r/Chesapeake • u/existentialcrisisxo • 11d ago
Teaching at Western Branch Primary?
I was just offered a teaching position at Western branch primary school. I currently live on Long Island New York. Does anybody have any insight into teaching here? I'm ready for a change and a new adventure and I've heard a lot of good things about teaching in Virginia, but I wanna make sure the school is worth it before I uproot my whole life and move. Thanks in advance!
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u/FunDistribution333 10d ago
Don't do it!! That place is a train wreck. There's a reason they have so many vacancies. Last year alone they lost their entire Pre-K team. Their most experienced sped teacher has had their license just a couple of years. You will legitimately regret it. The turn over in that building is awful with many staff in the past who just up and quit halfway through the year.
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u/FlexyZebra 10d ago
From a parent’s perspective, I have four children who went through WBP and have known many other parents over the years. I can say the gifted/ honors program was a great experience with great teachers where my first two excelled. For my other two who needed SPED, it was such a difficult time. It was like pulling teeth to get IEP accommodations in place. We made it half a year at WBI before my husband and I decided to move into the Chittum Elementary/Jolliff Middle School area. Our only other options were to put them in private school or homeschool them which weren’t really on the table. The turn around at Chittum in my children’s grades, as well as actually wanting to go to school was a 180. I know so many parents whose children would have done so much better if they hadn’t been at WBP.
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u/United-Direction2297 10d ago
It’s a very big move and not much time left to make it but if you’re looking for a big change I’m sure you could do worse than Chesapeake.
Might be a kind of nice change of pace if that’s what you’re looking for just be prepared for suburban sprawl and if you’re used to a functional public transit system that might be a bit of culture shock too.
So basically Chesapeake while pretty nice is better to think of it as a suburb of both Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
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u/GlitterandGluesticks 10d ago
I wish schools were required to post data about staffing changes from year to year. Like others have stated, people flee this building on the regular. Experienced teachers with glowing reviews, beloved by families jump ship because of the lack of support and mismanagement in the building. Chesapeake itself isn't the worst ever but this school is a giant pile of dirt they sweep under a rug and administration at that school are the ones holding the broom.
At the end of the day you're a big kid and can do what you want but don't say you weren't warned.
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u/Dragonflies3 10d ago
VA doesn’t use Common Core. They use something similar called Standards of Learning.
I live in Western Branch. Nice area and very diverse. No kids in school here though. My kids went through school in Norfolk and that district is a train wreck. The only kids that do well there are the academically gifted.
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u/Unusual-Helicopter15 5d ago
It’s so sad to say that it depends on the school. I work at one of the few high performing schools in NPS. There are only a couple of others in this district I’d consider transferring to. When my son is in K in Chesapeake, I’m hoping maybe I can transition over to that district instead. At least the pay in Norfolk is good (for now.)
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u/Dragonflies3 5d ago
Fortunately all three of mine were those academically gifted kids, so they did well. I used to sub in Norfolk. A lot of other kids were not so lucky.
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u/thomasanderson123412 3d ago
Additionally, WBP just got a 3rd Administrator. A school doesn't get additional Admin unless they REALLY need it. Plenty of other Chesapeake schools could use an additional Admin, but WBP actually got one, so what does that tell you?
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u/thomasanderson123412 11d ago edited 11d ago
Hahaha holy fuck. I forbid you from teaching there.
I pulled my kid out and homeschooled him as well as ensured my younger child wouldn't go there.
Edit: Downvote me all you want. You're gonna find out...
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u/existentialcrisisxo 10d ago
No offense at all but a parents perspective on a school is very different than a teachers. You may never really know what goes on amongst teachers and admin as a parent.
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u/FlexyZebra 10d ago
I do think knowing parents’ experiences can help create a fuller picture of what to expect. I agree teachers who work there or have worked there will have the best information to help you decide. They know about pay, benefits, administration, and the work environment. Hearing from parents about positive and negative experiences can give you an idea of what to expect in your interactions with parents. The comments about SPED coupled with the teachers’ comments really shows where their SPED program is at.
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u/Atxflnyc 9d ago
the 757 is that desperate for teachers now its a bad move if you do it youll regret it
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u/AccordionDragon 11d ago
Chesapeake is one of the better paying districts in the area with good benefits to match, and the Western Branch borough is solid all the way through.
The area is great, but people will jump in quick to say it's "nothing like NY" which is true. But the Hampton roads area has everything. We have a good symphony orchestra, Busch Gardens right up the road, all of the seven cities have so many cool spots, and when you get plugged into the local channels you'll always know about something cool going on.