aba therapist

special education teacher

registered behavior technician

senior teaching assistant

special assistant

Ivymount

This was such a wonderful school to work at. I started my first year with a great division director who had run the wing for many years. The staff during my first year made my experience a pleasure. The students put a smile on my face every day. It was such a warm and lovely environment to work in especially for those in the field of education/special education or pursuing it. At the close of the first school year the great director stepped down and a new director took her place--- a speech related service provider. Yeah, sometimes you don't have to be too competent to get a hold of a position. You just have to know the right people which is the reality at this company. Once she took over during the second school year everything started to fall apart. Staff were either quitting or getting fired for no reason. The harder you worked and the more qualified you were, the faster you would get chopped. No job security or loyalty whatsoever. It's very mind boggling.

Along with very high turnover, the division was always understaffed. This meant teachers taking on double duty. Some students did not have the assistance they needed; just a sad situation. 

Performance evaluations were falsified and not based on actual job performance, instead, on a personal level. If they liked you, you stayed another year. If they did not like you then you were out. It did not matter how sincere, warm and compassionate you were in your role and how much you loved teaching, the students, and your qualifications. In stead of actually observing you, were conducted in their offices using their opinions and mood. 

Not a school to work at if you are looking for a secure job, advancement, respect, and fair management.

It is a very cliquey environment in certain classrooms that only accept those who fit into the right “mold.” Staff did not always dedicate enough time to make their expectations clear or give positive feedback on what we were doing correctly, so we were often being critiqued on things we didn’t know they wanted to be done differently, making me feel as if I were walking on eggshells.

Because of the cliquey environment and the fast-paced and often stressful nature of the job, I struggled with the lack of support. Because senior staff showed preferential treatment toward the employees they fit into their clique, I would often struggle to feel comfortable asking for help. 

Along with that, a lot of neurodivergent staff often get overlooked or do not get treated the way they should be. Neurodiverse staff were often looked at as a disturbance or an inconvenience, especially if they did not have a legal accommodation. I also found that senior staff are not always as accepting and understanding of neurodivergent staff as I’d expect. As someone with ADHD, I often tried to advocate for feedback in the form of written directions and suggestions for improvement. This was largely ignored, and I often received feedback in passing that I was not able to fully process or write down. 

I will say working with the students is highly rewarding, and getting to know them closely is the best part of the job. Along with that, there are still plenty of other teachers and staff members that did help me feel safe and heard even when I struggled with senior staff. 

I gained some really valuable experiences working at this school. It was my first full time introduction to working with students with Autism and other disabilities (or varied abilities I should say)
There were some great OT's, PT's, behavior therapists and SLPs who were always great to work alongside. Sadly they moved on and there seemed to be a high turnover of staff ever year. This can be good and bad, it certainly keeps things fresh. New people new idea and approaches.

The commute was a little tough, an hour door to door, but you can get used to it especially when you find out that there are a lot more staff who travel from farther distances everyday.  There's the good the bad and the ugly, but the good usually outweighed the bad.
 If anything, having great colleagues overrides some poor management or those in senior positions who barely interacted with the daily goings on yet wanted to lord it over hard working staff whenever they slipped up or put on a good show of authority when outsiders or parents came in 

 Its a tough and rewarding job even if the pay could be better. bonuses were a blessing but were not always guaranteed. The most enjoyable part was seeing your students get it and watching them overcome challenges. The hardest part was colleagues who come to work to doss and are only there for the paycheck.

It's definitely not a glamorous job, but so incredibly rewarding. Everyone I have worked with is truly there because they love the students and want to see them succeed. You can feel that care and compassion when you walk into a classroom. I have toured other similar schools and never got the same feeling that the students were loved and respected for exactly who they are. There is a strong emphasis on building relationships with students and with families, especially to make sure that the student's instruction is individualized and meaningful. Ivymount definitely goes above and beyond and is so dedicated to both their students and staff members.

The program works hard to support the staff, especially because of how challenging the work can be. There are always various trainings being offered, professional development resources, chances to earn CEUs, and opportunities for promotion. Ivymount has invested so much in me personally, from encouraging me to continue my education to giving me opportunities to grow within the organization. Ivymount has always cared about me as a person, not just as a staff member. If you want to be in the field of special education and ABA, this is the place for you.

A typical day at The Ivymount School consisted of working with students to increase their quality of living. Each day I would run academic programs as well as collect data to ensure progress was being made. Each quarter I was responsible for conducting quarterly documentation reviews in which I would audit other co-worker's proper use of documentation. While working at Ivymount I learned about being a special educator, such as managing classroom behaviors as well as making proper judgement calls in the moment. I also learned how to work as a team, communicating professionally and constructively. My co-workers consisted of a group of goal-oriented individuals working together to achieve progress in the lives of their students. The hardest part of the job was the constant physical activity. Sometimes being on your feet all day can be tiring! However, it's all worth while knowing that you're making a difference in a child's life and seeing the smiles on their faces as they walk in the door.

The Ivymount School provides services for children with special needs. A typical day may look different depending on which specific program you are working in and what role you have. The caseload was manageable, the students, while challenging, were a delight to work with. 

Management was one thing that made this job a challenge. Because the needs of students require a lot of collaboration, there were several different supervisors all coming to the table with differing perspectives. While this could have served as an ideal environment to collaborate and learn in an interdisciplinary way, it did not function that way. It often made for a disorganized and conflicting workplace culture. Perhaps shifting perspectives will settle and there will be better communication in the future making it a place that fosters learning and collaboration for employees, but currently it seems to be a work in progress.

I came to Ivymount after several years working at another non-profit where I worked 70 hours/week, worked every Sunday on-site, and had no division between my professional and personal life, also myriad dysfunction with management. At Ivymount, I have work/life balance, which is very important to me. My physical and emotional health have improved. I love my colleagues, management is sane and fair, and I come to work happy to be here every day. Being around students and seeing them grow provides the meaning to what we do.  Salaries here in a non-profit, non-public school can't compete with public school salaries or private sector-but if you value work/life balance and want to learn and grow and be a positive force in the world by helping students with disabilities and work with like-minded individuals who want to achieve the same, this is a wonderful place to be.

This job started off great, it really did, but the longer you're there, the more it begins to wane on you if you made a mistake or not. If you were like me, and lived an hour away, you couldn't stay after late to do the work you needed to for the next day, because of rush hour, so you had to do it at home. Management tries to do their best to support you, but it is not enough. You feel guilty for coming in late, because one of your students gets passed on to another one of your colleagues, and it's never all sunshine and rainbows. Their standards are very high for the work, and you have no creative freedom to work with the students in the way you know how.

This school favors the children whos parents can afford to play. The children supported by the state are treated like second class citizens. They give this list to teachers. Just horrible. The school is run by an old elitist hag. She is totally out of touch with the staff and acts like a lunatic. The heads of departments are total idiots and are not qualified to do their jobs. i.e. a speech therapist as head of lower and middle school - another hag. They fired the art teacher after 25 years of service!!!! There is NO loyalty and the teachers are at each others throats because they are afraid for their jobs. The teachers rat each other out every day. The children are given food as a reward -???? Food is a right not a reward. This place is a nightmare stay away.

If you are in the Special Education field, Ivymount is a great place to work. The people you work with are so dedicated to their jobs and are always pleasant and ready to help you. Training is thorough, so you definitely feel prepared once you get into the classrooms. Your work days are only 7.5 hours but there's plenty of time to get the additional work you need to get done, done. Management is great. They are extremely knowledgeable and ready to assist with whatever you need. The people you work with in your classroom will become some of your best friends and they are definitely a highlight of the workday. The hardest part of the job is dealing with kids' behaviors, but if special education is the field you are passionate about, then I 100% recommend Ivymount.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Aba therapist 1 salary reported	$35,673 per year
Special education teacher 1 salary reported	$67,850 per year
Registered behavior technician 1 salary reported	$38,916 per year
Senior teaching assistant 2 salaries reported	$39,473 per year
Special assistant 15 salaries reported	$31,625 per year

Working at Ivymount: Company Overview and Reviews

Ivymount

Ivymount Ratings

Popular jobs at Ivymount

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected