Thales Academy reviews

There are cliques everywhere. I saw in another Glassdoor post that if you aren’t besties with admin, they turn very fast against you and that is true. None of my coworkers would talk to me, and when they had a problem with me, they rattled to admin rather than addressing it with me. The admin also chose to be very nice to my face but every time they would observe me, they would write me up for “speaking to much” or “not noticing a student had a ruler” or “not making the students sit up immediately” even when I feel like my eyes are bouncing all over the place all the time trying to catch any misstep and I get on it as soon as I see it. I also really didn’t like how robotic everything was. The kids were a little fidgety and I got docked for it (despite reiterating the expectations probably a billion times every day) but that’s also because the rules were ridiculous. All across the school students are expected to sit up straight, chairs pulled in, feet on the floor, hands clasped on desk, tracking and tapping when reading (which no one does ever normally). And they get 30 minutes for recess and 30 minutes for lunch in the class in which they have to stay at their seats only talking quietly. That is so stifling for a kid. I get that there needs to be more structure than the public school, but the private school of Thales honestly felt like a stifling environment. No colors anywhere, no crafts, no differentiating the curriculum to make it more engaging and inclusive… I would not send any of my kids there. I don’t like the CEO either as he doesn’t have a background in education and he implements his own values and political beliefs into the school. One of which is that Disney is the equivalent of saying Voldemort. I get that Disney has some controversial views but I don’t believe anyone’s views should be pushed onto another, especially when I’m trying to print a page of Disney scavenger hunt words for a class full of less than 10 year olds who believe the best of this world and just want Disney and a brain warm up. I also wanted to mention that when I was fired, I was not told why at all. They said to contact HR if I wanted to know why. I did and they said they didn’t have to tell me. So I really don’t know why I was let go. I feel like I did the best possible job I could. Despite coming from public school and having to learn the private school system, I managed to get really far ahead with my planning (to the end of the year with all my printing) and I was on top of my game. This was such a bad experience that despite loving kids and teaching others, I can’t look at a teaching posting without having flashbacks and feeling short of breath.I got so much hate directed to me from this school and my last job that I can’t go back to teaching which really stinks as this job started off really well in the beginning before I was deemed an outcast (I don’t know why)

Leadership Issues: *New leadership micromanages contract times, sending emails to staff if they leave even 3 minutes early even though most teachers aren't even able to stay in their classrooms after carpool due to various after school clubs using their rooms *Staff policies are enforced differently for different people - i.e. tattoos: some poor teachers are forced to wear long sleeves or a bandage to cover tattoos on the arms while other teachers have exposed tattoos on legs, ankles, hands, etc. that go unaddressed *Leadership is more focused on what type of shoes teachers are wearing and what time they leave the building at the end of the day rather than supporting teachers with difficult and challenging student behaviors *Only 6 days of PTO per school year, no carryovers *Senior administrators in Raleigh, who were previously incredibly helpful, left or were let go abruptly with no explanation *Unsubstantiated decisions not to renew contracts for excellent, experienced teachers *New area campus for upper grades was announced and promised for years and then completely scrapped this year. Other new campus announcements have also been made and then disappeared from the website. *Over half of the teaching staff chose not to return for the next school year which speaks volumes Support and Management: *Direct Instruction is effective for many students but is very challenging for teachers to pick up and execute naturally and effectively. Training and support is inadequate and the admin observations and coaching sessions are not productive or helpful. It would be far more beneficial for teachers to regularly observe other experienced teachers executing DI and have admin cover their classes while they do so. *New head of school provides no support to teachers, sides with parents on disciplinary issues despite telling teachers to act as the "CEOs of their classrooms" Teacher and Student Environment: *Teachers do not get a lunch break, must stay in classrooms confined with students *No dedicated spaces for art, music, or technology, limiting "specials" offerings and quality *Students are confined to classroom all day with the exception of a brief recess on an ill equipped and undersized playground *The janitorial service that our campus uses is abysmal. Bathrooms reek, floors are not cleaned well, etc. *There is very little diversity in both the staff (local and senior leadership) as well as student population *There is a lot of time spent grading Curriculum and Communication Concerns: *Direct instruction works very well for many students, it is not a one size fits all and works best with smaller groups (not the way Thales implements it). DI requires a great deal of self discipline but Thales does not take that into consideration during the student interview and selection process and teachers are left struggling to get inattentive kids to focus and participate “The Thales Way” even when it isn't developmentally appropriate for the student's age *K-5 math curriculum is outdated and inadequate and is not preparing students for middle and high school math *Staff are required to listen to a monthly Founder's webinar which would be wonderful if it included advice, best practices or insight as to what the plans are for the school's future but it usually consists of a plethora of philosophy quotes and ramblings about how efficiently the school's carpools run *Concerns about founder’s advanced age and lack of a clear succession plan