elementary school teacher

school teacher

mathematics teacher

teacher

special education teacher

ReGeneration Schools

The scholars really are the best part of this job. Everyone here is 100% committed to getting each and every student ready for college because we all care so much. The passion and dedication of staff is also incredible. I know that we all work hard, but if I ever need help, people will step up to help. I also love that I'm constantly learning and growing. There are always new challenges to solve and people ready to give me feedback that makes me better.

The workplace culture is one of deep commitment, hard work, and quick adjustments to feedback or new information. Some people truly thrive in this environment, and others find it stressful. If you are someone who likes to work 9-5, have every day to be just like the day before, and make tons of money, this isn't the place for you. If you want to work with passionate people, do meaningful work that improves the world, and be constantly be challenged and growing, you would probably be much happier here.

I've worked in three school systems before this one, all districts, and I chose to work here because leaders and teachers here truly own their results with students. Nobody says, "That's not my problem," or "That's not my fault." I didn't see that in the districts and schools where I worked before. I was deeply unhappy when I worked with people who didn't believe all children could learn, or that it was our responsibility as adults to make sure all of our kids DID learn.

There are a few things we could definitely improve - I'm hoping we can find ways to reduce teacher workload by hiring some more people and adding some more copy machines. (In schools, there are NEVER enough copy machines!) I'm also hoping we can continue to give performance bonuses to teachers and staff like we started doing this winter.

Overall, though, this is the happiest I've been in my career. I've worked at several universities, nonprofits, schools and districts, and every place has its pros and cons. I'm very lucky to have found such a good match here at ReGeneration. It's definitely not the place for everybody, but it's amazing for the right people.

The culture and climate of the entire Regen network is horrific. Staff are overworked, management is unsupportive, teachers don't have a voice and are forced to act as carbon copy replicas of each other. Everything is scripted, and if you don't stick to the script you'll be reprimanded. Student test scores throughout the entire network are low. Which is ironic considering the network spends weeks "training" its teachers with techniques and strategies and approaches to instruction -- and yet most of the students throughout the network are reading below grade level. So the methods they encourage their educators to use are ineffective. Teachers are encouraged to be militant and overly aggressive by administrators. The turn over rate throughout the network is also astounding and unlike anything I've ever seen. At least 10 people have resigned in the last couple of months alone. Do not work here if you value your sanity and mental health. Do not work here if you value developmentally appropriate teaching and positive learning environments. You won't get any of that here. 

The positive to working here are the students and your colleagues. The teachers and staff care. Also, the benefits are very good. Of course, you're always here for the love of the students. 

However, the demands for deadlines are nearly impossible. It is not flexible in it's curriculum and I would not recommend this school for very creative children or children with specific learning needs. It's very inflexible and you can only teach with their resources. You're not aloud to use any other resources but their own curriculum, much of it is old and outdated. There's not a lot of behavioral support. There's not enough staff to cover all the requirements, mostly because there is a high staff turnover. 

The pay is lower than it should be, considering my weekly workload, if I were to get everything done on time, would be 60-70 hours a week. 

The days are long (710-400) which gives you really no time to have any kind of life outside of work. 

I do not recommend working here or sending your children here.

This institution fosters poor culture for staff that trickles down to scholars. The pay is disgraceful yet the expectations are high. Teachers work extremely hard, yet support that is given does not maximize student results as I've seen after 1 year completed. Most principals lack the seasoned experience to push teachers. It appears there is little quality of training for school leaders. Integrity for school leaders including those at the network level is also low. Turnover for staff including leaders is high. From what I've seen this institution loses quality staff due to poor culture and character of decision makers. Where does the $ go? Definitely not to teacher salaries, building upkeep, or classroom supplies or technology. The focus and $ appears to be spent in building the brand especially when potential investors pay a visit.

As the Dean of Students, I wear many hats. I provide solutions for scholars, as well as my peers and parents. We collaborate together to ensure all scholars are receiving the best education possible. We are constantly digging deep within ourselves to provide scholars with life skills to deal with adverse situations. The words compassion, diligence, respect, integrity, and perseverance are not used as punch lines, but as a compass to guide our scholars in their every day life. We are truly dedicated to getting our scholars to and through college! The kids come to school and work tremendously hard to meet the high expectations. I believe in the school's mission so much that I have a son, 2 nephews and a niece who attend CICS Washington Park. This is definitely a school for your child to go and grow!

I've worked for ReGeneration Schools for a while now and love it! We work hard, but that's what it takes to achieve our mission of sending every student that walks through our schools' doors to college and beyond. 

I feel very supported by leadership. I love the 1:1 meetings with my principal. The feedback that they give me always makes me better, which makes learning better for my students. I especially love the emphasis on data. If my students struggle with concepts, my leader sits down with me and helps me analyze gaps and figure out the best way to reteach them. I find these meetings very beneficial. 

I strongly believe that we're doing the best work for kids in Chicago!

Lesson plans are scripted which are great for someone new to teaching. Leadership trains you to be a robot. All teachers are taught to teach the exact same way. If you deviate in any way, you get negative feedback. Leadership acts as if they know your children better than you do. Students are treated like data numbers and dollars. All that matters is data that translates into dollars. Work/life balance is zero. Everything they tell you about taking care of yourself and SEL training looks good on paper. It is not implemented in the school. Students have no real consequences for egregious behavior. I could go on and on.

It is an extended school day.  I am there for 9 hours with a 30 minute lunch.  Unpaid after work professional development is required 2 to 3 days a week.  You will be told that lesson plans are provided but you have to do all the student assignments yourself as exemplars which take just as long as lesson planning.  Additionally, there is quite a bit of prep to do along with the usual grading, parent contact, admin add-ons, etc.  All this means you have to do more work at home and on the weekends.  My days with travel are 12 to 13 hours long.  The number of  hours put into the job is not worth it.

As a teacher at ReGeneration Schools, I have had the opportunity to develop professionally through weekly data meetings and onsite professional development.  I am able to teach a rigorous curriculum, have a structured efficient environment, and an abundance of support in the moment as well as deans and coaches/leaders.  The data driven approach has helped me to identify gaps/errors and fill those gaps so students are succeeding.  It has shown me how to aggressively monitor so I can be accountable for the data for my students.  I am able to collaborate with other teachers about lesson plans and how to engage our learners.  ReGeneration Schools are very detail orientated which has greatly assisted me in my profession, but can been seen by others as overwhelming.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Elementary school teacher 16 salaries reported	$60,563 per year
School teacher 12 salaries reported	$66,208 per year
Mathematics teacher 12 salaries reported	$58,483 per year
Teacher 10 salaries reported	$53,980 per year
Special education teacher 12 salaries reported	$62,721 per year

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