Job stuff
Okay, so things are picking up (finally) with the job search. I'm spending my spring break flying across the world... I'm going to visit a KIPP school in Oakland (by Kim!), then I'm flying out to North Carolina to interview at Meg's school. Neat, huh? I don't know if I'd actually move across the country, but it's worth a look-see.
I also just heard from a KIPP school here in LA. It's an English position, but they said they were excited about my Theatre background, so....
After months of stress about whether or not I'll find anything, these little possibilities are very, very refreshing. Any advice you guys can offer about picking a school, etc would be welcome.
posted by Emily @ 8:49 PM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Oakland and LA have schools run by the car from Knight Rider? Sweet.
Good luck, Emily! They would be foolish not to take you.
I have a friend who teaches at the KIPP school here and I really judge that they do good work. I think you'd fit right in with their mission!
Because let's face it, every school will want Emily, it's about who SHE chooses. :)
I'm glad you've gotten so many offers :)
Not to show my ignorance, but what is a KIPP school?
-mel
KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) is a charter school program. They exist in underserved areas, mostly urban. Kids are in school from 7am-5pm four days a week, and take Saturday school as well. They do amazing things with their kids and get them turned around academically.
I don't mean to poop all over your possibile opportunity, but KIPP schools go from 7:15 to 5:00 during the week, and 9:15 to 1:00 on Saturdays, and three weeks during the summer. Not to mention that each teacher is given a cell phone, and each student is given the number. According the the Web site's instructions to students, "You will have twenty-four hour access to teachers. No question is too small, silly or unimportant. Teachers will carry cell phones and be willing to answer your questions and help with homework when you need it."
No offense intended, but what's the appeal?
Emily...
Your experience teaching showbiz kids would help you land a teaching position at BRANSON High School... I'm sure all the Osmond kids would love you. And Yakov Smirnoff has kids in the school system...
Check it out this summer, and I'll take you to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, my treat!
Michael! I'd love to go to Ripley's with you!
Craig, the appeal is being at a school where EVERYONE would go to the ends of the earth for their kids, not just me. I need to be at a school where academic rigor is expected and maintained in every classroom. The attraction is that students and their families make the choice to be at a school where they know they will work harder than they ever have before, and that they will succeed. I don't think that serious academic success among underserved populations can be reached in 7 hours a day, 180 days a year.
I know that level of committment isn't for everyone, but since I first heard of the KIPP schools five years ago, I've wanted to be at one.
That's really admirable. I think one of the ways KIPP schools succeed where many private schools do not is that KIPP schools do not deny admission. Lots of private schools are based on a system of exclusion, keeping kids out because they don't have enough money, or they don't have the most impressive transcript, or the school just doesn't like the cut of their jib. KIPP schools have high standards for everyone, without exception.
That Knight Rider car has a heart of gold.
hee hee... Knight Rider...
Coming from a private school that doesn't deny admission to anyone, I'm not sure it's such a great idea. We get a lot of kids who are beyond our help because our headmaster's heart is TOO big (they've been passed from school to school for a reason).
I think the KIPP advantage is that they demand a committment from everyone in the family. They're very clear about their expectations and anyone who's not on board with that doesn't make it. That gets me excited, as does the strong support that I see from the administration.
Yay new job!
Okay... I have to add something... and I know this will reveal the fact that I am a nit-picky TV nerd, but...
The Knight Rider Car is called KITT, not KIPP. KITT stands for Knight Industries Two Thousand. At first I thought Craig may have been referring to KITT's "evil twin" from Season Two, but a quick Internet search reveals that his evil twin was called KARR (Knight Automated Driving Robot).
All this being said, I still believe KITT could run a school effectively. He (it) has artificial intelligence to the level of reason (something lacking in many human administrators) and, among his many technological talents, he has the ability to print money (Episode 4 of Season 1), an ability that would come in very handy with the current state of funding in education.
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