teacher

elementary school teacher

para educator

special education teacher

paraprofessional

Jeffco Public Schools

Day: Pick students up off the bus, and escort/guide students safely inside the building. Inside help, prompt if needed students to hang backpacks, coats, get lunches out/ order lunch take attendance, and start morning group. Morning group mostly Kindergarten curriculum. Date, weather, how many days of school have passed, etc. Then watching a book on the smart board or reading a short story aloud to the group. 

Start academic centers. 15 minute centers. Reading, Math, Literacy, Speech, and Independent Work. Each student has their own educational/academic goals based on the Individualized Education Plan. (I.E.P.) I have to know what each student is working on, how to work on it, what prompt level to use and use a variety of modalities in order to keep their interest peaked, in order to learn this new skill. Run 1 full rotation then break for sensory input, and brain breaks. 
Sensory input: Sensory room: Tunnel, Trampoline, Yoga, Bosu Ball, Scooter Board, Coloring Center, and Fine motor Bins. (Beans, Rice, Sand) Rotation 2 of academic Centers. 

Lunch&Recess: 
Lunch: Students with cold lunch grabbing it, and lining up, with others getting hot lunch in Cafeteria. Hot Lunch: assisting/ teaching my kids how to ask for what they want, promoting speech, grabbing one item, not touching other items, and only touching items you are taking. Also remembering to grab all needed items, Main Course, fruit, vegetable, and milk. Then grabbing other essential items i.e. fork for pasta or spoon for applesauce. Assisting in purchasing lunch, taking to table and clean up. Time warnings to finish, clean up, then line up students safely and escort back to classroom, to put lunch boxes away, and prepare for recess.

Prep for recess: Due to weather: Assisting in putting on coats, gloves, hat, etc, when appropriate. Doing a bathroom check before recess. Helping with all bathroom duties when necessary. Clothing, wiping, hand washing. 

Recess: Keeping a constant head  count and eyes on children at all times. When a conflict arises, dealing with the conflict and all who are involved. Each conflict is different, depending on what happened and the students involved, the resolution and if necessary consequence vary. Time warning for recess concluding. Recess concluding and students line up. Escorting them back inside safely, after head count and all students accounted for. 

Round 3 centers. 

Specials: Rotating Schedule of Art, Music and P.E. 
Led by the specials team with support of para educators to ensure safety and success.

Prepare for end of day. Students return from Specials, and watch a book on line, or have Drop Everything and Read. (DEAR) Time. Student grab a pillow, mat, bean bag and a book. No talking,quiet soft music without lyrics plays in the background. Free choice of books during this time.

Staff: Checking on students and redirecting to DEAR if students need. Preparing daily logs, getting backpacks ready, (all students items are in backpacks, and school info/ papers are packed inside) Fosters communication and helps to build rapport with families when information and papers go home. : ) Bath-rooming all students who need it. Then coming together in a final group, and watching a book on the smart board or a quick how to video/ educational on YouTube.com. After having students get coats and backpacks lining up and escorting students to bus or parent pick up safely. Hand holding is imperative on students that elope, and guiding others to ensure safety.  After students on bus, going back inside and preparing for next day. Cleaning, organizing and collaborating with co workers. Short debriefing daily.

If you like kids, this job has the potential to be enjoyable. It is easy to get attached to the kind-hearted special needs kids and the curious little elementary kids. Spending time with the kids, talking with them, and making a trusting relationship with them is hands down the best part of this job. However, the lack of quality management, horrible pay, and rude co-workers make this job unsustainable. I have worked as a bus driver for two years now and the only positive aspects of this job have involved my interactions with the kids and their parents. 

The management in Jeffco transportation is laughable at its best and infuriating at its worst. There is little to no backup when dealing with difficult students and the security cameras on the busses are used more to punish drivers for their actions rather than giving citations and suspensions to unruly and disrespectful passengers. Being strapped into the driver's seat of a 30,000 lb vehicle going 45 mph makes it almost impossible to control 40-60 kids at one time. Management is filled with favoritism and nepotism so the supervisors and directors are just the people who play political games or who personally know someone who works in management already. 

In addition to the bad management, the pay is not nearly worth the trouble this job causes. After taxes, insurance, and proration I was barely making $1,600 per month. Making less than $2k per month while having to hold a CDL, be randomly drug tested, and deal with a variety of traffic and road safety issues is just not worth the trouble. This is all on top of rude co-workers who will (in my experience) criticize you for not being part of their little club. And if you're younger than 40 prepare to be told that you're a "baby" on a daily basis. 

If all of this has not dissuaded you from becoming interested in this job, perhaps the long hours will. You will typically work three split shifts. One in the morning, one during the middle of the day, and one in the afternoon. You will likely be stuck at the terminal for 11 or 12 hours per day unless you want to waste gas to drive home and sit there for 45 minutes before you have to go right back for another shift. And even though you'll be at work for the ENTIRE day, you will only be on the clock and earning money for 7-8 hours per day. 

I will miss my friendships and interactions with school staff, parents, and kids. But I will not miss anything else about this job. In this review, I have been brutally honest not because I hate this job, but because the job ad is misleading and you will be misled about this job throughout the training process. I hope I can shed some light on aspects of this job that are only obvious after its too late to back out.

I loved my job here. It was easy to go in, do your work, and go home. The midday break is actually awesome because you can basically do whatever you would like. But pay frequency is monthly, and you have no idea what you're going to make on a certain route until after your first paycheck. Because pay is monthly, there were months I was going hungry. I had to let my electricity get shut off one month because it was either that or I couldn't get my car fixed to get to work. I was used to having to survive for a week or a couple of weeks with weekly/biweekly pay but surviving for a month? It's very difficult. I would be broke by the end of the first week, and have to figure out how to get gas money for the next 3 weeks. I'm not a frivolous spender, I manage my money down to the penny and the stress it put me under is what made me ultimately quit. I asked for extra work and they gave it to me no problem but I shouldn't have had to do extra work to make sure I have food on my table. Don't do the prorated pay unless you've worked there 5+ years. It takes too much out of your paycheck.  Just do it yourself and take those months off. I loved that they did yearly raises though. I started in second semester and got my first raise before I had worked there for a year because it happens at the beginning of every school year. It's a great job, the people are awesome and helpful. You don't have to worry about them forcing you to do extra work, just say "no" and they move onto the next person no questions asked. I only survived some of those days because my dispatcher donated a box of food to me. Everyone is very kind, and the environment is very easy going. Just try not to get too personal with people, keep it short and sweet. But I couldn't do the monthly pay. It sucks because I wanted this to be my career, to do this until I retired but it wasn't feasible. I absolutely loved working here and would go back at the first opportunity if these problems were fixed. 

A typical day of work for me and for other teachers new to a school or grade, work from 7:30 to 6:30 each day, with a 45 minute plan time and 45 minute lunch. I worked through both of these periods everyday, and still worked from home on the weekends.

I learned many, many positive things from some excellent instructional coaches and more experienced peers, through PLCs, Professional Development, trainings and other, less formal gatherings.

Each school I worked in was well managed, despite severely limited budgets, especially in regard to classroom budgets and mental health workers. This was especially true in the two title schools that I have worked in.

Moral in the schools that I have worked in, has been low to moderate, due to low pay and hyper accountability for standardized test scores.

The hardest part of my teaching positions was the sheer number of duties I had to attend to, with all being equal in importance and the expectation that it all be done at the highest level of excellence. 

Of course the most enjoyable parts of my teaching experiences are with the students. Developing strong, positive relationships makes up for a number of shortcomings of the school and the school district. 
Even those students who are difficult to teach, motivate, or to help in general are often some of my favorites. Being a part of, and watching students grow and mature into competent adults and responsible citizens is priceless and keeps me coming back for more each year.

Another aspect of the job that I have greatly enjoyed is the shared enjoyment of teaching with my peers. Collaborating on lessons and projects, in meetings or after school, connects me to others who also want to make a difference in the present as well as in the future of our communities.

the main reason this is a terrible place for employment is because of management. The people that are in charge and not at all interested in the values the district says are important and releases to the public. They are there to do as little as possible each day, and take advantage of the people that can do the job. To get into a position, you just need to be a 'yes man', and not rat out the person hiring you. The district is like most places and currently suffering from budget issues, but the bottom dollar needed is always changing. One thing that does not change is the very top heavy management structure that continues to pay way too much money for managers that do nothing. They never cut management when jobs are on the line, but seem to think it is ok for all the people doing the work to be let go. No, I was not laid off, but I would have been before any manager was asked to step down and save the district some money. If you have absolutely no where else to work, go ahead and join on, but keep looking and do not get sucked into the whole PERA trap. It no longer pays to work as an administrator employee for the school district anymore. The teachers are dedicated, and deserve more money, but the district will continue to overpay the people that will never move the district forward, and just keep their mouths shut while they 'work' from home.

Jeffco only gives two PTO days a year during the school year. There are lanes and years of experience that some employees have found ways to manipulate. The leadership structure can be interesting to figure out within each school.  The hardest part about my job is trying to create policies on my own without the support of a unified school or district policy. The biggest areas that we need direction on as a school and district are attendance, cell phones, drugs, and fights. There is a disconnect in my school between the admin and SEL team trying to provide social emotional supports and restorative justice, while also having a SRO who tickets students regularly. Many of the students who are respectful are irritated that the school's reaction to ditching class, using drugs and vaping, and fighting is for the offender to have a conversation with a SEL or counselor rather than having an actual restorative, consequence that inspires behavior change. The staff at every school I've worked at our professional and friendly. The lack of clear policies along with the unrealistic number of hours needed to be spent working are what's driving my decision to seek other employment opportunities. 

I was a sub-custodian, which meant I got to go to different schools and clean.  Got to pick my hours (somewhat).  Subs usually got the night shift which was between the hours of 3 to 11.  So, you could be an eight hour with those hours or a 4 hr and choose when to come in.  Sometimes when your 4hr you get an easy shift where you get a tiny area, an 8hr area you get to clean with another 4hr or you get stuck with an 8 hr area by yourself.  You can tell them never to send you back to an area or you could tell them you can't go so many miles out.  But if you do they won't call you back.  Everyday was a new day waiting by the phones, unless they tell you to be at a certain school for so long.  Teachers were always nice and sometimes they stayed after working.  But most of the time it was nice, because you had the whole school to yourself with no distractions whatsoever, and at night it was fun.  The hardest part was trying to get to the different schools on time with the traffic and never being there before.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I worked in the Custodial field. The friends you make and learn along the way. The team work is great when you all get along so well. You can move up pretty quickly.
You earn retirement right away through PERA, even if you are a substitute custodian and when you retire, PERA matches your retirement amount and you have several options to retrieve your retirement money how you want. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Sometimes you are on your feet too much. It varies with each person and their personality. Sometimes you may have one big event to deal with, for set ups and tear downs and sometimes you may have 2 or three activities to deal with and still have to get your school cleaned and ready for the next day. But, after saying that, this job is a great livelihood for everyone and it feels really good at the end of the day to get things completed with your co workers!!

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
You make it fun as you go.  You make it the way you like to work. Teamwork is a big deal, but you mainly work by yourself in your own area to take pride in.

Driving a bus can be a dangerous job. You could get killed chaining a bus in the mountains. What happens if a kid brings a weapon on the bus? How would you know if they had a weapon? You only get paid once a month on a pro rated basis. You only have one choice of healthcare which resembles socialized medicine. You actually have to set aside 12 hours per day in order to get paid for only 6 or 7 because it is a split shift. You have to get up very early and you do not get enough support when dealing with difficult kids. Some parents just do not care.  Some kids call you names. It is possible that you may get bitten or spit on. You have to clean your bus even when the kids do things to make it dirty like spill sticky sugary drinks. You could be bullied by your supervisor because they may get angry when you have to take off because they are so short and they have to "carry your load". If you try to say something, you could be intimidated and maybe even fired. It seems like you only get promoted if you are part of the "good old old boy network".

What is the best part of working at the company?
Students and some parents. I enjoyed my particular job, Registrar. The fact paced, many different duties was great. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Unhappy parents. Jeffco Schools does not take care of its employees at all. They say they do but the less they can pay you, the least amount for a raise, is what they are about. After working with Jeffco for 20 years very successfully, excellent reviews, difficult position, well liked, giving 110% I can not avoid an apartment. Pay scales are pathetic unless your a long term teacher with a masters degree! To them anyone is expendable. Para benefits are getting less. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It was very nice! I’ve also experienced very hostile entities employees who insist on their demands be met and they get it, 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Work very very hard. Constantly busy. Performing many job duties as I can be doing what they used to have 4 people doing.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Teacher 4 salaries reported	$62,500 per year
Elementary school teacher 3 salaries reported	$64,644 per year
Para educator 24 salaries reported	$21.41 per hour
Special education teacher 2 salaries reported	$64,644 per year
Paraprofessional 4 salaries reported	$16.50 per hour

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