elementary school teacher

teacher

high school teacher

school teacher

english teacher

JEFFERSON PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM

Positive: 
1. I loved the camaraderie among teachers, who were mostly certified, very experienced, and truly cared about the students. 
2. Occasional perks like popcorn for teachers, snacks at staff meetings (which were thankfully only monthly and short). 
3. My students were very well behaved and eager to learn, and appreciated my time and attention. 
4. My classroom was well resourced, I didn't have to buy much for my students.

Negative: 
1. Having to start on a prorated salary seemed very unusual and a bit shady to me.  Getting the job past mid year I was shocked to find that I would only be paid about 60% of my full monthly salary until the following September.  
2. The worst thing was that my ESL job kept changing, initially I absolutely loved everything about it. There is no consistency regarding how ESL students should best be taught, my school experimented with 3 different service delivery methods during my two years there, and were to begin a 4th method after I resigned.  
3. Additionally, my school began an intense system of observations whereby all teachers were observed 2X per week or more.  If the principal didn't appreciate or agree with your style, the observations could ramp up to daily. LOTS of micro-managing, it all became extremely stressful.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Working with kids with Autism taught me a great respect for life, patience, compassion, kindness and tolerance. I also had the pleasure of working with hearing impaired kids and what a coincidence because I grew up in a home with a deaf Family Member. That was a great pleasure to use some of the skills I had not use in years. Working for Jefferson Parish was a great experience, I met such great friends that I will keep for life. I retired in May of 2025. I missed the kids so much, many days I regret my decision of retiring. I have such fond memories of working for Jefferson Parish School. I would recommend anyone who is thinking about entering the field of education to join Jefferson Parish School District if You’re in the Area.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part of working for the Parish were the Parents, not supporting the Teachers, going to the District for every single thing that wasn’t necessary. If their kids grade wasn’t good they would go to the District, progress reports were sent home in advance. It’s up to the parents to check their child’s/children folder.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
My work environment was wonderful. I worked at very good schools with diverse students. Every ethnicity was at Schools I was assigned to.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I had a scheduled that was followed along with the Students to the tea.

90% of the people I encountered during my time at JPPSS were nice people. However, they were overall incompetent, or stretched too thin to properly do their jobs. This latest comment is in regards to district personnel as well as teachers. As a teacher this past school year, I spent nearly 5 hours every weekend lesson planning, that does NOT include time grading papers etc. Messages between admin and the parish were mixed, one person saying "do it X way," another saying "Y is the right way!"

About 25% of the trainings offered were useful. Most could have been achieved in a much shorter time.

They will do almost anything to make your life miserable and difficult. Mid year last year, a certain form was redesigned. It forced some teachers to do about 10-20 hours extra of work, just because a form was re-designed in the middle of the school year.  Upon resigning, I was told that I had to do X and Y. After resigning, in order to get money owed to me, I was told to do X, Y AND Z. No one informed me of Z.

If you speak out against them publicly while currently employed- don't. 

Even with the current salary increases, the toll it takes on your mental health isn't worth it.

The Speech and Hearing Dept at JPPSS is supportive and if they had the backing from the Superintendent it would be an ideal place to work. Unfortunately money is not allocated in smart ways and SLPs are not treated as the professionals we went to school for. We are put on the same tier as teachers (not knocking this profession it's just different) but actually the teachers have access to stipends that we in fact do not. So technically they get paid more than us. However, the schools want us to do all the excess teacher participation i.e. duty, statewide testing, attend PDs that do not pertain to our profession, and attend 6 sometime 7 hour IEP meetings when our piece could be said in 30 minutes at most. Again, the actual department is great for the most part, I just wish it were separate from the system as a whole so our supervisors could actually fight for what we deserve.

PROS:
- fairly supportive environment
- interesting and free CEUs (when they are speech related)

CONS:
- low pay
- expected extra tasks (duty and testing)
- rigid schedules (added 30 mins to the day, have to take off even if its only for a few hours)
- not treated as our actua professions

 It is evident that JPS, while having enjoyed stability and providing a sense of security for its employees during the 90s and 00s, seems to be stuck in a time warp, clinging onto past glories. 

When it comes to embracing technological advancements, updating our work culture, and offering competitive wages, it appears that JPS is still rooted in the 2000s. The leadership and personnel seem somewhat disconnected from the reality of the environment in which our employees operate. This lack of awareness contributes to a general sense of dissatisfaction among many of our colleagues. It is worth noting that those individuals who do find contentment within the organization may be inadvertently perpetuating some of these challenges.

I hope my observations are received with the intention of contributing to the improvement of our company. It is my belief that with open dialogue and a willingness to adapt, JPS can evolve into a more vibrant and fulfilling workplace for all.

A typical day at work for me is dealing with at--risk youth from ages 5 to twenty years of age.  I process attendance, discipline and timekeeping along with many other tasks.  I've learned over the years that society today is very different from the days when I was a teen.  I've learned that in order to be productive, you must be organized and readily available for the next occurrence.  My co-workers are a part of my family.  We all work together striving to make the school successful.  The hardest part of my job is being alone in the office and having to not only assist teachers, students, parents etc., I have to buzz the door for everyone to enter. The school system eliminated the clerk position which leaves me to run the office alone.  The buzzer sits on another desk, so it gets frustrating having to constantly run to the buzzer, especially if I'm filing something which is a distance from where the buzzer is located.  For the most part, I love what I do, I'm good at it,  and I make sure all jobs are completed before the end of the day regardless of how busy the office gets.

While you may get an awesome manager at a school, make sure you don't miss too many days, they don't care if you had a family emergency, if you are sick, if your child(ren) are sick, and even if there was a death in the family. All of it will be counted against you, even if you have doctors notes. All they care about is shaping you into the perfect little worker bee. If you start off as part time and miss more than 3 days of work, then you are no longer qualified to be promoted to full time. While you do have paid sick days you don't get paid for taking holidays and the summer off. It is an alright job if you don't have kids and if you are not family oriented. If you put your family and personal health first, then this is not the job for you.

Teachers are provided the bare minimum of equipment and technology, which oftentimes does not function properly. Teachers have little say over what classes they actually teach. Buildings are in advanced states of disrepair with poorly functioning/non-functioning bathrooms, sick ventilation systems, leaking roofs, inadequate outlets or access to electricity in the classrooms, too few chairs for class sizes, too few desks/desks badly damaged. Teachers are provided little to no support with student discipline; student compliance with school policies; academic/curriculum leadership; coaching/mentoring practices; ESL, SPED, Counseling support. Teachers are compelled to perform extra-classroom duties without compensation. JPPSS is riddled with a culture of favoritism, nepotism, and administrative retaliation.

My current role consists of assisting the teacher as a paraprofessional. I perform many duties to ensure that students meet their desired expectation and I in the classroom to aid the student's overall growth.

I am very familiar with my role and have performed this role previously from 2000-2005 with the New Orleans Public School.

Management in my current role is sort of unusual and awkward. There is a lack of communication that takes place and make my job very uncomfortable and not valued as an employee. 

The hardest part of my job is the lack of support by administration and not feeling connected with each other as a unit in my current role. My previous role within JPPSS was incredible and amazing and the supports which was provided a my former school was awesome.

The most enjoyable part of my job is showing up daily to breathe hope, love, knowledge, encouragement, and determination in the lives of the students that I serve and meet daily.

The work with Jefferson Parish public school system was rewarding and fun. At the beginning of my career with that system I worked with elementary school students where I used play therapy individually and in group. The system was supportive of creative interventions and provided all the tools a therapist needs. Later working with upper level students provided a different opportunity to use different therapies like CBT, psychotherapy, interpersonal therapy, family therapy, group therapy, mindfulness-based therapy, etc... 
The system provided a good benefit package to their employees and their families. The breaks/holidays we got with our students gave us the golden opportunity to be with our kids/family on their breaks. 
Advancement was not possible in that system. The job culture of school social workers was supportive and encouraging.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Elementary school teacher 1 salary reported	$51,300 per year
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High school teacher 3 salaries reported	$1,000 per week
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