Pros
I actually disagree with one of the comments below about how teachers are not included in decision-making processes. I can think of a handful of times where this was true, and it threw me off, but it is outweighed by the hundreds of times in my 5 years where I was very much a part of decision making at the school and org level. I really appreciated the flat organization and how approachable and real the "higher ups" were. I felt very empowered to speak up and contribute to decisions on all levels. Overall the folks in administrative positions during my time there were some of the most amazing, hard working, coolest, inspiring, and supportive people I ever met. Much respect to them. For being a charter school I really appreciated how real and human the messaging. was. Nothing ever felt canned or phony. For the most part, Summit was pretty transparent and honest. The diversity of the SES of the students was very wide and I appreciated the diverse by design model. The mentoring program was my favorite part. Absolutely the hardest part sometimes and the responsibility definitely weighed on me but it was also the most rewarding and meaningful thing I did at Summit. Restorative justice approach to behavioral issues. Hard work, especially for our deans, but so worth it and so effective.
Cons
I simply burned out. Maintaining a work-life balance was a challenge though I did improve over time. One of the biggest challenges/stressors was the implicit expectation that teachers bend over backwards to get students across the finish line. All students take almost all AP classes in their junior and senior year and some students are just not at that level so it's very stressful to differentiate so much. In addition, some students just don't do work when they are supposed to because they know how to take advantage of our grading system and revision policy. Teachers are left working extra hard towards the end of the semester to hand hold the slackers and make huge exceptions and lower standards just so kids can pass.
