Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Would you take a job at your child's school?

DD is about to enter kindergarten. She was testing last fall (FS 144 on the WPPSI). I am a teacher and there is a job opening at our local ps. I have always thought that it would be great working there. Now the possibility is a reality and I question whether or not I could be the best advocate for her if I were to be working there. Would I be able to have honest conversations about her needs if I were working at the school? Maybe they will meet her needs without us having to "fight" (I hate the word fight) for services, but if I do have to, I wouldn't want to worry about my job. On the other hand, maybe me being there would be a positive.

Any advice or anyone with a similar experience???

I am...thankfully! I will be the Spanish teacher at my children's private Montessori school in order to keep dd9 there. It is a different situation though because while she needs greater challenge, they are very flexible and open to working with her. My gut says it could be problematic...I am interested in responses from others as I am thinking of teaching HS history in the future and have wondered how it would be working in the same district while advocating for my kids with 3 unique sets of educational needs. Good luck with your decision!

What exactly do you think that her needs are, and what possible accommodations do you think you would feel comfortable with?

Answering those questions will give you a good idea how much fighting Advocacy work you will need to do.

Is it a half day program or a full day program? What is your DD's personality like?

I would say that knowing the teachers in action and being able to wangle student-teacher placement is potentially a great big plus.

But yes, I do know a situation where both parents works at the son's private school, and the possible lose of income has certainly constrained their advocacy efforts.

If you aren't the family's sole economic support, then you can take more chances.

Best Wishes,
Grinity

I have worked at the same school as my DD7 this past year, and previously when she was in pre-k, and am hoping that we will be able to be at the same school again in the future.
We loved going to and from school together everyday as it gave us some "mommy- DD" time without little sister 2 or Daddy.

However, it was not without it's challenges. For the most part it was fine, since I teach high school and she was in the elementary. But, the issues came when her teacher, did not see me as an advocate for my daughter, but rather as an interferring colleague who should stay out of the elementary division of the school. (Granted, I think this teacher would have had issues with me even if I didn't work at the school, but being there and having "easy access" was not always seen in a favorable light.) Another issue that could have gotten really bad, but did not end up being anything but a bit of an uncomfortable situation for the adults involved was that one of DD's classmates, and friends had an older sister whom I taught. This older sister and I did not see eye to eye on a couple of things, and I had a few lengthy discussions with the parents, which did not go too well. I was very concerned that their unhappiness with me would spill over into their treatment of my daughter when they were at the school volunteering. However, it didn't come to that. In fact, after they saw me with DD they actually were much nicer to me than they were before they saw me as a mom.

So, overall, I would say it was a great opportunity for us to be at the same school. There were a few times when I would approach someone and start the conversation with "I am here as a mom, not as a colleague" or "I'm here as a colleague and not a mom", and that seemed to help others deal with my dual role.

The situation also depends on whether the school is use to having parents who are also teachers. The reservations I've just mentioned were not at all present when DD was in pre-K. At that school most of the teachers' children attended the school, so there were no issues of some people being uncomfortable working with students' parents.

I would recommend giving it a try, but feel the school out about how common your situation would be.

I must echo cricket3's comments. Also, a school setting enables your child to become more autonomous. With all that said, you must be actively involved at your child's school and engage with teachers and administrators.

My dad was a teacher at my elementary school and, while I apparently I did my best to ignore him when he passed by (don't ask me why, I don't remember that at all!) he was able to make sure they tested me for the gifted program. That being said the gifted program was pretty horrible so it wasn't a big help but certainly better than nothing!

kcab,
my observation of several children whose parents work at the school they attend certainly corroborate your insight and comment. I am a very strong advocate for my child at school but I will not even go on field trips with his class - I help out in other ways.

My PG daughter needs a lot of advocating with her school. While I don't always pick her needs over others when she is not around, she does need to see me advocate for her needs over the needs of others (within reason). At 8, she is doubtful I can help her much with the social stuff. ("People call me retarded all the time and telling you doesn't make them stop. So I'm not going to tell you about it anymore, mom.") This makes me feel like I need to be as much on her side as possible. Being employed by the school would add another level of responsibility that I don't think would work for our family. I was sort-of offered a job a dd's school this year but I wasn't comfortable with the chit chat/politics of it all. I'd love to reconsider the position once dd is out of elementary...