Expectations are obnoxiously too high for teachers; for a 'virtual' teacher, there are too many required outings (teachers have to attend 6 field trips/outings per year with students), too many face-to-face Professional Development Conferences in Atlanta and North of Atlanta (4-5 per year), and too many face-to-face testing requirements (all require travel and expenses, and time away from home and family).
One of these testing dates lasts for 2 weeks (CRCT and EOCT combined-in April). Depending on where they decide to place you, you may just have to stay in a hotel for 2 weeks while you go to and from the testing location day in and day out. Even if the testing location is close to home, don’t expect it to be on your watch. Last year, I was there a minimum of 11-12 hours per day. They do NOT offer overtime or any comp time. If you cannot attend testing, or any of the professional development days to due to a conflict in your spouse’s or child’s schedule, they will fire you.
In addition, teachers are spread very thin, with 40-55 homeroom students. Then we get 2-3 preps with an additional 400-450 students. Each teacher at GCA can have up to 500 students!!!
For each of the 40-55 students in your HR class, you have to conduct 4 Individualized Learning Plan conferences via live session (BlackBoard Collaborate) with the parent and the student) to discuss a Word document that is created in Comic Sans handwriting. In addition to these conferences, you also have to still answer emails, grade, take calls, teach 4 classes per week, attend GCA’s mandatory weekly 3-4 staff meetings, etc. FUN TIMES!
It gets better…..you, as the HR teacher, also are responsible for conducting all 504 meetings for your HR students. In addition, you have to attend all of the IEP meetings for any student that has one in your HR. It is also YOUR duty to type up the notes and send them to the SPED teacher once the meeting is over. They are LONG, TOO.
***Your duties are 10% teaching and 90% clerical.
***The online systems used are archaic.
***Leadership does not support the teachers, too much change, too much employee turnover.
***Pay is definitely minimal, but I knew this going in and way OK with it because I was I NO WAY made aware that we would be anything more than just a plain old classroom teacher. I have worked at a couple of other virtual schools, and still work at one now in addition to here. So I can honestly say that I am floored at how K12 and Georgia Cyber Academy still run things.
***I am only waiting out the remainder of the school year, or else I would already be gone…..like several people have been already this year so far.
