account manager

tutor

teacher

senior purchaser

science teacher

Fort Worth Independent School District

In my experience, the district itself isn't that bad. There were a few clerical issues downtown that coworkers have encountered but all of my experiences went smooth. The lack of one cohesive vision for the whole FWISD is where the issues following stem from. There is constant turn over! Administration, teachers, coaches, security, etc. There is no consistency. The constant turn over does not allow for structures, procedures, and expectations to ever develop. Test based instruction has made it easy for anyone to become a "teacher" and get a pay check. Individuals who actually have a passion for children and teaching are discouraged from being creative, spontaneous, and engaging, everything is based on test scores. My personal issue with this philosophy is the passing standard for these state tests are far below what is actually a passing standard for a class. My students were expected to "pass" their STAAR test with a 54%. WHERE IN THE WORLD IS 54%  A SUFFICIENT GRADE? We are setting these children up for failure. I have had to work under administration that had the technical qualifications on paper to run the school but lacked the experience (especially in this type of school) and people skills to do so. Discipline is an issue throughout the district. Teachers are between a rock and a hard place with this issue. I was lucky in my first years to have a very supportive principal who was very involved with his staff and students but in more recent years this was not the case. The lack of support causes a lack of trust and that trickles and festers between the teachers trying to keep the school afloat. 
I will say that I had some of the best colleagues, like family, and my children were amazing. If you can get a position in a NON tested subject, half of your issues are gone. If you can develop meaningful honest relationships with your students and know that what happens in your class matters and makes a difference to those children, you can be successful. (You will want a spouse or significant other with a good paying job as well)

To help students learn English and achieve literacy objectives by working with
individual students or small groups so that they may attain grade level proficiency.
1. Prepares daily lesson plans under supervision of the ESL teacher; makes instructional presentations;
conducts discussions; encourages practice; and corrects student work in a manner that promotes language
competence.
2. Cooperates with the ESL teacher in completing ESL forms.
3. Assists teacher in administering and recording such assessment and achievement as recommended for
ESL students.
4. Seeks advice and assistance of ESL and classroom teacher to make changes in the instructional plan when
evaluation indicates a need.
5. Confers with the ESL and classroom teacher(s) concerning individual needs on a daily basis under the
guidance of the ESL teacher.
6. Adjusts instruction to objectives and individual needs on a daily basis under the guidance of the ESL
teacher.
7. Provides individual students with positive and prompt feedback on their progress.
8. Helps develop and use language resources to support and supplement instructional activities. Renews
competence and keeps abreast of new knowledge, research, and practice in language instruction and
applies this knowledge to improve the instructional program.
9. Attends appropriate and required staff development to enhance instruction.
10. Attends PTO/PTA Open Houses, Conference Nights, and other school-related events.
11. Establishes positive rapport with students, parents, and school personnel.
12. Sets high standards for student performance and achievement.
13. Adheres to established laws, rules, and regulations of the Buncombe County School System and the ESL
Program.
14. Works with one-on-one and small groups to remediate diagnosed weaknesses.
15. Completes other duties that may be assigned by the ESL teacher.

I taught Coordinated Vocational Academic Education for The Handicap (CVAE) in a high School in Fort Worth Texas for 30 years. I taught mainly special education students and some regular students Commerical Food Services. My job was to equip the student to be ready to go out and get a job with basic training in food preparation with a high school diploma. I taught sanitation and safety, menu planning, actual food preparation, where we prepared and sold food to staff and faculty (funds were then used to run the program). They learned how to use commerical equipment, to clean and store properly. They learned customer service skills, job search skills. and career planning preparation.
My classroom was ran like a small restaurant, the students actually had "hands-on" experience that was intended to give them real-life training needed to secure a job. I did have an assistant that worked with me. The hardest part of my job, sometimes was having some students physically not able to do the routine assignments but had every right to be in the class, my job was to find ways to include them and not leave them sitting on the side. The most enjoyable part was watching the students sell the products that they made, they loved selling what they produced. I watched their faces as the beamed with pride in selling a slice of cake, a slice of pie or some sort of sandwich or a meal. I was so pleased that on this campus, the students took pride in being in this class, the regular students wanted to be in this class and some even mentioned (at the time), how they thought that it was unfair that the program guidelines did not include them!

What is the best part of working at the company?
I worked for the LAN and the administration was on point with making certain teachers were well equipped. If there was ever a need for anything that would increase learning opportunities for the students as well as teachers, there was absolutely no hesitation in provisions. Admin was open and transparent in their approach and always available for assistance, clarification, or whatever the need was. I thoroughly appreciate all the efforts that went in to ensure effective learning was taking place!

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part for me was the level of trauma that the students came with from home life. I strongly wanted to see more parental involvement but that was a parent issue.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Initially, the first of three years was very cold when it came to campus staff. Although it was in the beginning of COVID, it was tough. However, when approached by my principal, she listened and took steps to generate a more positive and friendly environment. That was all that was needed to change the narrative on the campus. To her, I really appreciated and needed that!!

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day was arriving to work early and collaborating with my team some mornings. My team partner was awesome and we would all stand at the door to welcome our babies. Often admin would come through to make certain we were ok and there were no needs. We would often have admin come through with our favorite drink and snack. Our admin and counselor was awesome when it came to teacher self care. Day would wrap up only to restart.

The time I spend on doing mandatory data analysis on the 8 three-week assessments, 6 interim assessments, and 4 STAAR benchmarks, is completely ridiculous! 

With the amount of time the classroom spends taking the 8 three-week assessments, 6 interim assessments, and 4 STAAR benchmarks, I could actually TEACH!  
(The students take 12 three-week assessments, 12 interim assessments, and 6 benchmarks. That is also what a self-contained teacher can look forward to.)

Not all schools take the 3 week assessments, just the low performing ones, The ones whose students need the MOST teaching! I know its hard to believe, but taking tests DOESN’T teach. The hours (3-4 per assessment) I spend completing the mandatory data analysis would be better spent preparing lesson plans that target skills the students need most.  I can tell what skills these are from the data already supplied to us (and them), without their ridiculous “analysis” forms. 

I LOVE the kids! I love seeing the “ah-ha” moments in their eyes when they have struggling on a concept and it finally clicks.

Unfortunately, I see less of that than I would like; instead, I see dread and a general feeling of apathy.  They know it doesn’t matter how well they do or how poorly they do on these assessments. The assessments are coming one after the other, regardless.  So, now I can’t even trust the data because it no longer shows what they know, it only proves they are just as tired of taking assessments as I am.

Students are typical, but many are reluctant learners. Most students are off task, so a teacher must be prepared and engaging with vivid lessons that capture learners attention. Staying unopinionated, neutral without gossip, cooperative with colleagues and maintaining a positive attitude will place teachers in a position to be recognized by their peers and uneventful with leadership. Discipline is the greatest challenge. Use as many alternatives to referrals as possible. Of course, behaviors that are unmanageable causing disruption to the learning environment, dangerous to others or the student should be documented and reported for the student to get proper assistance. The most enjoyable part of the job is the reward of your labor when scholars are able to perform on level or have the confidence and ownership of having knowledge. Most teachers are frustrated with administration not being supportive or proactive with behavioral issues or unresponsive to teacher concerns of those who are highly disruptive. A great educator will understand that these very issues are universal to 85% of all schools in the country and the battle will be your own. If you can put down your figurative weapons and put on your thinking cap, winning over your students and gaining their trust is where your victory lies. Kids are kids. In all settings, your goal is to create scholars, so they can get scholarships. As for FWISD, its just another large school system.

A typical day at work includes teaching 7 classroom periods in which the classroom size varies anywhere from 6 students to 35 students.  A teacher at this campus deals with economically and socially deprived students of different cognitive levels.  
     There are challenges with middle school students that are reading at a third grade level, on average, which is conducive towards low performance and low test scores.  I learned how to develop lessons that would challenge the students to think critically and "outside of the box".  
     As far as management, many teachers complained about lack of support from management.  We often feel/felt unappreciated and alienated from campus administrators.  Moreover, shared sentiment among teachers is "Us vs. Them" (students ,parents, administrators, district).  
    The hardest part of the job was getting parents vested in their child's learning progress.  Majority of the parents had no problem attending their child's athletic events, but calling them  (or even setting up a parent-teacher conference) to discuss their child's academic performance was a bit challenging or even impossible.  
     The most enjoyable part of the job was the fact that you had that small percentage of students that really worked hard and had a genuine interest in learning.

The workday began at 7:40 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. We served breakfast from 7:40 to 8:00. Instruction began at 8:00 when the students switched for MINDS Reading (30 min) and Minds Math (30 min). Instruction for first period began at 9:00 for Math. Students switched for Specials (P.E., Art, Music) at 10:00, which lasts for one hour. Upon returning to Math, first period instruction continued for 30 minutes; at 11:30 students switched for second period. We did a 30 minute introduction with a video and at 12:00 went to lunch. After completing a 30 minute lunch, we picked up students from the cafeteria and continued with second period Math for one hour. Third period Math began at 1:30 and the students returned to their homeroom teachers at approximately 2:45 for dismissal to go home. I learned that all children are teachable and how the meet a child right where they are. I managed 10-24 students at a time depending on the area of Math that was being taught. Enjoyed working with the entire 3rd grade team of teachers, but also had a good rapport with other grade level teachers. The hardest part of the job was trying not to become attached to the students, but there was connection regardless, because they were mine for that year. The most enjoyable part of the job was seeing them promoted to the next level.

-Campus and district cares little for employees and students. All about the bottom line-- $$ and test scores. During my time there I saw multiple policies implemented which went against what teachers, students, and parents wanted. Despite concerns being shared and even solicited, they were completely ignored. A significant number of teachers surplussed by the district, and popular programs ended. This creates a terrible culture in which everyone is doing the bare minimum they can to get by. Motivated teachers/other employees quickly find new jobs.
-Pay sounds reasonable or even good until you look at the health care premiums and the rest of the poor benefits package. To insure my entire family, for example, cost about 40% of my salary. This left me working 50-60 hours a week while I was the only one in my family we were able to afford to insure.
-No culture of promoting from within, a big issue if you are interested in a non-teaching position or taking on additional paid responsibilities (coaching etc). Transfers to other campuses are a mess. A coworker of mine was told by a principal that they "dont really look at" the transfer list and hire someone from outside first if they can.

I work 187 days a year (1309 hr./yr.) and as a new nurse; I make ~40.50 hr (I take a 30 min lunch). In essence, I make as much money as I did at the hospital, but I am working 563 hours less. This job provides the ultimate in work/life balance. You input your PTO when you need it, no questions asked. Management works with you. People are kind here, and not stressed like at the hospital. 

I have summers off so I work per diem shifts and make 42/hr., which allows me to make about 74k+ a year. That I could never do in a hospital situation w/out furthering my education. 

A typical day, I arrive and open the clinic, prepare meds that I will disperse throughout the day. I see patients with chronic issues (diabetes, asthma, etc.), patients who are feelings sick, and I deal with emergencies (anaphylactic shock, broken bones, etc.). I head up my emergency team at the school and interact with 911 and the fire dept. It's kind of like running a doctor’s office by yourself, but you cannot prescribe. I see 4-40 pts a day. I feel I can make a difference and guide future health decisions these kids will make. 

At the hospital, I was mostly dealing with pts who made bad lifestyle decisions. Personally, I feel kids are much kinder patients.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Account manager 1 salary reported	$17.00 per hour
Tutor 1 salary reported	$13.50 per hour
Teacher 1 salary reported	$62,000 per year
Senior purchaser 1 salary reported	$70,088 per year
Science teacher 1 salary reported	$71,500 per year

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