Pros
Having taught at another school prior to Great Hearts, I cannot imagine teaching elsewhere. I worked for the first 3 years of my teaching career in a school that had a very unhealthy "us vs. them" mentality, a place where the students were not curious to learn, a place where I was a manager rather than a teacher, a place where little respect was given to the teachers from either parents or students, and a place where I left every day feeling down and depressed.
Great Hearts takes care of its teachers. Teaching in general is demanding of one's time, but at Great Hearts, the load is more manageable and more fulfilling. The normal teaching load for a Prep Teacher is 4 classes at 55-minutes each day. At nearly every other school in Phoenix - from charter to private to public - the normal load is 5 classes at 55-minutes each. Also, instead of tedious in-services where you have to sit and listen to who knows what, for our in-services, we attend museums or discuss a book. Great Hearts's health insurance is also remarkable considering the state of AZ health insurance today: Signa costs only $25-$35/person/month and covers 90% of all in-network doctor's visits. It also includes a generous pet insurance policy, great for my older, 16-year old furry best friend.
To work at Great Hearts is to be a part of a family. Everyone is so nice! I began my teaching career at a school where I was placed in a classroom, given a set of books to teach, and had no support from anyone. Literally, the doors closed behind me on my first day and I was left to survive on my own. At my Great Hearts school, it was the exact opposite. My Headmaster and Assistant Headmaster are always helping me become a better teacher. There is collaboration among my colleagues - we share lesson plans and ideas and work together to ensure a vertical alignment of skill sets exists from grade to grade. I love hanging out in the faculty office - my colleagues are intelligent and positive and our lunch conversations continually delve into the Greater Ideas. We are all lifelong learners who genuinely love what we do. Sure, there are days when someone may complain about something, but overall, I am surrounded by positive, happy people who love life and love teaching.
The students, too, emanate that positive and curious spirit. They do their homework, they come to class prepared, they want to be at school...they want to learn. My greatest discipline issue are side conversations in class or a uniform violation. The students want their teachers to be a part of their lives and I find myself receiving invitations to attend their soccer games, piano concerts, plays and other performances on a daily basis.
Great Hearts is a very happy place to work. I love my colleagues and I love my students. I've been with Great Hearts now for 5+ years and can't imagine teaching anywhere else.
Cons
No school is perfect. Great Hearts is not perfect. But overall, its flaws and cons are worth the benefits.
Cons: teacher pay, feeling obligated to volunteer for certain tasks or duties, little teacher autonomy when choosing what books to teach
