Posted: 2/1/2009 8:58:03 AM EDT
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What experiences can you share??? As a parent, a student, or teacher.
There is a new charter school opening in our area in 2010. It will be a K-12 school topping out at 1200 kids (K-9 the first year, adding one grade each year until K-12) I have heard good things about charter schools but usually via second or third hand information so has anyone here worked for, went to or had any experience with charter schools? |
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They can vary widely. I will be speaking from the standpoint of an educator who considered working at one in Detroit, while having many friends who taught at them throughout the metro Detroit area. In this area they were started due to the fact that traditional public schools were horrible. They did take a lot of the riffraff that public schools kicked out along with students looking to get away from that scene. The elementary school which I was offered a position at had medal detectors and police officers at the exits with a tall barbed wire fence around the perimeter. One girl I knew from elementary school on up got a job at a charter school in Oak Park, MI. I really don't even think that city is that bad, but that school was an expample of one which took all the public school's trash. She had a kid constantly aksing to use the bathroom to get out of class. When she finally put her foot down and told the kid no one day, he gave her a dirty look and pissed himself on purpose because he knew it would get her in trouble. The kid was a total nightmare at school, but mom came in saying that this girl was a racist etc. Having known her from elementary school, it's disgusting that an administrator would let her sit through all that knowing what type of a person she is. IIRC she stuck it out for 3 years since she has MS and needed the insurance. ETA: there was one in Detroit which had a lottery to get in and parents would wait at the building all day to find out if they would make it or not. That school was apparently successful, but it is one of the few. |
| I taught at one for 2 years. the school went year round, so I have over 4000 ours of classroom experience. In the end we had a 96% graduation rate. Then we were forced into the same bullshit rules as public schools. It lasted one more year. That year less than 40% graduated. I'll get back here and go into more detail later. |
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I've seen a few charters that are for "at risk" children. This one seems to be more for kids whose parents are more involved in their education. The website says that there is a parental volunteer requirement for attendance. Do charter schools have the ability to get rid of kids that cause problems in a different manner than public schools?
I have to say, as far as public schools go, I live in and work in a great district. However, I would love as both a parent and an educator to see less red tape and beauracracy and I'm wondering if a charter school is a step in that direction. There aren't any other charter schools anywhere around us, so this concept is still new to me. I'd love to be able to take my kids out and attend the online charter schools being offered in the state, however, unfortunately, our family needs the income I get as a teacher, however, small it is. |
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Quoted: I've seen a few charters that are for "at risk" children. This one seems to be more for kids whose parents are more involved in their education. The website says that there is a parental volunteer requirement for attendance. Do charter schools have the ability to get rid of kids that cause problems in a different manner than public schools? Since there is so much of a numbers game involved to keep the necessary funding they often keep the bad apples around longer in my experience unless they are bursting at the seams with a waiting list a mile long. I'm sure their hands are still tied with special ed kids just like the rest of us. I have to say, as far as public schools go, I live in and work in a great district. However, I would love as both a parent and an educator to see less red tape and beauracracy and I'm wondering if a charter school is a step in that direction. There aren't any other charter schools anywhere around us, so this concept is still new to me. Again, the bureaucracy can be even worse in regard to funding and test performance. I'd love to be able to take my kids out and attend the online charter schools being offered in the state, however, unfortunately, our family needs the income I get as a teacher, however, small it is. |
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I went to a charter school for 8th and part of 9th grade.
I hated every second of it. Unorganized, did not focus on important things, unorganized, spent funds poorly, unorganized, was unable to prep us to pass core curriculum, serious lack of teachers qualified to teach the fields they were teaching in. On the plus side, there was a really, really hot blonde chick named Amy there who would always put her hands down my pants during class. 
edit: because of the charter school, I was 5 credits behind when I got put back into public high school. |