Pros
After working for a few years as a public school teacher, I was hesitant about making the move to a brand new charter school. I feared not having a union and the pains associated with opening a brand new school. After four months in my new setting, I can safely say that I absolutely made the right decision. The greatest thing about our school is the staff. Every person that was brought in is extremely hard working, knowledgeable about their subject area and philosophically aligned around the educational experience that we want to provide to our students.
Our executive director (principal) is fantastic. She knows every child and their families by name and has visited most of their homes. She is an excellent coach, and she involves every staff member in making decisions about school rules, meeting agendas and issues regarding discipline. At our school, every student has a mentor (one of the teachers) who has met with their families in a home visit. This ensures that if I have any issues with a student, their families and at least one adult in the building will help resolve it. The mentors also meet with every one of their mentee students for 10 minute one-on-one conferences weekly. This connection to students and families has been the foundation for an amazing school culture.
Our school also does an amazing job incorporating technology in education for students, parents and educators. Every child in our school has their own chromebook which they use to do research, compose papers, e-mail teachers, calendar assignments, check their grades, learn content and take assessments, etc. Teachers are also given their own computers by the organization. Through the "Personalized Learning Platform," teachers also have the ability to assign and grade work, give grades, e-mail students, have weekly content meetings with teachers across state lines via video conferences, and access curriculum that has already been created and iterated by other Summit teachers. Parents also have the ability to use a personalized password to check their students' projects and grades from any computer with internet access at any time.
Finally, our school has a mission that is deeply rooted in social justice. Any decision we make, whether it is about using a restorative justice model for behavior management, what PDs to attend, how we support struggling students, etc. is seen through a social justice lens.
Cons
The work hours are hard and longer than in traditional public schools. Teachers are expected to attend two meetings per week that end at 5pm, and hold office hours one day a week that go until 5pm. This can make it difficult to maintain a work/life balance.
