Middle School Founding Teacher

Middle School Founding Teacher

Agreement Start Date: July 1, 2021

The Bennett Day Middle School is hiring our founding teacher. The Middle School Founding Teacher position is for an education professional eager to participate in the development of a growing Reggio-Emilia inspired academic program. Bennett Day School teachers understand that the craft of teaching is dynamic; they adapt to and integrate this belief in his or her daily work in the classroom and school community.  In this role, you’ll be responsible for helping to design and implement the core characteristics of our progressive, project- and competency-based middle school. Reporting to our Director of Intermediate and Middle School, you’ll bring your experience to build upon a brand new middle school that is true to our progressive mission.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As a founding teacher, you’ll design and teach courses, both in Project-Based Learning environments and through traditional intensives, based on the needs of our students and in your field of expertise. You’ll act as a mentor to new colleagues as our school grows in future years. Most importantly, you’ll act as advisor to the students in that first cohort, leading the students as a mentor through all elements of the school experience. As one of our founding teachers, you’ll be intimately involved in every aspect of the design of our school, and have input into every major pedagogical and/or curricular decision that the middle school makes. You’ll simultaneously develop your pedagogical and design skills free from many outside constraints, as you will be designing and implementing a project-based curriculum in a grade-free school. You’ll have the opportunity to develop meaningful educational relationships with students in your work as an advisor with a small section of students. You’ll also learn from your colleagues during the 5+ hours per week of professional development, which occur on Wednesdays when students are released early. 

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

• Grade-level curriculum development
• Individual student documentation and evaluation
• Family communication: home visits, conferences, blogging
• Mentoring, collaboration and communication with Lead and Apprentice Teachers
• Professional Development: Wednesday afternoon; beginning and end of year PD

• Collaboration, communication, and integration with Specialist teachers (Art, Music, TESLab, Spanish,PE)
• Participation in self-evaluation and reflection process; individual and team meetings with the Director of the Intermediate and Middle School

• Participation in family/community evening/weekend events: Curriculum Night and Admissions/Marketing outreach events.
• Participation in arrival/dismissal and/or lunch/recess duties as assigned
• Responsibilities are not all-inclusive and may include other duties

WITHIN THREE MONTHS (Summer months)

• Learn about all the major elements of the middle school (currently in draft form) to become acquainted with the school’s vision
• Learn about our competency-based education model AND software so you can better keep track of student progress
• Teach us about what you believe might be worth changing or editing in those documents to better serve all students
• Begin designing the School’s advisory program, complete with Social/Emotional curriculum and developmentally responsive checkpoints using materials from Responsive Classroom and Project Wayfinder for Middle School
• Using your content knowledge, teach us what should be in the Middle School competency map (a list of all the major skills required of students) in your field(s)
• Outline the first trimester intensive in your area of expertise (Math)
• Meet with the Director of Intermediate and Middle School 1-2 times per week (working around your schedule and availability) to coordinate on mission and tasks

WITHIN SIX MONTHS (Through the first trimester)

• Create, in collaboration with Middle School team, our first Project-Based Learning experience for students
• Be a part of the planning for info sessions for prospective families
• Be the content-area expert and most important voice in development in your field(s) of expertise 

WITHIN FIRST SCHOOL YEAR

• Be a part of admissions events for the purpose of vetting of student applications for admissions
• Support planning and delivery of professional development to colleagues in the intermediate grades