CHarter Schools

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Home : 2003 : May : 21

CHarter Schools
By Jennifer

Hey there. I worked in a public school for 3 years and I am now finishing my first in a charter school, inner city of course. It depends on what state you are in of course but like any school there are advantages and disadvantages.

We do have a union, we just started it so that is nice. We have guarunteed class izes, most of the staff is around my age, it is a progressive thinking schools, we have flexibilty I have never seen in a public school, and the school really is a community. I have never seen a school with so much parental support.
On the other hand, our pay is slightly lower, we

have to take every kid and there sometimes aren't resources for them (we can be a dumping ground for parents whose kids are at the end of their rope in ps), we have to rent out space, and there is the whole start up thing. You have to figure that charter schools are fairly new. Public schools have been around forever. Some of the organizational and structure issues you take for granted at a ps are greatly missed by me. You're still trying to work those basic kinks out of the system. Policies, how to request money, how parents pick up kids, how to get school wide messages can be a hassel if you're a structure freak like me.
On the whole, I would say that my charter school experience has been a great one. I feel like I am truly buiolding something, helping to set a standard and it reaches beyond the kids I teach at the moment. My advice is to wander the hall and talk to as many people as possible. That will let you know if it is a good fit for you. Good luck