out > if their time to ...See More

Dec 17, 2009

Middle School jobs--Denver east and south/Castle Rock areas

by tgs/ga/8

Mar 8, 2009

Before you all yell at me and tell me to stay where I am because the supply of educators severely outweighs the demand, please be aware that I have been reading this board for over 2 years and am aware of current situation with regards to jobs in the Denver area.

That said, my husband has put his own career on hold for me as an educator he...See More

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COTeacher The market is tough, but if you don't mind subbing, being a para, or getting a part-time job(where the district doesn't give you benefits), then you'll be able to get your foot through the door and secure a better job in the future. BTW, Math jobs are more plentiful than social studies or English.

Sorry that I can't give you any particular...See More

Mar 8, 2009

~Bradley Based on my experience, I would say avoid Douglas County (Castle Rock/Parker/Highlands Ranch.)

Yes, the job market is competitive, but your level of education and experience looks promising.

I recommend Littleton, Englewood, Denver Public Schools, and especially Jefferson County.

I have also found, from personal experi...See More

Mar 11, 2009

Where should a mountain-loving, Physics teacher apply?

by Looking

Mar 8, 2009

Hello,

Due to Florida educational system turmoil, I would love to relocate to Colorado (I lived in Colorado Springs as a child). Would someone please suggest a good place (low crime, low pollution, good-to-great high schools with few discipline issues) for a 40 year old Physics teacher to settle down? I would appreciate any assistance.

Anyone do UNC POST BAC PROGRAM?

by TC

Mar 8, 2009

Hi Has anyone went through the UNC POST BAC program? Thoughts? How was job hunting once you graduated? Thanks!

Stacy On 3/08/09, TC wrote: > Hi Has anyone went through the UNC POST BAC program? > Thoughts? How was job hunting once you graduated? Thanks!

Hi.. I have not but will be doing so when I am done at CSU...is this something you are intersted in doing soon? I am hoping someone answers your post. Thanks

Mar 16, 2009

Hmmm...Why would anyone teach at a charter school?

by Learned my Lesson.

Mar 16, 2009

I know that there are a lot of people looking for jobs right now, so I wanted to pass on a little advice from someone who has experienced the worst teaching job in his career. Be VERY careful about signing up to teach at a charter school, especially if it is your first year of teaching. Charter schools give "at-will" contracts. This means the board...See More

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COTeacher ersonally, I haven't been impressed with charter schools...Although I know that most (depending on their charter/funding) do take CSAPs. Also, I know that they don't have to be certified/licensed, but, according to NCLB, they are "supposed" to be "highly qualified."

Yes, and I agree that, depending on the board, you could have people who r...See More

Mar 18, 2009

Ms. B I completely agree with what you are saying. I am currently a teacher in a charter school and I AM NOT for the charter school movement. As soon as I get my degree, I am going to bang on the Chicago Public School's door to get a job.

I am a former sales person with a Bachelor's of Science in Commerce who decided to go into education. I hav...See MoreI completely agree with what you are saying. I am currently a teacher in a charter school and I AM NOT for the charter school movement. As soon as I get my degree, I am going to bang on the Chicago Public School's door to get a job.

I am a former sales person with a Bachelor's of Science in Commerce who decided to go into education. I have been so smart in the business world and with most things in my life, so I thought that jumping into teaching would be easy. WRONG! I also decided that I wanted to work at an elementary school while I attended graduate school for education to get experience. It makes sense right? Well, I found a charter school and started working as an Instructional Assistant. My experience was a world wind of work, culture shocks, unorganization and other craziness since my very first day.

My charter school had an extended school day so the kids were literally at school from 8AM to 4PM (This is not good for the kids or teachers! The people who came up with this idea have never been in a room of 30 kids for more than an hour!!!). It was a full time job for the kids and the teachers. As a teacher, you work non-stop ALL day. You barely get a lunch break (maybe 15 real minutes) and you're working non-stop during that "break" trying to keep your head above water and plan for your next lesson. I did not get a job description until the my third month working there. Yes, you read right.

As an Instructional Assistant, I was responsible for teaching science, word study, and conducting small groups in reading and math. I ended up having to do a lot more. I had to decide what homework the kids would have, make the copies, do weekly lesson plans, grade all of the papers for every subject, do the report card grades and comments, meet with parents for report cards, sit in on IEP and RTI meetings, and teach anything that the Instructor needs (which in my case made me end up having to teach math and language arts several times a week). I was also responsible for the students' results in the state ISAT test and on their NWEA MAP test. I easily worked 50 hours per week, and so did most of the other teachers.

Naturally, after having done all of that, I moved to be an actual teacher this year. Although I am almost done with my teaching program, I am three classes shy of being certified. You do not have to be certified to work in a charter school

Most of the teachers in the charter schools are new or in an Alternative Certification program like Teach for America. It's sad because since most people in the school have only 0-3 years of teaching experience, it's really more like the blind leading the blind. Another drawback is that many of these charter schools are in urban areas that have students from lower socio-economic condition. Many of these students have experienced trauma in their lives and it results in EXTREME behavior problems in the school. For new teachers with little classroom management experience, this becomes a complete nightmare. When the inexperienced suburbanites get into the trenches with the students in the urban school setting, those rose colored lenses from which they looked at the teaching profession through get cracked really quickly. Why don't principals at least warn these idealistic teachers about what they are getting into at the charter school? As a new teacher at a charter school, you'll probably work 55-60 hours per week.

The good things about working at my charter school are the people that I work with. Many of the teachers really have a passion to help kids and that is refreshing. Also, at the charter school that I am at now (I was at a different one last year), the administrative team also have a kids first approach to the way that they run things. They do their best to support their staff which is a major reason that I am still there. At some charters, you also get to learn a lot of things that other new teachers will not know such as how to give STEP and BASS Assessments, NWEA Assessments, Balanced Literacy, FOSS Science, Everyday Math training, Co-Teaching training and experience, small group workshops, and various other trainings. After working with kids who are extra squirmy and who won't give you even a quarter of a second to not have your eye on them, you will come away with much stronger classroom management and behavior management skills.

As far as pay, the teachers make significantly lower amounts than in CPS. The average certified teacher with a master's degree makes $45,000/year at this extended day charter school where at a Chicago Public School the teacher would make about $60,000/year for a standard school day school.

All in all, I would not recommend working at a charter school. It is not a sustainable position. It doesn't make sense. If you don't want to end up despising your job and ultimately not being as great of a teacher as you envision, choose to work at a union powered school.

The country wants educators to be smart and effective for the kids. Smart people don't work for free. That's just plain stupid.

Nov 4, 2011

Homeschool Teacher in Valdosta

by Wendy

Mar 24, 2009

I have a 5 year old who needs a home school teacher for the upcoming school year. He will be in 1st grade. I live in Valdosta. We will pay tuition, purchase all materials, provide the home setting if needed, provide meals, etc.

Shawn On 3/24/09, Wendy wrote: > I have a 5 year old who needs a home school teacher for the > upcoming school year. He will be in 1st grade. I live in > Valdosta. We will pay tuition, purchase all materials, > provide the home setting if needed, provide meals, etc.

Have you found a teacher yet? Just moved to Valdosta and looking for...See More

Jun 30, 2009

Along the charter school discussion...Flagstaff Academy?!?

by COTeacher

Apr 1, 2009

Just an interesting note...Principal at Flagstaff resigns (3/19/09)and now they are looking for a BUNCH of new teachers in virtually every grade level and subject. Makes you wonder...sure looks like more proof of the lack of curriculum consistency and job security in the charter schools!

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teach They have enrollment for, and are planning to add additional full classes (plus waitlist, in some cases more than enough to fill yet another full class) in K, 1, 2, 3, 5, and multiple middle school classes. Plus additional specials teachers in PE, Music, Art, Technology to accomodate the increased enrollment, plus new Pre-K program. The planned hir...See MoreThey have enrollment for, and are planning to add additional full classes (plus waitlist, in some cases more than enough to fill yet another full class) in K, 1, 2, 3, 5, and multiple middle school classes. Plus additional specials teachers in PE, Music, Art, Technology to accomodate the increased enrollment, plus new Pre-K program. The planned hiring does not include teacher attrition, it's based on added classes. Yes, the PR campaign has been strong this year, and strong results help too. John Irwin award in only the 3rd year of operation, moving into a beautiful new facility next year, etc.

On 4/02/09, CO Teacher wrote: > > Terri, > > Then, for my own piece of mind, can you answer this question... > > What percentage of the present FA teachers are staying? > > It just seems hard to imagine that the school could be needing THAT > many teachers...How many new students do you anticipate. Check the > St. Vrain website. They are looking for AT LEAST 11 new teachers > AND a new principal. Let's see...if you need about 15-20 students > per teacher, then you are expecting AT LEAST 165 new > students...Pretty optimistic, I must say! They must have some > public relations/advertising campaign going on...Or, am I missing > something?!? > > I am still wondering...I hope you can enlighten me...and others. > > On 4/02/09, Terri wrote: >> >> The reason the school is hiring a bunch of new teachers is that >> it is expanding and moving into a new building. They are adding >> new tracks in K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and a preschool. A large number >> of Flagstaff teachers recently presented at the recent CK >> conference. (The most of any CK school). >> >> >> On 4/01/09, The statistics in states that have studied their >> charters wrote: >>> On 4/01/09, COTeacher wrote: >>>> Just an interesting note...Principal at Flagstaff resigns >>>> (3/19/09)and now they are looking for a BUNCH of new >>>> teachers in virtually every grade level and subject. Makes >>>> you wonder...sure looks like more proof of the lack of >>>> curriculum consistency and job security in the charter >>>> schools! >>> >>> say that most charter school principals don't stay more than 2 >>> years (on average) and that they have double the teacher >>> turnover of the public urban schools. So job security--no. By >>> the way, most of the teachers who leave the charters never >>> quit teaching instead of going to other schools. I think that >>> is a good sign that they are traumatized by the experience >>

Apr 24, 2009

Teach too OK, I just have to respond to some of your statements...

They have enrollment for, and are planning to add additional full > classes (plus waitlist, in some cases more than enough to fill yet > another full class) in K, 1, 2, 3, 5, and multiple middle school > classes.

You are "planning" to add...that means you still nee...See MoreOK, I just have to respond to some of your statements...

They have enrollment for, and are planning to add additional full > classes (plus waitlist, in some cases more than enough to fill yet > another full class) in K, 1, 2, 3, 5, and multiple middle school > classes.

You are "planning" to add...that means you still need to reign in some more students...From my experience and what I've heard from other charter school victims/teachers, charter schools that are desparate to fill seats are not picky when it comes to filling those seats with students that are academic/behavior issues in other schools. Yes, I do understand that most charters have to take every student they have room for. But, most charter schools do not have the resources (like the public schools) to accomodate special need students. Plus, since they do not pay as well as public schools, they end up with teachers who are fresh out of college and are not prepared to handle all the challenges that these students bring with them.

The planned hiring does not include teacher attrition, it's > based on added classes.

Of course it doesn't...who knows how many of the present teachers will stay after some of them have secured new jobs before the next school year...And, exactly why did your principal resign?!? That act alone leaves doubt in my mind that this is a stable charter school.

John Irwin award in only the 3rd > year of operation, moving into a beautiful new facility next year, etc.

Yes, you did receive the John Irwin award for the ELEMENTARY school. That is commmendable.

A new beautiful building does not instantly mean a better school. It's the partnership of the teachers, parents, and administration (including the board)that help students to succeed.

I think prospective teachers (and parents)REALLY need to do their homework and take a look at all the facts. Check the accountability reports on the district website...I think it's interesting that the Student Accountability Reports/SAR stopped listing teacher attrition rate (number of teachers that left the previous year). But, you can still get a great picture of the average salary compared to the district, and you can see how experienced the teachers are.

Here's the links to Flagstaff's SAR reports for both the elementary and middle schools. Be informed and make your own decisions...

[link removed]

[link removed]

On 4/24/09, teach wrote: > They have enrollment for, and are planning to add additional full > classes (plus waitlist, in some cases more than enough to fill yet > another full class) in K, 1, 2, 3, 5, and multiple middle school > classes. Plus additional specials teachers in PE, Music, Art, > Technology to accomodate the increased enrollment, plus new Pre-K > program. The planned hiring does not include teacher attrition, it's > based on added classes. Yes, the PR campaign has been strong this > year, and strong results help too. John Irwin award in only the 3rd > year of operation, moving into a beautiful new facility next year, etc. > > On 4/02/09, CO Teacher wrote: >> >> Terri, >> >> Then, for my own piece of mind, can you answer this question... >> >> What percentage of the present FA teachers are staying? >> >> It just seems hard to imagine that the school could be needing THAT >> many teachers...How many new students do you anticipate. Check the >> St. Vrain website. They are looking for AT LEAST 11 new teachers >> AND a new principal. Let's see...if you need about 15-20 students >> per teacher, then you are expecting AT LEAST 165 new >> students...Pretty optimistic, I must say! They must have some >> public relations/advertising campaign going on...Or, am I missing >> something?!? >> >> I am still wondering...I hope you can enlighten me...and others. >> >> On 4/02/09, Terri wrote: >>> >>> The reason the school is hiring a bunch of new teachers is that >>> it is expanding and moving into a new building. They are adding >>> new tracks in K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and a preschool. A large number >>> of Flagstaff teachers recently presented at the recent CK >>> conference. (The most of any CK school). >>> >>> >>> On 4/01/09, The statistics in states that have studied their >>> charters wrote: >>>> On 4/01/09, COTeacher wrote: >>>>> Just an interesting note...Principal at Flagstaff resigns >>>>> (3/19/09)and now they are looking for a BUNCH of new >>>>> teachers in virtually every grade level and subject. Makes >>>>> you wonder...sure looks like more proof of the lack of >>>>> curriculum consistency and job security in the charter >>>>> schools! >>>> >>>> say that most charter school principals don't stay more than 2 >>>> years (on average) and that they have double the teacher >>>> turnover of the public urban schools. So job security--no. By >>>> the way, most of the teachers who leave the charters never >>>> quit teaching instead of going to other schools. I think that >>>> is a good sign that they are traumatized by the experience >>>

Apr 25, 2009

Any teachers from Flagstaff Academy, Longmont out there?!?

by CO Teacher

Apr 2, 2009

I would absolutely LOVE to hear from any of them to find out exactly what has happened...

UT Teacher On 4/02/09, CO Teacher wrote: > I would absolutely LOVE to hear from any of them to find > out exactly what has happened...

I'm curious, too. My nephews actually attend the school and the parents are fairly happy. However, the parents are very anti public school and think they're all horrible when that is simply not the case. My sist...See More

May 5, 2009

Imagine Charter School Firestone also needs a new principal

by Another Charter School Observation

Apr 2, 2009

Another interesting note...

Charter schools should be your last option

by Been there Done that

Apr 3, 2009

Very few are worth the heartache. If you're desperate for a job, fine. You would be making more than working at Walmart, but you'll be working harder.

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Moriah Dave that was very harsh!! I am new here but would like it if everyone acted civilized.

My kids have been in COVA (Colorado Virtual Academy) which is a charter school and they have loved it and I have loved all the support we have gotten over the past 4 years from the teachers.

My son also did kindergarten in a different charter...See More

May 18, 2010

TexastoColorado What do charter schools in Colorado usually pay? I'm moving from Texas to Colorado and on average the pay in CO is about $14000 less annually. I noticed that none of the charter schools post their pay scales. This will be my first teaching job ever and I've heard quite a few horror stories about finding a teaching position in CO. I'll be in Colorad...See MoreWhat do charter schools in Colorado usually pay? I'm moving from Texas to Colorado and on average the pay in CO is about $14000 less annually. I noticed that none of the charter schools post their pay scales. This will be my first teaching job ever and I've heard quite a few horror stories about finding a teaching position in CO. I'll be in Colorado Springs specifically. Any advice on the job market, and pay scale for charter schools. What is the science curriculum like? Is it really awful?

On 7/10/09, I agree 100 percent. wrote: > 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.

Dec 28, 2010