substitute teacher

teacher

high school teacher

operations associate

mathematics teacher

IDEA Public Schools

Admin would constantly change expectations and treat teachers like machines with unlimited energy — planning periods taken away, expected to work on Friday nights and Saturdays for “tutoring” (babysitting kids on computers) and recruitment. You’re already at school for 9.5+ hours a day, but you don’t have time to enter grades or plan most of the time, because you’re in meetings or you’ve been told you must use your planning period to supervise students, so you have no choice but to work nights and weekends. 

No real support when it came to student behavior. Just “be more firm” or “talk to them in the hallway” while the rest of the class is destroying the classroom. Of course, students are set up to fail in this environment, because there are 30 kids in a class at a time with no aids for students who need additional support — I had 4th graders who couldn’t read or write in my class, but they were expected to participate, and I was expected to work with them one-on-one while the other students worked independently. This was literally impossible, because the students were already super disruptive and disrespectful to me and each other. At the end of each day, my classroom would be littered with broken pencils and ripped up work sheets. They would eat their afternoon snack in my class and would leave food all over the floor and desks. When asked to help clean, the majority of them would either ignore me or just flat out say no.

The majority of the students didn’t care and thought they were star students because their grades didn’t reflect what they were actually doing. I began mid year and was shocked to see how high their grades were when I could see what they were actually producing. One kid who literally played games my entire class had a 90% average from the quarter before I arrived. Even he said, “I thought I was failing this class!”  I was told I couldn’t give any zeros, even though certain students were literally doing nothing in class except playing games or being disruptive. 

Students were expected to do everything on the computer, yet the school didn’t block access to anything. The majority of students would spend their days playing games or on YouTube. When I found out there was a secure portal used for testing so students couldn’t access other sites, I asked why we weren’t using that portal all the time?! The response was, “The district doesn’t require it, so we don’t.” 

Despite this chaotic environment, students are expected to be ready for their state testing and will do a ridiculous number of mock tests. Leading up to the real test, admin began to panic and started making students do ELA for three of their four periods a day, as well as during elective time. I came mid year, so I don’t know what they were learning the rest of the year, but from what I observed, it seemed like not too much, and that this pre-testing “bootcamp” was a desperate attempt to make up for all the lost time. 

Idea projects an image of excellence and learning, but it’s really just smoke and mirrors. It’s all about the numbers with no real regard for the humans behind them — teachers whose hands they tie, they don’t respect, and whom they burn out; students who are passed through with no real consequences; parents who think their kids are learning and being prepared for college.



This place will deceive you by offering perks and a high salary. Be very careful before believing it’s worth it! Once I counted all the hours I worked I made less than $20 an hour. I was so stressed I was sick for nearly 2 years before I got out. Expectations are constantly changing and more than your job description will be handed to you without discussion. Teachers are micromanaged and you must be ready to constantly monitor, rate, rank, and manage them. There is no trust or grace extended to teachers. Both students and staff who struggle are not recognized and are written up/ given more and more work. “Work hours” were hidden from me and I was told I would never under any circumstances need to stay past 4:30, but hours are much longer and they own your free time and can ask you to work on Fridays and weekends. All planning and tasks need to happen outside of your work day so you can’t meet their standards and goals unless you work many additional hours after your 50+ hours in the building. Behaviors are serious and there is no system for support. You will need to follow up with consequences and more work for teachers without strong results, even if they have so much behavior in their class without support that they can’t teach their curriculum. Militaristic, punitive, compliant culture for all. In this day and age in education, why anyone would accept the hours is beyond me. If you express that you want to do less, you’re told you don’t care about kids. But the real kicker is that they don’t let kids graduate if they don’t get into college, so that they can say 100% of their graduates do get into college. They guarantee that to parents and it’s just not true. A completely chaotic organization because of the turnover. Many, many red flags- too long to list here. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The pay makes it hard to walk away. The drop off locations for Students are usually public venue parking lots instead of residential which makes it easier on both driver and parents.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Dealing with students on a daily basis can be stressful if you let it. However you get use to your students and eventually establish control on the bus. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Like anywhere else as long as you keep your head down do what your are supposed to you’ll be fine. However it only takes one mistake or incident and you’re on managements hit list. You almost feel excommunicated. It’s not a good feeling. Also don’t go above and beyond. You’ll be passed over for employee of the month and other incentives. They play favorites like any other place. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
In the life of a bus operator you’re expected to come in early usually an hour before departure to pick up students for school. You’re required to inspect your bus before every commute before and after the route. There are usually two routes morning and afternoon not including field trips. When not driving the bus you are required to do other duties such as help with student drop off and hall monitoring.

I oversee three different RISE classes which consist of 8-12 students in each class . They are at all different levels of the Autism Spectrum and all students have learning disabilities that score them 70 or below on an IQ test.  I provide support services to three lead teachers and 6 co - teachers . I am the only Special Education administrator/ counselor without a certification in counseling. I have been working in this capacity for six years. I am also the head coach for Varsity basketball and football and oversee our transportation program which gets all our kids to school if they qualify for that particular service . I currently think that i am underpaid for the numerous hats that i wear here at IDEA . I am looking to get certified in School Counseling and am hoping for a similar role with an organization that might compensate more for my years of experience and for the different roles i can fill at the same time on any given day . I was co - Teacher of the year in 2020 and also won the “ Whatever it Takes “ award in 2019 . My biggest weakness is setting appropriate expectations and my biggest strength has been building strong relationships with students and their parents 

I approached my role at IDEA with optimism, believing my strong work ethic would lead to a positive experience despite mixed reviews. Unfortunately, my time here was deeply disappointing and the worst professional experience I’ve had.
The Group Team Leader (GTL) was consistently disengaged, leaving their responsibilities to the rest of the team. Support from campus administration was equally lacking—they showed little respect for work-life balance and failed to provide the promised training, tools, or feedback. Instead, when I raised concerns, I faced heightened scrutiny rather than support.
Staff were burdened with excessive tasks under the guise of “campus need,” including lunch, hallway, bathroom, and dismissal monitoring for high school students, often requiring us to arrive 15 minutes early. Expectations were inconsistently enforced—some employees skipped duties without consequence, while others were unfairly reprimanded.
I was initially excited to teach here, but the reality didn’t match the promises made during onboarding. The lack of support, training, and fairness created an unhealthy work environment, leading me to leave after one year. I strongly caution others to carefully consider their decision before joining.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I enjoy the subject I teach and working with my team.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part about working is not having a break for 6 straight hours. 1 conference, never ending trainings online and in person, and weekly lesson plans that are over 25 pages that also have to be front loaded a week in advance and that is not even teaching or grading over 130 students work.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I like structure and consistency with my team.  I also know that we are doing our best to help students. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Start duty every other week at 7:30, then I go straight to homeroom where I take attendance and check for dress code, then I teach back to back till 1:03 when I get a 30 minute  lunch and pick up my room. Conference try to make copies, enter award points, call parents, prepare for next class, attend ARD meetings or complete trainings. Then I teach for 1 final hour. Go to duty from 3:43 till 4:10, come back to class, prepare board for next day we out copies, typically leave by 5:40 to go home and grade at night.

Working as a principal in a highly unorganized charter school was one of the most challenging professional experiences I have had. While I entered the role excited about the opportunity to support students, teachers, and families, the lack of structure made it extremely difficult to lead effectively. Systems that are essential for a school to function—clear policies, consistent communication, accountability, and strategic planning—were either missing or constantly changing. This created confusion among staff and limited our ability to focus on what mattered most: student learning and growth. Instead of dedicating time to instructional leadership, much of my energy went into trying to manage ongoing operational issues and crisis situations. Over time, it became clear that the environment did not align with my leadership values or my vision for a stable, supportive school culture. Although the experience taught me resilience and problem-solving, it also confirmed that I would not choose to return to a similar leadership role in the future

Interning at a school offers a rich and rewarding experience, providing valuable insights into the education sector. The daily interaction with students is both challenging and fulfilling, as you get to witness their growth and enthusiasm for learning firsthand. The supportive environment created by experienced teachers fosters professional development, allowing interns to gain practical teaching skills, classroom management techniques, and an understanding of diverse learning needs.

While the workload can be demanding, with lesson planning and grading tasks, the hands-on experience is invaluable for aspiring educators. The opportunity to collaborate with seasoned educators and receive constructive feedback enhances your teaching methods and confidence. Additionally, the sense of community within the school, including relationships with students, staff, and parents, is incredibly enriching. Overall, interning at a school is an excellent stepping stone in a teaching career, offering a comprehensive, real-world perspective on the educational field.

The salary is relatively good when compared to other schools in the area, but it is not worth it with the amount of time-consuming expectations. Be ready to work outside of work to meet pedantic lesson plan expectations, even though you’ve done this for years and have proven yourself through your students’ test results. The last thing I want to do after work is to talk about work, but I keep getting calls from leadership to talk about advice on next steps, ideas, last-minute requests, etc. The organization sees children as money, which has led to staff being forced to do things that are not in their job-description and should not be their responsibility, such as taking weekends to recruit students in the name of “team and family.” The campus is extremely result focused, not education focused (yes, there’s a difference). Teachers are encouraged to teach for the tests than to teach for long-term knowledge. Teachers that demonstrate success in meeting score goals are heavily shown favoritism, while the rest are left in the background.

IDEA South Flores I am very disappointed in the way IDEA Public Schools treated me. IDEA prides themselves in taking care of their teachers yet this was a poor representation of that. 
I have spent the last 4 years dedicating myself to IDEA with great passion. Per the meeting yesterday morning with Stephen Foster, he stated that the new principal would be getting to know us in order to make logical decisions regarding placements ; yet yesterday afternoon I had another meeting with the API’s who completely dismissed what he had told me earlier in the day. The API’s did not even want to take the time to look at my data . They were not compassionate at all in fact when I said I do not feel valued they stayed silent. They said to me is this your two week notice . 
That completely showed me I had no value, an easily replaceable body ; making the  last 4 years I have dedicated to IDEA was basically void. I told them today is my last day. This is not what I expected to happen and I’m absolutely heartbroken.
This is why teachers are leaving this profession

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Substitute teacher 1 salary reported	$25.00 per hour
Teacher 3 salaries reported	$80,977 per year
High school teacher 6 salaries reported	$72,452 per year
Operations associate 1 salary reported	$22.83 per hour
Mathematics teacher 1 salary reported	$54,500 per year

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