elementary school teacher

teacher

mathematics teacher

recruiter

school teacher

Bridgeprep Academy

After multiple  years working here I would highly suggest to think TWICE and look elsewhere. This review may be drowned out by others, but I want to offer some insights into this company after being involved in what they do and who they are (which is far from positive).

If you're here for more than a year or two you'll notice extreme high-turnover inside the school/company itself, it is there for a reason. This is a charter school, but it is a poorly managed one that is managed remotely by a company who is OUT OF TOUCH, and micro-manages a lot of decisions. They often forget you are the professional and that they hired you for a reason, and often times override immediate supervisors inside the building with their "management:.

I can speak for future years, but past/current the kids have a good control of the school and discipline was extremely lacking. A lot of stuff happens behind the scenes in the school and gets buried or ignored, as somebody who was/is in the know I would tell you to focus best on what's inside your four walls and try to control that the best you can, because they didn't have a handle of anything outside of the four walls and pre-covid it was really starting to show towards the end. They are hiring a dean this year, so I hope that changes some items, but prior it was a warzone and you as the teacher had little to no control over anything and weren't backed up. 

Instruction the company model really has you pigeon-hold and controlled on what you do to a day to do basis, there is some freedoms but the more corporate gets involved the more of that you lose. If you're somebody who is a maverick (whether good or bad) and likes creativity or differences, your hopes/passion may be killed here. I'm personally burnt out after several years of this school. They focus A LOT on data and that is very important, but kids are more than just a number in my honest opinion. This school/company is very data driven and that makes me SICK. They also spend crazy amount of time/energy in stuff that does not matter, like how you are to write your objectives, standards and lesson plans. As a professional, the kids rarely rely on the board for information so why I am so concerned about it? Lesson plans are great, but I don't need to write a dissertation for every week as a teacher if I know what I am doing. 

Your hours well extend well beyond the contract, but that's any teaching job. This past year they almost expected you to check and fulfill duties over the weekend, sometimes giving emails with last minute plans at 8PM the night before and expected you to do that the day after. Those were on the GOOD days. I am going to stop writing, but my advice is for you to really research this school and especially the management company before you apply/get a job here and decide for yourself. 

Read your contract and question EVERYTHING before agreeing to become apart of this company. Use discernment and gut feelings.

First of all, the contract is predatory.  I wouldn't recommend signing on at all unless you negotiate waiving the 10k penalty for leaving before the year is up.

I spent ALL of my time working this job; I expected to have to grind for my first year of full-time teaching, but this was excessive.  I had to reach out for help from other teachers in the public school system since I didn't have enough support or resources on site, and management refused to link me with a mentor in my subject area.  With assistance, effectively two people were doing the job of one person, and I was still perpetually behind.  Trying to meet the district pacing was a nightmare with the textbook I was given, as I never received the online portion, and even then, materials meeting the standards for Quarter 1 were sparse to the point of effective absence.  Management also pushed extremely hard for testing and didn't want me to return student materials because it was more important that we data track than allow students to do any cumulative study.  They never even got their textbooks.  The tech portions were difficult to integrate because we weren't trained until we were well into the first month.  Training at the beginning of the year consisted only of two weeks to decorate your room and that was it.  

The students were easily the best part of working here, but discipline was lacking, and I felt helpless to support the students who needed extra scaffolding like our ELL kids, gifted kids, and kids with special needs.  Everyone was integrated into the same class and I did not get enough training or resources to effectively teach a differentiated classroom. 

I was so stressed that health problems I haven't needed to manage in years not only reappeared, but became so severe that I couldn't function.  I left because I was having panic attacks and throwing up just thinking about coming in to work.  

Pros: admin never bothers you, there's no micromanaging, parents CAN be easy and are involved and can support you and provide donations, especially if you are liked, meetings rarely occur, PD's are once in a while, admin is very nice and understanding if you are sick and need to miss a day, teacher environment is very positive for the most part (older teachers and younger teachers get along), base pay is a bit higher and you get a few more stipends besides referendum/masters. There are times where you feel appreciated by your team  
cons:
Admin is very nice for the most part, but lack communication skills along with human resources. No one ever knows what is happening nor do they ever have an answer for anything. If you are hired as an educator with them be prepared to not get paid until months later without warning/explanation. Parents run that school and admin aim to please them and have no regards for their teachers at times. There is a 10k penalty if you break your contract, so if you want to leave keep that in mind. Masters pay isn't guaranteed and they don't follow what MDCPS pays along with
stipends for middle school. Stipends/pay is split to be paid for summer and you cannot opt out and you never know when you'll get paid (usually 5th/22nd are pay dates). Dismissal is a nightmare so be ready for that and to be outside in the heat. parents can be a nightmare and feel entitled too

The company that owns the school is down in Miami and they will pop into Jacksonville and given teachers feedback on their teaching and classroom without know anything about the students/class.  Their word is law.  You will make changes without question if you are told to do it by Miami.  They are out of touch with Duval County and how things are done here.  They also don’t have a good handle on what the school’s population is capable of – they consider the teachers just pawns in a game. 
After multiple years of being in this school I am glad to be out – I know that not all charter schools are like this, but I would encourage you to keep walking and not look back at BridgePrep.  Remember 22 teachers out of 37 left and this is not the first big turnover for this school – last year was the same way but I returned hoping that things would change.
Some of the biggest problems are - little or no positive communication from the administration or the owners, teachers are not valued (you can be replaced), salaries are lower than other charter schools in the area, behavior issues that run the school.  The school has a part in the contract that I would advise everyone to think really hard before signing – once your name is on the contract you are responsible for a fine if you decide to leave before the end of the contract (does not matter what the reason is).

This school is everything bad you have ever heard about working for a charter school. You will be mistreated by administration on a daily basis. You will be TOLD to work on weekends and come in outside of work hours for FREE and with NO compensation or risk losing your job. You will constantly be getting reprimanded for the school's lack of academic success. I have seen my principal a total of maybe 10 times. Administration is a mess, there is no structure and everything is done last minute. Teachers do not stick around for more than a year or two. Working here means living with constant anxiety that your micro managing administration or curriculum team will barge in at any moment to harass the children and ask them if you are doing a good job teaching.  I have had co-workers cry over the mistreatment and I feel a constant sense of fear that it will be me getting yelled at in my own classroom. They make you sign contracts before the year ends so you cannot find another job, because if they didnt everyone would leave in the summer. This school is truly the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I lost all interest in my job because everything is always wrong. They change up what they want from you on a daily basis so nothing you ever do is right in their eyes. I wake up every morning crying that I have to go into work. Do yourself a favor and do not apply to this school or any of its other campuses. This company is run by crooks.

As the inaugural and only administrator at BridgePrep of Palm Beach, it is an extreme pleasure to work here.  As we conclude our first year, we have learned that opening a new building with new staff, and new families is very challenging.  Parents have been extremely supportive of us and are very involved.

While we look forward to welcoming more families to the Boynton and Delray Beach areas for many years to come, this has been a challenging, but exciting endeavor. I invite you to provide feedback as we only want to improve our culture for our current and future Bulldogs.

As with any other workplace, there are times where a staff member has to be released.  As a school administrator, anytime a teacher does not have the students best interest in mind, I am not okay with that. Our current staff has dedicated themselves to the growth of our community and I could not be more proud. As a team, we work together to find solutions to problems and work toward creating an environment, culture, and traditions that our students will treasure for a lifetime.  As an administrator, my standards are set extremely high as it relates to quality education for our students and staff.

What is the best part of working at the company?
You can pretty much run your classroom the way you want with little interference from the principal. There is plenty of opportunities to go above and beyond with school projects and such.  I gained a lot of experience with them.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part is being able to find the appropriate guidance needed as a first year teacher in order to stay on track for certification.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is pretty much normal, you have your typical few that think they run the whole show and try really hard to make you do things their way.  You really need to be able to stand up for yourself and not be afraid to voice your own opinion.  It helps to have a tactful and strong personality with the ability to get along with others.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Very very busy and always something to be done.  Very limited personal time during the day and usually expect to put in extra hours.

As the only administrator BridgePrep Academy of Duval has had, I am proud to work here. It is a challenging environment and parents have been very supportive towards us as we are nearing the end of our first year. I've had to release some employees because they did not have the best interest of students in mind, nor did they represent our collaborative culture well. As a leader, I could not allow this. I am so proud of our current team. They work together in a way that only promotes unity as we strive to help all students excel. 

Like any other work environment there are always areas of improvement. As a team, we problem-solve and brainstorm solutions. This is the only way a school will be competitive and offer the best to students. I have a very high standard in regards to quality for students and staff. 

We look forward to servicing the Jacksonville community for many years to come. We can't wait to expand into seventh grade next year. This has been a challenging, but wonderful experience. We welcome feedback and are always searching for ways to make this learning experience even better for students.

I loved being with the children, but having to communicate with the adults was very disappointing.  I have seen fake personalities that almost made me sick. I've even heard management talking rudely about the teachers and staff, however when face to face with the teachers/staff, it was that same fake “I care about you, and I’m here to help!” facade. Management was utterly clueless on how to get the school on track and blamed the teachers for not understanding their chaotic master plan, which ended up being overkill for the teachers and, unfortunately, to the students as well, which many students have openly expressed. I understand there are people and things in the workplace that one might not favor; however, there were too many things that were just wrong and stressful about  Bridgeprep Academy at poinciana. Good luck to the students for the up and coming school year. I also hope real, compassionate people with common sense are hired this time around.

I'm pleased with my immediate supervisor, I find that the higher ups are out of touch when it comes to day to day operations. I feel like they should leave that to the person they hired and trust they will do what is best with the school. It's very stressful (but, teaching is just stressful in general). I feel like I am trusted to do my job, but I feel like I am micro-managed in some aspects. 

I feel the school/company is lacking when it comes to technology, most schools are moving to a 1:1 model and I feel like they could be better preparing (supplying) teachers/educators and staff with the tools to succeed. Everyone has been very nice from immediate supervisor to upper level management, it does feel like a family.

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