Pros
Committed and supportive teachers, constant constructive feedback, opportunities for professional growth within the company, amazing mission, unwavering belief in children
Cons
Zero work-life balance. If you have a family, outside responsibilities, or other interests, this is not the place for you. This company thrives on the young and inexperienced, and once these smart, young individuals gain confidence and work experience, they leave--often feeling under appreciated and disenchanted by teaching altogether. Interacting with students is the best part of my day, but as someone with experience, I often feel restricted/ limited in my own classroom. There is virtually no autonomy--teachers are given scripted lesson plans and routines that look exactly the same throughout the grades and school, with minimal opportunity for creativity. Administrators often treat employees like children, using teacher moves and language during professional development, which is incredibly disparaging and inappropriate. Administrators micromanage everything you do, down to how much you're smiling, and sometimes you'll receive conflicting feedback, which makes the job extremely confusing and difficult to manage. The company prides itself on transparency, but they will never own up to the mistakes their company is making, especially in terms of special services and behavior management techniques. Your personal time will never be valued; in fact, you will feel as though you aren't quite doing enough, even if you are putting in 70 hrs/week. This is untenable. The militaristic overtones are also highly uncomfortable and ridiculous--students, just like teachers, are micromanaged every second of the day. It is so upsetting that a company with such a positive mission operates from a place of total disbelief in both students and teachers.