bus driver

tutor

teacher

bus monitor

patient registrar

GASTON COUNTY SCHOOLS

I was able to grow my experience here, EC has its own set of challenges and rewards. Often felt lack of support from DEC, caseload was overwhelming, students had extreme behaviors which derailed instruction. Paperwork can be stressful & overwhelming. Severe lack of staff for adult supports for students with behavioral problems. I was lucky to have good staff and admin., but many are not that fortunate.  The best part is being able to see the growth the children can make with consistent services and dedicated teachers / staff. 

As for DEC ( department of Exceptional Children) they decided to add more work to EC teachers because they couldn’t find any school psychologist. This decision tripled the amount of meetings & work placed on the EC teachers. This was at the start of the ‘24-‘25 school year. There was a strong disconnect between DEC and the schools / EC teachers themselves. DEC makes decisions for the teachers and it did not feel like they took into consideration how it would affect us. There were challenging situations where students desperately needed adult support but it is a decision DEC has to make, it took months (like most of the school year) to finally get approval for appropriate services / placement for students. It is very frustrating being in the classroom as the teacher everyday trying to make it work with what we have, and having the feeling that DEC could care less as long as they continue to get their paychecks. 

Limited staffing causes extreme lack of support. Unless your true passion is to teach, I would suggest getting experience somewhere else. The only support that was felt was with school staff, never from anywhere else. After 4 years, this took my passion out of the classroom and away from students, very sad but just a part of it. I would overall not recommend GCS. 

There is little good to say about being a teacher in Gaston County. It is a nepotistic, incestous, dictatorship, where people at Osceola Street drive everything from the top down. They KNOW what is best for the teacher, even though the Superintendent had virtually no educational experience, and his minions are so divorced from reality that they would be fired for gross incompetence were they in the public sector. Some of them have NEVER been at the building level; some haven't been there in 10-20 years.
The reason GCS does as well as it does, and it has gone downhill like a landslide since I started working for them over 20 years ago, is the teachers, working, many of them, in less than favorable conditions. Principals have stopped saying no to parents, even in cases bordering on the criminal. They have no spine whatsoever, because there is no BAD news in GCS, only happy news. Law enforcement now reports incidents in the papers, because they know the school district won't report them.
Principals and senior administrators don't get fired; only teachers and staff do. Teachers went four years without a raise. Part of that is the state's fault; however, GCS could've lobbied for an increase in the county supplement; they didn't.
The final insult is that GCS is borrowing "ideas" from Charlotte, which is a disaster in its own right, and then hiring people from Charlotte to implement them.
GCS never has any money, according to them, unless it is for consultants, then they have thousands of dollars available to tell them what they want to hear.
The most telling item: teacher turnover has tripled since I started working here. Teacher slots are being filled by people from as far away as Asheville and Hickory. Magnet programs were done away with. The lottery system is fixed; all those guys playing sports at Highland didn't come through the lottery, and they still can't win-anything.
The list is endless.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I love that I get to help people everyday. It is not an easy job but it is an important one. I get to work in a department that loves kids and works hard to do what is right for those kids. Students should always be your #1 priority in education. It may not be the case somewhere else, but in my department (DEC) everyone here priotizes children and it is one the reasons I LOVE my job. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The understaffed conditions. It's hard when you want to help everyone but it is nearly impossible because you need more help yourself. The community on GC is huge and keeps growing. More staffing is needed in order to lower the work load and increase the effectiveness of the job. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I work with people that love kids. They are fun and caring. They work hard and each child truly matters. I can't speak for the entire district but my building is always cheerful and does the best they can to help each child. Every child matters here. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I answer phone calls most of the day. I create documents, rewrite documents, advocate for families and the schools. I find resources for families who need them. I help staff communicate with families and vice versa.

My typical day at work I took care of a classroom of students and made sure they had everything they needed for a successful day at school. I provided for their educational needs in Math, Reading, Science, and Social Studies. I administered any assessments that needed to be done on any given day. During the day I transported my class to their special classes, monitored them at lunch, and took them outside for recess. I contacted parents during and after school as needed to let them know of any issues that needed addressing. I also contacted them to tell them of any good things that happened during the school day. During planning time I communicated with my grade level colleagues and worked with the group on any solutions to problems that we needed to make. At the end of the day I made sure that my students were dismissed from school safely using their assigned transportation method.

•	Hired by Gaston County Schools to Plan and Coordinate a Federal grant which included after-school tutoring, summer enrichment program, college field trips, GED program for parents, educating the community about college, scholarships and financial aid 
•	Taught CFNC.org to students, parents and faculty
•	Organized guest speakers for day and evening events at the school
•	Responsible for the planning and implementation of the annual $100,000 Federal budget. Finalized spending budget as mandated by the Federal criteria. Worked closely with the Finance Department of Gaston County Schools
•	Invited to speak at various schools about the program and importance of post secondary education.
•	Developed and maintain database on all services provided

A typical day at work included home room attendance and teaching Art I, II, III, IV ( including AP art).  I learned that working with the students was both rewarding and challenging in that art students express themselves in ways that were creative and exciting but challenging in directing them in techniques without interfering with their ideas and style. Managing the classroom required thought and common sense as to how to accommodate many projects in different media from 5 classes. The hardest part of the job for me was all of the various records that had to be kept and applying grades to a piece of art.  The most enjoyable part of the job was interacting with my students.

The culture of the school I teach at is a warm, welcoming and loving culture. The administration and staff care about each other and put forth great effort to collaborate and effectively teach students. 

The most difficult part about my job as a special education teacher is the education system and the restraints that I feel are in place holding me back from individualizing education for low level learners. I know I am a highly certified teacher, yet I feel as though my expertise is not used effectively due to the arrangement of implementing special education services for students with learning difficulties.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Excellent  opportunities for professional development in the areas of curriculum or technology. The specialist will even make the time to meet with you individually and are willing to model lessons and team teach. All of the coaches were always a huge help!

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Administration is difficult to work with and the payroll system has proven to we problematic.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Systematic Toxic culture that is not welcoming to teachers from outside the county.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It is very stressful. A work-life balance is not truly valued.

The school where I am currently employed has had 3 principals in 3 years. We are a low performing school which means that personnel from the county are often in the school and classrooms. I currently have a very difficult class and have asked for help and suggestions for different type of classroom management techniques. I have received very little feedback. 

The morale at this school is very low and the principal has very high expectations. I spend the majority of my time compiling data and discipling children.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part to me about working for Gaston county schools is the benefits. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part is that it can be too much work for the amount of money being paid. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is great. Relationships have been developed. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Open the building, clock in, turn on lights, unlock doors. Clean restrooms, classrooms, take out trash, clean up after the sick, clean hallways, and gym. Also repairing things that I can repair.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Bus driver 100 salaries reported	$16.94 per hour
Tutor 20 salaries reported	$25.35 per hour
Teacher 3 salaries reported	$3,400 per month
Bus monitor 5 salaries reported	$15.91 per hour
Patient registrar 1 salary reported	$17.02 per hour

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