Pros
There are too many pros to list! One of my favorite parts of the day to day work is enjoying the community the staff has created. The head office does such an amazing job hiring passionate, intelligent, and hard-working guides, assistants, and administrative staff at each campus. The thoughtfulness that is reflected in the gorgeous and well-kept classroom environments is also found in the systems and organization in place to support their guides and schools to be successful. In-house curriculum team listens and observes to ascertain areas that need support including curriculum, classroom management, and parent communication. For instance, when parents in my class requested a book list for home reading, I reached out to central office and they created one, saving me hours of research, which can now benefit all guides who teach at my level. In-house and external professional development opportunities are abundant. In two years, I have enjoyed witnessing our mission in action -- several assistant guides have become lead guides through the in-house training. Though I love my current position, it gives me peace of mind to know the opportunities and different pathways available for growth within this expanding group of schools are far greater than at schools of a traditional structure.
Cons
None. Whenever I have a question or encounter a potential problem, there are so many people to reach out to from colleagues and administration to the extensive network of mentors and experienced practitioners at head office. Since I started with Guidepost a little more than two years ago, I have been so pleased with their commitment to maintaining high expectations for quality in their schools and classrooms throughout their ambitious growth across the country.