para educator

instructional assistant

teacher

elementary school teacher

head custodian

Lake Washington School District

What is the best part of working at the company?
The people I work with !!!  Everyone supports each other and  our teachers are awesome!  

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Working with autistic Preschoolers says it all yet we have a lot of support !!!

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very supportive !!  I have a lot of colleagues and teachers I can talk to about any concerns !

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
 Come in and set up the room for our little ones that come at 8:40.  We have free choice time, snack, then 2 table times to work 1:1 on programs  designed by our teachers .  We have recess and circle time teaching skills needed for primary grades when they enter them.  There are the PreSchool classes  across from us that are active and excellent !  Then we have our staff lunch before the 2nd set of students come in for 2.5 hours!

Work Environment is highly dependent on location and the people there. Some schools are amazing and others are less so.  Being placed at a school with a good work environment can make things a lot easier and can go a long way to make you feel appreciated.

That being said the upper management of the district (mainly those working at Resource Office) are severely out of touch with the needs of those working at the schools especially those who are low on the totem pole. The number of paras is determined on the number of SPED kids and not the level of care needed for the students. They are starting to push inclusion but not hiring enough people to make it a successful experience (even when schools are "fully staffed" they are still short staffed).

Paras are also severely underpaid for the work they do and are vastly undervalued and not appreciated for there efforts.

I loved working within the Lake Washington School District as a sub and as an IA, I felt like I made a difference. 

As a sub my main purpose was to create as little disruption to the school’s special education students and their normal routine in their teacher’s absence. 

As an IA I found a permanent home school and grateful I was asked to be a part of the Rockwell team. Supporting the teaching staff in whatever capacity necessary not only helped the teachers, but the students as well and that was why we are all there

I loved teaching my students and I had some great colleagues, but the high expectations from the district didn't match up with low support in budgeting and staffing. I fully support inclusion and I want to do whatever is best for my students. Unfortunately, it is impossible to build and sustain a specialized and inclusive program for all students without standardized schedules or the staff necessary to provide services. While you will meet wonderful students, families, and colleagues, know that you are also on the front lines and will take blowback from those who are frustrated with the confusion and mismanagement from the district. 

Stressful ....No support staff if needed. they will let you do the multi tasking so bad because of no body to attend to do . So much by the booked style not applicable. Staff are toxic to be with. No decent break room . Throwing  and wasting foods and stuff most of the time. Most of all under paid  doing work for 3 ppl salary is no no no ....Where are the budgets going on . Paying top manager or top who are they are .Which can't help in times when needed.  No support at all. 

Working with kids with special needs gives you a different outlook on life and the way to appreciate life itself. It has taught me to be patient to acknowledge and share words of affirmation. It’s taught me to be a team player and how to better the lives especially kids to be the best they can be.  It has taught me patience and understanding and to understand the different types of disabilities and challenges to deal with and how a  day itself can change  in the matter of minutes and different ways to handle them in a positive safe situation.

A typical day at work entails, cleaning, vacuuming and general maintenance of classrooms.

I learned how to maintain the school rooms and how to set up for assemblies. 

Management - the principal and my co-workers were efficient and wonderful to work with.

The hardest part of the job was the heavy lifting I had to do when I set up the bleachers for assemblies.

The most enjoyable part of my job was the relationship I cultivated with the teachers.

Since the new management was put into place in Oct, 2023 the work atmosphere,  driver morale, and employee training has greatly improved. 

Under the old Transportation Director and her love interest, installed in the Manager position, I wouldn't suggest anyone work here. It was a toxic free-for-all that put students at risk and destroyed the careers of some good drivers.

The management above the new Transportation Director is still largely unimpressive, but what's happening in Dispatch and within the ground floor of transportation makes it worthwhile to work here.

I worked very hard to teach each of my students.  My goal was to provide a learning environment that optimized each students potential.  This requires many hours of devotion.  
Public Education is under funded.  
Teaching students and other teachers was my focus for over 30 years of my life.  The experience and relationships have given me much joy.

Most of the teachers are dedicated, hard-working, knowledgeable, and supportive. Administration is not. I had four principals in 9 years. The principals who hired me (in two locations) were supportive and built great working environments, but left after disagreements with district-level administrators. They were replaced with company hacks who were more intent on pleasing district superiors than the teachers they were hired to support. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Para educator 106 salaries reported	$28.21 per hour
Instructional assistant 41 salaries reported	$25.95 per hour
Teacher 11 salaries reported	$85,171 per year
Elementary school teacher 6 salaries reported	$29.78 per hour
Head custodian 16 salaries reported	$32.83 per hour

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