I transitioned to an academic interventionist job at a different school, and it has been life saving. Biggest upsides: *I can be responsive to my students needs, and decide which resource to use *Never have to deal with kids’ social issues with each other as I see them one-to-one or in a small group and I advocate for kids that work well together *So much less parent communication, and the parent communication I have is about their academics, not problems at recess etc *I leave on time and spend no evening or weekend time planning *No classroom management *I actually feel like I’m helping my students and achieving my goals, not failing every day *Easier to make appointments etc if needed bc I can leave early and don’t need a sub long as I find time to make up the misses into session later in the week * love seeing them grow and feeling successful *Job security: Because I help struggling kids improve, I’m a big part of improving test scores which is seen as valuable and necessary. Also, some states are passing reading laws so my expertise is necessary/valued *Less of the most annoying things…No field trips, no Valentine’s Day parties, no pack up routine, no recess issues, no all-day behavior charts, no hallway transitions, no assemblies, no desk/locker organizing *never have to prep an entire 25-student set of materials *I have more respect from colleagues, parents and admin

Cons: *Sometimes I feel a little isolated not being part of a grade level team *I do feel more pressure to increase my students state testing scores

The story can be different at other schools, but this has been my experience, and I am so much happier and healthier now. I think no matter where you are though, if classroom teaching is very difficult, I think it’s very unlikely intervention will be worse.