Pros
Working with inner-city kids can be difficult, but the reward comes when you see they are actually learning and are eager to do their homework and participate in academic activities. That's just my personal satisfaction, working at Brightside has no PROS!
Cons
1. The unfortunate ghetto parents are running the show...no matter how much we try to interact with the parents, the teachers suffer the consequences. 2. There is no support for teachers! A normal ECE day care would have at least 3 teachers...an after school program would have 1 staff member for 6-10 kids. That is not the case in Brightside, they always have teachers working or breaking one another for lunch. 3. The neighborhood these cites cater to in the Bronx are the worst. Parents as well as children have an unfortunate lack of respect for themselves and others. You will get hit by, cursed, spit on, or a death threat by a child at some point. 4. There is a lack of administration at the sites! They only come in for a few visits once a week or so. There is no one to voice your concerns and even if you do, nothing gets done about it. If you are concerned about a child's behavior, it doesn't matter because the parents are running the show and if they don't like what's being to their child, they are still going to bring them in the site. 5. In-service trainings are completely a waste of time as they do not reflect anything that we can do within our powers. They told us to change our curriculum as well other habits but Brightside is not going to provide us with the materials nor the support!!