I’ve taught in Christian schools for fifteen years. This year I made the decision to move to a public charter school. I am not happy at all. Yes, part of that is due to just being overwhelmed. A larger part, however, is missing being with kids every day. With this set up, I’m teaching preK-12th. Parents are the primary teachers, and I’m here to provide lesson plans and assessments. I feel like all the best parts of teaching (the read aloud, songs, projects, etc.) are gone, and I’m left with the paperwork and parent issues.
I miss actually teaching. An hour of Zoom lesson with a kid once a week is not enough to build a relationship.
I’m pretty sure I’m resigning and will be trying to find a job in a Christian school again. The pay was double in public, but it’s not worth the stress.
My husband supports my decision, but I do need to find a position doing something fairly quickly. Prayers that doors will open and I’ll go through the right one. I feel like I didn’t go where I was supposed to with this move, but I’m sure there’s a lesson to be learned from my experience.
These are not normal circumstances. Please give it the rest of the year and see what happens when we're back in school full-time, under normal cirumstances. If you didn't like it because of admin, working conditions or something like that, I'd say go for it. But, this is something that will eventually change as the situation changes. Surely you must realize that. Good luck with your decision.
And, even in a Chrisitian school, there's no guarantee you'll be in school full time for the entire year.
I agree with GG. These aren’t normal circumstances. Please don’t judge teaching in public schools based upon what’s happened so far this year. It’s just....an insanely weird experience. And at least where I am, many religious schools are all virtual too so there’s no guarantees. Give yourself the chance to see if you enjoy teaching at the school under more typical circumstances. Just my two cents—-I hope you end up in a good place!
I agree with previous posters. This is my eighth year in public schools. My last two years were awful and I was really ready to find a new career. This year, however, I moved schools and my kids are really awesome. The paperwork and time required at this school, however, is overwhelming. Stick with it - virtual teaching is the most difficult thing I've encountered. Give it some time and take things a little at a time.
This really isn't a matter of Christian school vs public charter school. What's happening with all schools depends on the local district, charter admin, or private school opening decisions. In my area things are just the opposite. The public schools are hybrid, the Christian school is total virtual, and the charter and Catholic schools are fully open.
I would try to stick with it to see what teaching at the charter is like when they reopen again. Also, the Christian school could go virtual if their covid numbers go up.
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09-27-2020, 06:14 PM
