Fulfilling job, unrealistic demands
Pros
The job is incredibly rewarding and you're essentially the main person onsite as the lead mindfulness coach of an entire school, so there's no one necessarily monitoring you aside from your supervisor that makes occasional visits while offering feedback to your classes. If you're able to gain the trust of students and teachers, you become embedded within the culture of the campus and are a valuable asset in integrating wellness and care. I really looked forward to the time I had greeting the students every morning and playing with them during recess! I also love how there's already a curricula set in place versus needing to design your own. Working this job helped to instill a sense of purpose and belonging that I will take with me for the rest of my life.
Cons
While the pay was okay, the demands felt unrealistic as I averaged teaching 7 classes a day or 25 classes per week with a 5-10 minute transition time. Even with those transitions, I was often doing crisis intervention and barely had time to submit my notes. Some teachers were resistant to me coming into their classroom since you are essentially an outsider coming into their space, so unless you can be your own advocate and are sociable you'll really have to work really hard to gain trust. Your experience will also be shaped by the school you're placed in, and those that were in challenging districts such as my own (Contra Cuesta, Oakland) shared similar vicarious traumas while those placed in cities like Antioch and Vallejo found ease and enjoyment with their students. There's a lack of comradery without other coaches from the organization to lean onto since we're pretty siloed (unless you build those relationships outside of your school), so it's important to find allies at the site you're placed at. Renewal of your contract isn't guaranteed since you're essentially laid off during the summertime while pending a school site. This is a quick pathway to burnout without boundaries in place, but if you can make it through this school year it may set you up for success elsewhere.
