teacher

special education teacher

special education paraprofessional

custodian

instructional assistant

Washington Elementary School District 

Please answer this Multiple Choice Question.

In your opinion, my rating a public elementary school district (WESD) an overall job statisfaction of close to A+ indicates that I:

A) Have perceptual delays caused by excessive time with children.
B) Have sun-stroke from hundreds and possibly thousands of recess duties.
C) Have attitude issues stemming from close day-to-day contact with parents and teachers with issues.
D)  None of the above.

The correct answer is D)!  

I find that working for WESD at its large, complex inner city schools, with school populations of what the experts would describe as high-risk students, has been one of the great professional and personal opportunities of my life. Being an awarding winning WESD administrator, leader, trainer, and educator for over 30 years allows me a long-view of this organization. WESD and I respect one another.

The district has a reputation for implementing progressive, educational best practices in areas such as special education services, teacher training/support, and data driven instructional decision making. If you choose to work in the type of schools that I have (and it is a choice), then you are choosing to work hard. 

A great part of job satisfaction comes from a drive for what is best for kids. Some school research indicates that these type of schools are moving towards offering higher staff salaries, which compensate for the hours of additional meetings, professional development, parent time, and data analysis in lesson planning. WESD has not taken this bold step yet, most likely because of Arizona's low educational state funding status at this time. WESD offers a somewhat competitive base salary. The listed workday is 7 hours with a 9 month work year and generous paid vacation days and leave time. WESD also offers additional stipend pay for related work and salary increases for further teacher education. If you are motivated, you are able to add to your income each year, which adds to your long-term retirement benefits. Dedicated district educators "arrive early and stay late" because the education profession has drawn them into a life that makes a difference in a child's, a family, a community's life.

An educator with a passion for learning and serving, will find creativity, freedom from micromanagement, collegiality, resources, and fun, yes fun, in most WESD work days. Although the task for the educator is serious business and affects our nation's wellness, most WESD staff I know enjoy coming to work each day. We educators make our daily plans, but remain flexible as you never know what the day will bring on a busy campus. Once, a hot air balloonist needed to make an emergency landing on our baseball field; that was a teachable science moment for the students and staff!

Working at an after-school program proved to be one of the most challenging atmospheres I have encountered in the business world. I managed a group of 35 students with two other co-workers throughout a five hour shift. My co-workers were friendly and had good work ethics. I could not handle the high stress, and frantic-anxiety that the children displayed. There was not an attitude-of-gratitude portrayed by any of the students, but more so extreme disregard for compassion, empathy, and rules. Respect is one of my biggest attributes, and when I am not receiving it or others are not receiving it I tend to become unsettled. 

I was raised in an earn-the-money-on-the-table home, and I have become aware that this mentality is not shared by many people of the world. I am a deep thinker and a Christian, and I respect every person I meet with love, and integrity. I uplift people, I make them smile, and I carry these values with me wherever I go. I am looking for jobs in which the people working there love where they are at, can get along, and enjoy the money that they make regardless of financial standing.

Life is about faith, commitment, and dedication to succeed. If these three values are detracting then that is the reason why many people are unhappy.

I am ready to pursue a full-time job and make the best of my abilities and intelligence to further a company and make it grow. I am looking to advance in the career world, travel, and expound upon my values without being pushy. 

I will give my best to the company. I will not disregard the laws and regulations which surround the workforce. I will not cut corners and become criminal in my work ethics. 

I am in search of the American Dream, and if you can hire me with the knowledge that you can build your trust with me, then your company will prosper and be a powerful force in today's economy. We can push forward in this time of hardship in America and not look back to what the recession has brought about, but look forward to what we can bring to succession.

Pros:
Flexible Hours – Ability to choose when and how often to work offers good work-life balance.
Daily Pay – You're compensated for the days you work without long-term stress or commitment.
Location Choice – You can avoid more difficult campuses and opt for schools with a better fit.
Strong Admin at Some Sites – Some administrators are truly supportive and make a difference — it's just a matter of finding the right schools.


Cons:
Double Standards – Expectations and enforcement often vary by person or role.
Toxic Culture – Gossip, favoritism, cliques, and backstabbing can be common depending on the site.
Poor Communication – Feedback isn’t always direct or timely, making improvement difficult.
Lack of Support – In some schools, substitutes are not well-supported or included.
Fear of Speaking Up – There’s often hesitation to raise concerns due to fear of retaliation.
Unequal Rights – Substitutes are treated as expendable and are not granted the same rights or protections as full-time teachers — in some cases, even students seem to have more protection than subs.
At times, individuals were friendly outwardly but shared negative feedback behind closed doors, limiting opportunities for growth or resolution.

W.E.S.D. like many other school districts has had severe budget cuts due to funding. Transportation however, has since 2009 been under the direction of new management (A.Alexander) who for the district has saved a commendable amount of money, by first making necessary changes in transportation policies. Then in 2011 transportation was given an even lower budget from the year previous, but could not make any more changes with out sacrificing transportation for children to school. So they have been nitpicking the current employees threatening to fire them in the hopes the will resign so the district then is not required to pay for unemployment due to lay offs. Not to mention the big story of the summer of 2011 of a bus assistant that was caught on camera molesting a child. In which the district is also losing a good amount of money there, which is also falling back of the employees in transportation. My suggestion is to look elsewhere until they get new management, if you desire work long term.

District:
If you are an electives teacher steer clear. There is little support or tangible guidance from district, and any PD offered for electives is sub par. They do not have subject matter-experienced coaches for the individual electives as advertised. Any coaches they do have are stretched thin. Not once has a district coach visited me since the start of the AY. District will move people around mid year and completely uproot classrooms. Pay is not commensurate with the work load and personal stress of the job. 
School site:
PD for special areas is nonexistent at the site level. Site admin doesn’t seem too invested in what we do, unless it makes the school/district look good. We are left alone most of the time, and feedback is rare except to criticize. Harsh “talking to’s” for relatively minor missteps. 
The discretion of the teacher is not respected, there is a feeling of constant anxiety that we not doing something right. 
PBIS and MTSS is not enforced well and there are little to no real consequences for student behaviors. 
All in all, an isolating experience. I will not be renewing my contract. 

I love many of my coworkers and my principal has fostered a community of collaboration and teamwork. The parents and community are also strong and really work to provide for their children. 

The way that the district is managed leaves a lot to be desired. I have over ten years of teaching experience as a certified classroom teacher. The district chooses to only recognize my years with them in my pay. This means that they view me as a third year teacher and pay me the same salary as nearly brand new teachers. 

I have been rated as highly effective by every single principal that has ever observed me. I often help my students achieve higher test scores than other teachers but I am paid like a first or second year teacher by this district. 

I am in the middle of deciding to stay or go. If I stay it will be because my particular school is awesome. If I go it will be because the district does not reward excellence.

KIDSPACE before and afterschool program is less than average. Chaos daily, staffing issues, management going home for hours at a time during the day, or shopping sprees and getting groceries. Upper management oblivious and  no pay during breaks or summer. The most enjoyable part of the job were the families and children. The school itself and the principal was awesome. KIDSPACE is a bottom of the barrel half-assed before and afterschool program that turns many families away because they lack staffing due to paying minimum wage for entry level workers and would rather pass the buck along to the 6 figure manager who doesn't have a clue what's going on in 30 of her 38 schools. Not the place to work unless your'e 16 and living at home and need an after school job. Career minded, successful people need not apply. 

Typical day was to inspect the bus before and after running my route. Fill out paperwork for mileage, student counts and repairs that may need to be done to the bus.
I learned to drive multiple styles of buses and multiple lengths, the longest being 40feet. I learned how to handle the bus as well as students that were riding the bus.Management was great, that always helped when there was a problem, or issue on the buses. Co-workers were a lot of fun to be around. We would get to know each other more while on Field trips.
Hardest part of the job was probably saying good bye to kids that you grew attached to over the years. Most enjoyable part of this job was getting to know kids and their parents.

The mentor /coach teacher program is more about micromanaging and criticizing  new want to be "teachers." They sound good on promises in paper  and how their program is better than blah blah district but coaches don't really help coach you or enforce mentorship on site is happening. Their job titles should be "district stenographer/reporters"  
  "You're doing this wrong but we can't teach you how to teach, just read a teacher resource book to tell you what to say to kids" kind of attitude. If you want successful teachers then do as you say and show them what and how to do it. I'd say more "I do"& "we do" before you expect "you do" from NEW teachers.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Having fun with kids make you happy.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
They think you know everything already and some people don't want to help you. You have to be able to work fast and  show confidence or the kids will not listen to you. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
You have to be a teacher for a long time or the other teacher will not respect you. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Walk in get notes on the day and make a leasion plane. Then you have to execute that plan to a T. Show no weakness and work fast. Knowing what to do and what not to do can be frustrating. Just raje it easy and take parts of the class in sections then stand and deliver. Lol

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Teacher 196 salaries reported	$63,594 per year
Special education teacher 106 salaries reported	$63,753 per year
Special education paraprofessional 92 salaries reported	$18.13 per hour
Custodian 67 salaries reported	$16.10 per hour
Instructional assistant 53 salaries reported	$17.04 per hour

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