-You're on your own if you choose to work here. So much performative nonsense from the admin that bleeds into the school culture. You will have zero administrative support, to the point that it sometimes feels like they're going out of their way to be unhelpful. The word "gaslight" is generally overused but Packer is truly the origin of that word. There are also so many people who hold titles that give some form of power and they actively get in the way of faculty, often adding ridiculous amounts of work to everyone's already full load. There's also very little communication between admin themselves, or at least an understanding of who does what, as you'll get the runaround for the most basic questions.
-Admin also don't have a clue what's going on in classrooms and have no sense of your professional work. At the end of the day, the most important thing at Packer is to make sure that no parents or students complain about you. Word of mouth from students and families are taken as truth, not observed experiences. Student learning doesn't matter.
-The advisory program in the MS is a joke.
-There are little to no behavior expectations for students. Students know the right things to say and are super performative (just like the admin), and they don't exhibit a lot of respect towards each other or the physical spaces of the building (it's very dirty and that's NOT the fault of the awesome custodial staff - kids leave trash and their belongings everywhere). So much entitlement all around.
-Some faculty are collaborative and some aren't. You have to get lucky with your department. Lots of ego and defensiveness in some departments. You'll also see some colleagues hanging out in the division offices with administrators.
-Despite a competitive salary, the benefits are godawful (and health insurance costs are outrageous if you're not on the free plan).