Pros
Teacher Development- You receive daily, weekly, and monthly support from a personal coach, grade level chair, academic dean, school culture dean, and principal. One of these mentors assists you in writing lesson plans, classroom culture, and content expertise. You will receive feedback constantly on your teaching, planning, and management.
Opportunity for growth- There are stages of teacher development and opportunities for salary increases, more autonomy, and leadership as you advance in your career. There are also many in school and in network leadership opportunities in curriculum, readiness planning, and professional development.
Resources- You will have everything you need to be an effective educator. Classroom novels, basic supplies (pencils, pens, paper), and a computer are provided by the network.
Mission driven- AF's mission at all levels (elementary, middle, and high) is to send students to and through college. This shines through in everything we do and is the driving force of our day to day. It is rewarding to work in an environment where this is every staff member's goal.
High Expectations- What is expected of students and staff exceeds normal standards. Our students achieve great things, and that requires extra hard work and preparation from them and us. Teachers are required to be planned out weeks or months in advance, have key points in lessons memorized, and be emotionally constant. All of this is demanding, but will make you very successful as a teacher here. Students are held to a high behavior standard, because our main focus is academic growth and success.
Cons
Emotionally Demanding- Due to the mission and the high stakes nature of education for our students, teachers have to be intellectually prepared and "on" at all times. The tone in classrooms and meetings is much more professional and serious than other more traditional public schools I've worked at. This environment is more productive, but requires more focus and commitment from adults than the average workplace. Holding students to high standards requires teachers to be normed and execute rules and expectations consistently on a daily basis.
Feedback- There is a culture of feedback in AF schools for all staff members. You are expected to humbly give and receive feedback in an effort to improve instruction to improve student achievement. I truly believe in this practice and I know it has made me a better teacher. However, if you're having a bad day, not feeling confident about your lesson, or the observer only sees a small part of your lesson, being observed and receiving feedback can be discouraging.
Change/Lack of consistency- AF is a relatively new network compared to other school systems, and has rapidly expanded in the last few years. This is awesome because it means more students are being served, but also means AF usually updates or changes some or most of their policies from year to year. This has improved in recent years and varies from school to school, but the culture of feedback and the rapid expansion can mean change from school year to school year.
