Opportunities for Learning Reviews

Nebulous standards: while I was there, I struggled to rationalize what it was I was really doing. Yes, I taught 3 small classes each day (5-20) students, but at the end of the day all that really matters to management is how fast you can deliver ADA (work product) to the other teachers. Actual student learning is secondary. I started there as a new teacher, and I have to say it made me a worse teacher to work there. Professional development is offered but it's not really substantial. It's mostly just tricks to keep students motivated.

Wow, where to begin... For starters, Options could care less about its students. They are a charter school and they are paid by the state, so their biggest concern is having students sign all of their forms and come in and take their exams. Students are actively discouraged from coming into the classroom without being ready to test. Therefore, if a student needs help, they are told that "this is not a study hall" and they are often sent home. Additionally, teachers are asked to have students sign attendendance on days they are not even in the classroom, as Options get paid from the state by each student for each day they are in the classroom. This is so shady that I'm going to report it to the state. Finally, this organization took one week to mail out final paychecks (I was a summer teacher). The state of California law states that employees must be paid in full on their final day of employment. For each day they are not paid, the employer must pay a full day's wage. I am going to report this to the state and let them deal with it. That covers their legal shadiness. Now, let's talk about management. The Options management team is downright comical in terms of the support they give employees. They play favorites, they yell at employees in front of students, and they sit around and joke with each other like they're in the king's court. God forbid you should have to interrupt them with a procedural question. They seriously all look at you like you're an idiot. Several of us received this treatment despite having only been on the job for two weeks and receiving a total of four hours of training. I know that it's difficult to find teaching jobs out there right now, but if these guys call you for an interview, RUN the other way.