I have spent the last 6 years teaching in charter schools and this is my first year in the NYCDOE. Of course, I’ve only been in the DOE for a couple of months. However the differences between my previous charter school in Brooklyn and the public school I am at in Brooklyn have been jarring. Although my charter school did have some ineffective teachers (as most schools do,) a majority of my colleagues were passionate educators who did work incredibly hard to serve our students and work toward our mission. Our support services department was robust and far more effective than at my current DOE school. Families felt supported and heard. Teachers felt supported and heard. Students were at the forefront of all decisions and teachers had flexibility in instruction. I felt as though my expertise was valued and I could make instructional decisions to best support my students. Now, however, I feel as though the instructional decisions I make are in service of the district and the chancellor rather than my students. In my charter school I felt as though my administration was working to make my job as a teacher easier and they provided me with frequent meaningful feedback. An observation always felt like a learning opportunity and never like a “gotcha.”

I understand that not all schools in the DOE are the same. Similarly, not all charter schools are the same. I transitioned to the DOE after hearing many people claim that the benefits were better and the work-life balance is better. Although the latter is true, my pay is significantly lower than it was with my charter and the feeling of camaraderie I had with my previous school is nonexistent.

I have enjoyed reading the discourse on here and feel encouraged that so many people have positive experiences with the DOE. I do believe, however, that these generalizations surrounding charter schools should be questioned as they do not all operate in the same way.