[cappyjon431]

My wife and I are considering moving to The Villages to help care for my mother-in-law (she is 83 and has been enjoying living in TV for the past six months).

I recently applied for a teaching job at the high school but I really have not heard too much about the school (except through perusing their web site). Has anybody had any experiences with the school? Does anybody know any of the teachers and is it a pleasant working environment (the school looks very nice from the web site, but I would love to hear from someone "in the know.")? Are the kids well behaved (I have always taught college English so this will be a new experience for me if I get the job)?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by cappyjon431

My wife and I are considering moving to The Villages to help care for my mother-in-law (she is 83 and has been enjoying living in TV for the past six months).

I recently applied for a teaching job at the high school but I really have not heard too much about the school (except through perusing their web site). Has anybody had any experiences with the school? Does anybody know any of the teachers and is it a pleasant working environment (the school looks very nice from the web site, but I would love to hear from someone "in the know.")? Are the kids well behaved (I have always taught college English so this will be a new experience for me if I get the job)?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Cappy, I don't know about the school except that it has a great reputation. I wish you all the luck in the world. But ... well...um... did you say you teach college English?

Maybe Tony won't read your post.

[cappyjon431]

Originally Posted by Pturner

Cappy, I don't know about the school except that it has a great reputation. I wish you all the luck in the world. But ... well...um... did you say you teach college English?

Maybe Tony won't read your post.

I'm not sure who Tony is but, yes, I taught English literature and college composition at University of North Carolina-Wilmington. I left the teaching profession to buy a business in Panama a couple of years ago, but family responsibilities might have me moving back to the States in the near future.

[tony]

cappy,

Some people here mistakenly think I am seeking out all English majors.

I trust you were an English major and therefore now I have positively identified one. Since you did not capitalize your nickname properly, I suspect there is hope for you.

Now back to the topic of your thread: cappy needs info on the charter school.

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by cappyjon431

I'm not sure who Tony is but, yes, I taught English literature and college composition at University of North Carolina-Wilmington. I left the teaching profession to buy a business in Panama a couple of years ago, but family responsibilities might have me moving back to the States in the near future.

Hi cappyjon,

We have a little running thing around here where Tony oft accuses people of being English majors. In fact, if I were not so downright lazy, I would go through my old posts and collect together all the times this has happened to me. Some rainy day, I just might have to do that and put them in the blog section all together. Ohhhhhh, the slings and arrows.....ohhhhhh, the slings and arrows......

But we really do have a little fun with it.

Actually, our little running thing is kind of hard to explain, except to say that it is rather Shakespearean. You know -- the play within the play drill.

Ohhhh soooo hard to explain. But you know how it goes sometimes with English majors. We just have a little fun with it.

Welcome.

Boomer

[villages07]

Back to the topic at hand. I only know what I've read in the paper and witnessed first hand.

I know the test/achievement scores for the HS are very high... best in the general area.

The facilities and equipment are top notch....more like a modern college campus than HS.

The kids seem to be very well rounded, involved in the community, and The Villages also gets involved in the school - athletic booster, help in the classroom, etc.

I'm no expert, but I would say getting a job at the Villages charter high school would be a primo education job. It also seems like it would be a good place to work.

Hopefully, you will get more direct answers from those involved with he school/staff.

Good luck to you.

(not an) English major

[Boomer]

Hi again, cappyjon,

Now, back to your question.

I have not been inside the high school in TV, but I got an impression of some of the kids during our first visit to rent a couple of years ago.

The public library is close to the school, and after school, kids were in the library. We used the library for computer access because we were renting a place that had none.

The library had a time limit on computer use, and I must say that when the time was up, the time was up, and the kids I saw were extremely polite about it.

Now, that might seem like a small thing. But it really is not a small thing.

There are public libraries everywhere where librarians are really hassled by people who will not give up the computers to others after the time has elapsed. (Of course, there are plenty of adults who can be rude and obnoxious about public computer use, too.) Anyway, the kids I saw just seemed like nice kids who understood how they needed to behave. I know that's only a snapshot I am giving you, but I hope it helps a little.

My guess is that the salaries might be pretty low because charter schools sometimes are. But it might be a really nice place to teach, especially as a second career. Also, I do not know anything about Florida teaching license requirements. If you have not looked into that, you might want to check with the state.

Boomer

[cappyjon431]

I appreciate everyone's feedback. Most of what I have heard here confirms what I have heard from other sources (top-notch facilities, good kids, and high test scores). I recently received my Florida teaching certificate because apparently teaching college English alone doesn't qualify me to teach high school in the state of Florida.

Tony (or should I write "tony" as your screen name suggests?), it is nice to see a fan of lowly English majors like myself. Yes, I was an English major as an undergrad and I also earned my MA in English literature and I have almost completed my PhD in composition studies. I guess that qualifies me as a true English nerd. For the record, I worked for over ten years as a merchant mariner (hence "cappyjon") so I can cuss with the best of them and I am very comfortable switching between my English teacher persona (another one of those fancy schmancy English terms) and my cussin' and brawlin sailor persona. I guess that makes me a well rounded person.

My wife is currently in TV now, looking for a future home for us. Hopefully, if al goes well, we'll be moving to TV this summer.

[GMONEY]

Man I hope Tony don't look at this post to careful.. My kids go to the Charter School. I have one in the High School and one in the Middle School. They have been in the Charter School for the last 7 years. We love the School and the kids love it also. They have school uniforms which we love, and the school is very clean, I mean CLEAN!!!

One of the things we like most about the school is how the residents of The Villages get involed with the school, wether it be supporting the school with donations at certain events or how so many of the residents show up at the sporting events. hard to get a seat for the football games..

We have hours that we have to put in at the school also as parents having kids in The Charter School system. I have changed jobs in order to keep the kids in the school. Very impressed with the Faculty also. I know from talking with some of the teachers, the school is strict on standards. Don't know what direction you would take that, but they believe the teacher should be teaching the kids and not just hanging out for a job.. I have seen alot of teachers dismissed after one year....

Now with that said, all schools have their issues, so I am not saying the is the most perfect school in the world... but for the most part, we have been impressed with the system here and would not want our kids in another school. Let me know if I can help you with anything else.

Go Buffalo!!!!

[cappyjon431]

Originally Posted by GMONEY

Man I hope Tony don't look at this post to careful.. My kids go to the Charter School. I have one in the High School and one in the Middle School. They have been in the Charter School for the last 7 years. We love the School and the kids love it also. They have school uniforms which we love, and the school is very clean, I mean CLEAN!!!

One of the things we like most about the school is how the residents of The Villages get involed with the school, wether it be supporting the school with donations at certain events or how so many of the residents show up at the sporting events. hard to get a seat for the football games..

We have hours that we have to put in at the school also as parents having kids in The Charter School system. I have changed jobs in order to keep the kids in the school. Very impressed with the Faculty also. I know from talking with some of the teachers, the school is strict on standards. Don't know what direction you would take that, but they believe the teacher should be teaching the kids and not just hanging out for a job.. I have seen alot of teachers dismissed after one year....

Now with that said, all schools have their issues, so I am not saying the is the most perfect school in the world... but for the most part, we have been impressed with the system here and would not want our kids in another school. Let me know if I can help you with anything else.

Go Buffalo!!!!

Thanks for your feedback, Gmoney. I think that you have identified a key component for student/school success, that being parental and community involvement. Teachers can be excellent educators, but if parents don't feel invested in their chldren's educations (making sure they study, do homework, and attend school regularly), much of what they do can be for naught. Teachers can be responsible for what happens during the school day, but what happens outside of school is totally up to the parents. If students play video games, surf the web, and watch TV for hours after school it doesn't matter how good a teacher's lesson plans may be, the student will probably not meet his potential.

As to the school having high standards for teachers, that is as it should be. As a product of Miami-Dade county public schools, I saw too many teachers who were simply there to collect a paycheck and acquire time towards their retirement. Teachers must take pride in their students' success and they must challenge their students to perform to the best of their abilities.

[Becky]

I work part-time at The Villages Charter school. I came from working in a public school in Ohio and there is a world of difference. I have only heard 3 cuss words, (one was a teacher!), lots of "yes ma'am, no ma'am. Have only seen one earring on a student. They do wear uniforms but can earn a dress-down day. Last year they had a 100% graduation rate. The kids come from all over. Ocala and numerous other cities.

As GMONEY stated the parents are required to put in so many hours a year volunteering and attending meetings. Lots of parents volunteer at the snack shop at the games, etc.

They have many after school activities that parents can sign their kids up for. Sports, languages, dance, cooking, flyfishing to name just a few. And The Village residents are very active and involved with the school.

Any other ?'s feel free to PM me.

Becky

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Becky

I work part-time at The Villages Charter school. I came from working in a public school in Ohio and there is a world of difference. I have only heard 3 cuss words, (one was a teacher!), lots of "yes ma'am, no ma'am. Have only seen one earring on a student. They do wear uniforms but can earn a dress-down day. Last year they had a 100% graduation rate. The kids come from all over. Ocala and numerous other cities.

As GMONEY stated the parents are required to put in so many hours a year volunteering and attending meetings. Lots of parents volunteer at the snack shop at the games, etc.

They have many after school activities that parents can sign their kids up for. Sports, languages, dance, cooking, flyfishing to name just a few. And The Village residents are very active and involved with the school.

Any other ?'s feel free to PM me.

Becky

I am bumping this thread because it is about the charter schools here in TV. The land and buildings I guess are owned by the Morses.

Just nice to read.

[dadspet]

We have 2 grand daughters who attend The Villages Charter school. One in middle school and one in HS. They both seem to really like it. Facilities are first class, environment is as good as it gets, students don't have to attend so if they are out of line they leave, Kids seem to like the uniforms. Lots of school activities that are well supported by parents (some of its a requirement but I got the feeling its not really because its a requirement) and The Villages. I'm pretty sure you won't get rich working for the school (this could be understated).

[swrinfla]

Gracie:

Good of you to reinvigorate this thread!

My closest connection to the Charter Schools came last spring. A group to which I belong decided to provide a High School Senior with a modest $1,000 scholarship. The various strings we attached still resulted in 8 applicants.

The session at which we selected our recipient went on for several hours as each applicant was so well qualified! The selection committee was astonished!

At the school's award ceremonies, we were further amazed at the quality of all the guys and gals who were awarded scholarship money. I was personally blown away by the students and their abilities!

We'll be selecting another recipient before too long. I look forward to being amazed yet again!

SWR

[784caroline]

I volenteered to be a Science fair judge at the middle school and it was alot of fun. Alot of people both parents and VIlage resident pitch in to help out and I think it shows (for the good).