teacher

elementary school teacher

special education teacher

english teacher

substitute teacher

Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Don't let the decent pay & benefits fool you.  Try & find out the kind of school you will be assigned & the classroom climate & culture.  

I got 'hustled' in a schol that buses in a lot of low income kids who are very low academically, aggressive, hostile, ill mannered & just not fit for prime time. Many have deep seated emotinal issues, trauma, etc. & do NOT play well with others. FIghting in class almost daily along with CONSTANT talking, kids walking out of the room, insults, disrepsect, etc & all this from an elem. school, would you believe.  

Now the admin. likes to play the BLAME game that it is ALL MY FAULT since I am  NOT A COMPETENT teacher who can captivate these 'lil' darlings' w/ FABULOUS lessons.  

But the admin. is just in TOTAL DENIAL.  You work a min. of 8 hrs  a day. LONG for a public school teacher.  I start later & get home later hitting the PEAK of RUSH HOURS.  

After feeling exhausted, I get to do an add. 2 hrs of LESSON plans every night.  They HIDE that from you in selction/hiring process. It's like you have NO TIME for yourself during the week.  Forget about lunch as I work through it.  Every free minute is a FIRE DRILL taking care of some PRESSING issue only to  be put on hold for another MORE PRESSING one.  

Constant meeetings that accomplish little wih the staff.  Teachers will turn you in to the admin. IF you don't sound POSTIVE enough in your lunch room talk.  So WATCH YOUR back & TRUST NO ONE AT FIRST.  NO JOKE.

Am job searching. Want out.  Not a teacher at this school but a lesson planner who 'babysits' emotionally troubled kids all day long in a psych. ward type setting that is trying to come across as a public school.  Little learning takes place. Most of these kids are going no where FAST.  I feel so SORRY FOR THEM & me!!!!!  I WANT OUT!!! YOU WANT IN?? Don't say I didn't tell you.  

May be your experience will be better IF your school is located in a better neighborhood with a better admin. who will let you be. Good luck. YOU WILL need it

A typical day consisted of food preparation. As a Temporary Food Service Worker I (Substitute), performed duties involved in the preparation and serving of a variety of food and in the cleaning of equipment and facilities.  Nature of work involves performing tasks requiring continuous standing, sustained walking, stooping, pushing, carrying, bending, lifting and some exposure to chemical solutions/solvents, minor injury hazards and periods of temperature extremes.
 As a Temporary Food Service Worker I, detailed activities include:
	Adhere to all U.S.D.A. guidelines established for the Child Nutrition Program and all AACPS policies and procedures and division memoranda.
	Prepare or assists in the preparation of a variety of foods.
	Assure that standardized recipes, portion controls and procedure using leftovers are followed.
	Arranges serving lines with foods, beverages, serving utensils and other items.  Replenishes all items during meal service. 
	Serve food to students and adults, maintaining correct portioning and high food quality standards. Plates meals only as customer is served.
	Maintain daily food and milk inventories.
	Participates in approved cleaning and safety practices to ensure that sanitary and safe conditions are maintained. Adheres to sanitation standards as outline in COMAR.
	Operates all kitchen equipment as instructed.
	Store food and supplies in accordance with instructions and assists in taking inventory.
	Performs cashier duties, accounts for all meals served.
	Attend in-service meetings.
	Performs all work responsibilities utilizing appropriate safety practices.

As far as teaching in Maryland goes, Anne Arundel County is one of the best districts to be. The schools are manageable, with a wide variety of environments including from low-income and urban, wealthy suburban, and rural/agricultural.

The benefits are great, and the work conditions are standard. Expect long hours spent outside the paid 8 hour work day, needed for assessing student progress and developing lesson plans - this time is built into the contract, and does not constitute overtime. However, this is normal for all teaching jobs.

Professional development opportunities are plenty, although the county will only reimburse up to 50% of all tuition bills, and even then, only up to 6 credits a semester.

The best part of the job are the kids. Having worked at schools across the district, I can say that AACPS students are some of the best around. Micromanagement of teaching is minimal; teachers are generally free to plan lessons individually, as long as all students are held accountable to the same county, state, or national assessments.

Good working environments attract quality teachers - the unfortunate truth is that administration often does not realize or acknowledge this. It is frequently the case that teachers' time is exploited and under-recognized, especially when it comes to extra-curriculars. This is definitely the worst part of the job, but play your relations with your superiors correctly, and it can be a non-issue.

AACPS says that they want to retain staff but they are doing nothing to achieve this. AACPS has a very patronizing tone towards staff. Several speeches were given this year about how teachers should be grateful that they don’t have class sizes of 50 like teachers in Africa do. It was a strange way to kick off the year and not very empowering. it seemed like they were giving excuses for the overpacked classrooms. 

AACPS has went with a new scripted curriculum this year that gives teachers zero input and zero opportunities to connect with their students on their own interests when teaching standards. Last year, if students were struggling with language arts content I could remediate with a subject the kids were interested in or use a book I knew they would all like to engage them. This year, I just have to trudge forward with the script. It’s so disheartening that I don’t have the freedom to instill a love of reading and learning in students. 

Schools are understaffed and administrators pile on more and more expectations by the week.  A lot of double speak about only working our contract hours but overloading us to the point that we have no choice but to work outside of our contract hours. Most of my required meetings fall during my planning time so I’ll have 30 minutes (if I’m lucky) a week to plan and grade. 


-too much work to do daily and not enough help. we need more help. temps.

-too many rules, regulations, bureaucracy. no room from creativity. the mindset/culture here is horrible. micromanaged.

-you must follow the manual here. do things the way we've done them for 50 years. without exception! we are humans not robots! throw out the manual.

- the list of things you are not allowed to do is very long. longer than the list of allowed things you can do.

-managers and bosses are overly demanding. it's their way or the highway.

--Quickly and often managers tell you when you did something wrong, but rarely mention things you’ve done well.

-the status quo is the standard here.

-instead of fixing problems or finding solutions, everyone spends their time making sure they don't get blamed for things.

-they give you vacation and sick leave but get mad when you want to use it. taking off makes the cleaning crews short handed, so they look down upon you taking days off. days that they gave you or rather, you EARNED.

-Custodians are working beyond our limits on most days just trying to get everything done (large unrealistic work loads), and management keeps demanding and expecting MORE. This creates LOTS of STRESS. We are people not machines. Take steps to reduce our work loads, not add to it!

So, you need a teaching job and it's mid July. AACPS calls you on the phone and offers you a job. You want a job, so you're gleefully ready to say yes. Hmm...the interview was so fast and easy for a school system. Is something wrong with Anne Arundel Schools??? ....

 Don't take it. Imagine all the usual problems people complain about teaching, but multiply it by 50. This school system is a wreck. The working conditions are terrible. People in the area are somewhat used to that, but if you're not from the area or surrounding, be prepared to be astonished by the horrid conditions imposed on teachers here. Terrible school schedules; too many duties; weird committees that teachers in normal places don't have to do; more meetings than the norm; long contract hours; insane work demands that go well outside those already long hours; no resources, and the list goes on. The turnover rate at AACPS, especially in the elementary schools, speaks for itself as a suburban district in a nice area. Areas like this don't usually have crazy turnover.  Have you ever heard of a district that has to work to fill elementary positions? AACPS struggles to fill them. They're ALWAYS hiring, which is why they're so desperate to hire YOU. Run away fast.

My typical day started with a case load of children that needed to be seen in their home environment. I then scheduled home visits with the parents . 
During  visits I would work with the child on his/her ABA program always including the parents.  I would also guide the parent on some concerns they had with their child.  
Concluding the visit, I would write a case management note with the parents . Following my visits, I would come back to the school and collaborate with the child's  Special Educator and/or Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapists. 
I reported to senior staff each case to discuss any concerns/issues I had and we collaborated on how to address the child's needs.
Some of the challenges I faced were dealing with parents who had expectations that were often extreme and based on fear and misinformation.
I am constantly learning about the children and what works for one child may not work for another. They always keep me on my toes searching for new solutions , which is my favorite part of the job.

Instrumental music staff are generally given autonomy to build and lead their programs, and many colleagues are dedicated and student-focused. Students also benefit from access to honors ensembles and enrichment opportunities.

However, autonomy has become more limited over time due to increased standardization, especially in general music curriculum expectations. In tested subjects, frequent curriculum and resource changes make it difficult for teachers to fully implement or evaluate programs before they are replaced, limiting consistent 3–5 year data and long-term instructional stability.

There are ongoing concerns around equity and consistency in access to district-wide honors ensembles, with audition-based programs reflecting uneven participation across schools and impacting representation. Equity initiatives exist but often feel procedural rather than transformational, with limited visible impact on instructional practice, discipline outcomes, or persistent achievement gaps.

Overall, AACPS has strong educators and programs, but inconsistent implementation, frequent instructional shifts, and inequities in access limit its effectiveness in serving all students equitably.

Great co-workers who are most often friendly, outgoing and helpful.  The management teams, depending on where you are, are very nice, approachable and appear to be supportive.

I've learned a lot, such as how to work the school's database systems and programs, how to register new students and withdraw students and the county's policies and procedures for various situations. 

As a substitute, I enjoyed going to various schools and experiencing the diversities among the schools in the county.  I've been able to work with different people and help students of all backgrounds.  I've gained experience in various classrooms, such as being a one to one for visually impaired students, an aide for autistic students and a fill - in for regular ed classrooms.

The hardest part of being a temp is gaining access to systems and databases so that I can begin my work day in a timely manner.  Also having an employee badge which gives entry into the school building without having to stand outside with parents and students

What is the best part of working at the company?
I have worked as a teacher and found it grueling, as the work is never-ending. I have also worked as a substitute teacher, which I find enjoyable, as I really like the students, and there is not as much pressure. There is a wide variety of schools in AACPS, and I am sure you will be able to find a good fit.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
When I was teaching full time, it was the meetings, the professional development, the SLOs, the demands put upon me from my department chair that was not part of the school system's policy. It was the  keeping up with my certification that I had to pay for out of my own pocket. It was the class sizes. It was the amount of work that I had to take home and the stress when I was not able to finish for the next day. All of this took away from spending time with my students. It was so frustrating.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Everyone is friendly when they are getting their way.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Now, it is great as I just substitute, but the pay is close to minimum wage and there are no benefits.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Teacher 38 salaries reported	$72,501 per year
Elementary school teacher 26 salaries reported	$19.33 per hour
Special education teacher 2 salaries reported	$75,326 per year
English teacher 4 salaries reported	$86,819 per year
Substitute teacher 4 salaries reported	$118 per day

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