I had my interview today. I don’t think it went well, at least on my part. I blanked on many of the SED questions, procedures etc…well, because I’ve never actually had my own SED classroom… so I’m not concrete on most of the procedures. Anyway, I still got a tour of the school, and I’m really torn as to whether or not to accept the job (if I even get offered it). I hope they’ll make the decision for me and not offer it to me, but I have a feeling that since I have a weird hesitant feeling about it that they will offer it to me and I’ll feel bad (picky) for turning it down.
The school has a totally different philosophy than most public schools, has a reputation w/parents for "curing" special ed students (when in all reality, they’re just placed in general ed classes and not "labeled" special ed)… so I’m nervous about what kind of parents I’d have to deal with. I also would be THE main special ed person in the school, which I feel I’m not able to handle… I feel like for my first few years of teaching special ed I’d need a little other support/guidance/mentoring to get through the nitty gritty. I’d also service k-8 students, which is a huge age span. I think he said the caseload is 14 kids, and I’d have a prep time as well as an aide. The whole "schedule" seems odd… the whole school is on the same schedule, the classes seem really "fluid" aka… a 1st grader reading at a higher level would leave their class and go to that higher grade for reading… same with math. And I’d be with the students functioning at levels lower than their grade. They don’t believe in having special ed separate from general ed, and I got the feeling I’d basically be team teachign with every teacher who has a student on my caseload. I’m just afraid it’d be too much for my first year teaching, especially teaching special ed. I feel totally confident that I could walk into a general ed class and take over easily. Its all the paperwork and other procedures of SED that scare me… that I’m not certain about.
Anyway, I’ve just been praying about it, well… praying that they won’t offer me the job LOL. I love where I work now. I LOVE it. I love my class, the teacher I work with, the principal, everything. I’d hate to move schools and hate my new position. I’d really like to just stay at Bean and hope for a full time position next year, or just stay as a L.A. Specialist next year and find something else to supplement the income (remember… this position is only part time… my additional income is doing preschool w/Aria… but she’ll be in Kindergarten next year).
So, if you have any advice, I’d love to hear it. I’ve gotten advice for both sides from other teachers. Its about half and half… some say just stay, your foot is in the door and you can slide into a position in Western when one opens… some say take the opportunity and use it to your benefit. A teacher I work with at Bean used to work at this charter school, and she talked to a friend of hers who still works at the charter school… and said the friend really doesn’t like the system. She said (the teacher I work with) that she didn’t want to be a downer but from the sounds of it she didn’t think I’d like working there. Hmm.. (I haven’t talked to her on the phone yet… that was left on my answering machine… I’ll get more scoop on that later).
Sorry the update is so long… I wanted to get out all the facts.
nicolebarczak.com 
Sounds to me like you’ve made up your mind. (It’s the teacher bossiness coming through!) If you love where you are at, stay there, trust me, when you are at a place where you can’t stand it, the year feels like forever, and you feel trapped because your in a contract. My first year was split between two schools, at one school I was “art on a cart” and the other school my “classroom” was the gym stage where p.e. was going on at the same time. It was rough. I hope that you make the best choice for you and your family.
You’ll know the right decision…even if it doesn’t seem like it now!
It sounds like you have your answer already… “I love my class, the teacher I work with, the principal, everything… I’d hate to move schools and hate my new position… I’d really like to just stay at Bean…”
Well then, why don’t you? There’s no reason you need to leave just because you might have the opportunity.
If the only reason you’d be taking the job is for more money then it’s probably not worth it. If you feel you’d be uncomortable or too overwhelmed in that new position, then it’s definitely not worth it when you’re as happy with your job now as you are. In my experience, if you don’t feel it’s right, then it’s probably not. And it sounds like that’s how you feel.
Well, since I have “de-lurked” myself, I thought I’d leave you another comment. =P It seems like you’ve already made your decision. You love where you are at, and I think you should stay there. There are so many things that are uncertain for you in this new position. Do what makes you happy! Good luck with your decision.