Chicago Public Schools Reviews

Pros

excellent enviroment. everybody at the schools will treat you right and will give you your place as an educator and will provide the tools to conduct your class properly. the kids are well behaved at the most schools and the main teachers always left lesson planss for you to follow. you have 45 min lunch and 1 hour of "prep" but since you dont need to prepare anything you can spend the time doing anything else, so you...

Cons

day by day teachers don't have any benefits. if you are new you will find the hard way whichs school's are good and the groups on those schools that are the best to work with

Advice to Management

the pay is decent but one or two extra dollars would make the position more attractive. also detect the good subs or the subs who works the most days and give them some benefits like pay days off, just to keep them motivated.

Pros

Some of the best students I have ever taught and a great building administration team.

Cons

None beyond the typical teacher heartaches.

Pros

You get to play a major part in the intellectual and creative development of many young minds. It is always a joy and pleasure to see the light bulbs pop on in so many eyes. So many times I have been pleasantly surprised and in awe of just how much our children know and can impart. And it's great when you have the opportunity to work with members of a team that strive to be on the same page on all points.

Cons

Many classrooms are overcrowded, schools understaffed. SECAs are often relegated to plug-and-play tasks in these cases. Our hands are tied (all staff, not just SECA's) in dealing with the most unruly students and we can't always impart the consequences necessary to bring such students in line.

Advice to Management

Often the staff feels dmnd if you do and dmnd if you don't, where their efforts are concerned. Staff is always advised as to what they are NOT doing, and what else they SHOULD be doing. Rarely are they recognized for successful efforts and results. Please understand that staff needs to know, more than once or twice a year, what they are doing RIGHT. Just as we are coached to discuss the good points to a student before...

Pros

connection with youth is the best thing about the job

Cons

salary not enough for the work you are asked to do

Advice to Management

need alot of patience

Pros

Professional development Networking Professional learning community Benefits Salary

Cons

Follow up is almost non-existent unless you are CONNECTED. Easier to schedule interview for substitute position. This gets you in the system so that you can make connections.

Advice to Management

Hire a few more people to the substitute teacher department so that it doesn’t take 4-6 weeks to receive an offer....most candidates are available for immediate hire

Pros

The kids are amazing (at least at my school) and work is fulfilling. You are surrounded by intelligent and passionate people.

Cons

Non-stop bureaucracy nightmares from CPS and the CTU inhibit productivity and make for a really unstable working environment.

Pros

CPS has striven to improve students learning district-wide.

Cons

Low morale, bullying, too much pressure to meet unrealistic goals, high accountability and low support within different schools. There's no consensus between all of the schools. There are some great schools working hard to serve the needs of the students/teachers; while others lack the resources or wherewithal to do better for the school.

Pros

Excellent academics. Extremely diverse. Admin / parent collaboration. Great atmosphere. Exceptional home/work balance.

Cons

In my opinion, there were no cons.