Global Studies Program Leader - 8th grade

 Our Mission

We inspire highly capable, creative learners to lead with curiosity, compassion, and courage in a diverse and dynamic world.

About the Organization

Located just north of Seattle in Shoreline, Washington, The Evergreen School has been educating highly capable, creative learners for over 50 years. Our students love to ask questions, and our teachers use that natural curiosity to craft engaging lessons and spark thought-provoking conversations. Evergreen’s program infuses challenging academics with foundational support for social skills, emotional well-being, a multicultural perspective, and empathy for others. Our students think deeply, take intellectual risks, and tackle complex problems. They learn how to self-advocate, collaborate with others and understand and respect differences. Evergreen graduates move on to high school and beyond with confidence, ready to contribute to a diverse and dynamic world. 

Community

Our community members at Evergreen value and embrace the dignity and diversity of all people. We actively seek and support students, families, faculty, staff and trustees who bring a diversity of identity into our community. Our mission makes it essential that we skillfully deliver an inclusive educational program that teaches respect for others, empowers students of all backgrounds equitably, encourages social responsibility, and prepares students to be leaders in an interdependent global community. At Evergreen, our goal is to curate a culture where every family feels fully welcomed and encouraged to participate in every aspect of the community.

The Opportunity

The 8th grade Global Studies Program Leader position is a combination of teaching the 8th grade global studies class along with co-coordinating the global studies trip abroad. The global studies class is a four-day-a-week class that all 8th graders take. It dives into concepts of global development along with building content knowledge of the country of destination for the  global studies trip for that given school year. The global studies trip is a month-long experience for the whole 8th grade class taking place in spring and it is integrated with the 8th grade curriculum. Content knowledge and experience with teaching global studies concepts are preferred and experience in leading experiential trips is required. 

The successful candidate will have experience developing a curriculum that reflects the diversity of experiences in the world and understands how to build travel experiences for students. They should also have a collaborative approach to teaching, the ability to teach an engaging and challenging program to highly capable students with individual learning styles and needs, and the ability to  utilize a wide range of instructional tools and resources, including project-based and experiential learning opportunities. The school seeks candidates who demonstrate a commitment to anti-bias and anti-racism work and to fostering a diverse and inclusive learning community that is responsive toward all differences including but not limited to race, ethnicity, national origin, geography, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, learning styles and marital, parental or economic status.

This is a salaried, full-time, benefits-eligible position for the 2021-22 school year, beginning August 19, 2021.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and implement an 8th grade global studies curriculum that is culturally relevant and prepares students for national and global citizenship. This course serves as the social studies class for 8th grade students.  
• Develop and implement the Global Studies Field Study Program. This includes building and maintaining our global partners and tour operators; managing and preparing the logistics for the students to travel abroad; developing and maintaining safety protocols; developing age-appropriate experiences that further the growth of adolescents; preparing the students mentally and emotionally for a 28-day trip abroad; or developing a local/national experience if it is not safe to travel overseas. 
• The successful candidate is responsible for budgeting trips, developing and implementing risk-management protocols, communicating with all stakeholders (faculty, administration, parents, tour operators, and students), managing large groups of students in an experiential setting, developing age-appropriate experiences that further the growth of adolescents, and orchestrating reflective activities. 

• Developing and implementing the trip advisor class that meets once a week and is dedicated to trip preparation. 
• Prepare and lead parent meetings in preparation for the trip. 
• Implement curriculum for either a middle school arts elective or middle school advisory class for students at varying levels of progress from grades 6 through 8. 
• Write narrative student evaluation reports two times in the year (January and June).
• Regularly assess students’ progress by observing and evaluating performance and development, assigning and grading classwork, homework, tests and assignments and providing appropriate feedback to students, their parents and colleagues.

• Consistently communicate and document clear objectives for all learning activities to maintain accurate and complete records of students’ progress and development in compliance with laws, school policies and independent school regulations and accreditation standards.

• Communicate regularly with the relevant people (advisors, learning support specialist, counselor, division head, and parents) about student progress.

• Establish and enforce school rules for students with a positive style and strong classroom management skills.

• Attend school, department, team and parent meetings.

• Participate in certain extracurricular events, such as social and sporting activities, admission events, clubs, overnight camps and student group activities.

• Maintain knowledge of and competency in relevant classroom technology and have a passion for recent developments in teaching resources and methods with the flexibility to incorporate changes into instructional plans and activities.

• Be strictly vigilant about student health and safety.

• Other duties as assigned.

Experience, Education and Desirable Skills

The ideal candidate for this position should:

• Have experience leading experiential education trips, preferably abroad. 
• The successful candidate will have experience with budgeting trips, developing and implementing risk-management protocols, communicating with all stakeholders (faculty, administration, parents, tour operators, and students), managing large groups of students in an experiential setting, developing age-appropriate experiences that further the growth of adolescents, and orchestrating reflective activities. 

• Have 2-3 years in a lead teacher role, preferably in history or social studies. 

• Have experience crafting a multicultural and inclusive curriculum and experiences.

• Hold a bachelor’s degree in one of the social sciences from an accredited college or university with teaching credentials.  A master’s degree is preferred.

• Teaching certificate is preferred.

• Be driven to teaching excellence with a firm grasp of teaching responsibilities and reflective about personal teaching practices.
• Positively support the school’s mission while managing the demands of curriculum and lesson planning, teaching, collaboration and parent communications.

• Establish a healthy rapport with students ages 12 to 14.

• Possess a high degree of cultural competency and demonstrated success in working with people from diverse backgrounds.

• Be empowered by a collaborative approach to working with a team of colleagues, sharing with and learning from one another.

• Draw from a variety of curriculum sources and be skilled in differentiating among students with clear methods to appropriately challenge highly capable students.

• Communicate clearly, effectively and comfortably with the independent school community including students, parents and colleagues both inside and outside the classroom.

• Be technologically inclined; utilize education applications in the classroom. Be proficient with current educational technology, especially blended learning platforms and strategies.

• Respectfully maintain a high degree of confidentiality and integrity while exhibiting a professional manner and building constructive working relationships.

• Report to work at the scheduled time and seldom be absent from work.

• Complete work in a timely, accurate and thorough manner and be conscientious about assignments and deadlines.

• Be comfortable using Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace.

• Be able to lift up to 35 pounds and walk and stand for long periods of time. 

Equipment Used

• Computer (PC) and copier.
• Educational technology, such as SMART board and LMS.

Compensation will be commensurate with the candidate’s background and experience and will be competitive with similar positions in Seattle area independent schools. The position will begin in August 2021.

Applicants should submit the following:

• A cover letter outlining their interest in and qualifications for this position
• A current resume
• A completed Evergreen Employment Application

All materials should be sent to [email protected]. Please include “Global Studies Program Leader” in the subject line. The deadline to apply is Monday, March 15, 2021.

Any applicant scheduled for an interview will be asked to submit a 500 word (max) answer to the following question:

At Evergreen, our mission calls us to “inspire highly capable, creative learners to lead with curiosity, compassion and courage in a diverse and dynamic world.” Reflecting on your current or previous experiences, describe a time in which you moved diversity and inclusion efforts forward in that role. How did you approach this effort and what did you learn about yourself during this process?

Additional School Information:

The Educational Experience

At Evergreen, we believe learning isn’t a one-way path. Our highly capable students delight in exploring ramifications and digressions, gaining strength from setbacks and successes alike. At the same time, Evergreen’s insightful teachers help students uncover and develop their own unique perspectives on every subject. Through “planned exploration,” teachers carefully design the curriculum and lessons, while building in time and resources for students to pursue unexpected discoveries and long standing interests. From preschool through 8th grade, Evergreen’s hands-on curriculum encourages experimentation. In our extensively equipped BIG Lab (Build Imagine Grow), on overnight trips, during Adventure Days, and on the month-long 8th grade Global Studies trip, students expand their curiosity and put their classroom discoveries into practice. Equally important, we intentionally interweave academic subjects with social and emotional learning and an active commitment to equity, inclusion and diversity—so that as students grow intellectually, they also become increasingly self-aware, build ethical relationships with others, and continually strive to improve the wider world.

Head of School

On July 1, 2020, Halsey Bell became Evergreen’s fifth head of school.

Enrollment

Total: 493

Grade Levels: Preschool through 8th grade 

Class Size: 14-17 students

Ratio: 7:1 (students to full-time faculty)

Faculty and Staff

112 faculty and staff, including 56 full-time faculty, 6 part-time faculty, and 17 teaching assistants. Faculty includes 2 counselors and 2 learning resource coordinators. Approximately 60% of teaching faculty hold an advanced degree.

Campus

Evergreen occupies four and a half acres that include forested area typical of the Pacific Northwest, as well as distinct wetlands and native vegetation. A recent renovation and addition added significant new classroom and administration buildings, including the BIG Lab, our state-of-the-art makerspace, as well as beautiful outdoor gathering areas and courtyards.

Student Diversity

• Students come to Evergreen from 38 zip codes and a wide variety of schools and daycare programs.
• 46% of Evergreen students identify as students of color, including African American, Asian American, Latino American, Middle Eastern American, Multiracial American, and Native American

Financial Aid

16% of Evergreen families receive need-based financial aid, totaling approximately $1.2 million.

Accreditation & Membership

The Evergreen School is fully accredited by the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), Puget Sound Independent Schools (PSIS), National Association for Gifted Children, Washington Federation of Independent Schools (WFIS), and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). 

Environmental Certifications

The Evergreen School is proud to be a Platinum-Certified Washington Green School and a Sustaining Green School in the King County Green Schools Program. 

Notice of Non-Discrimination

The Evergreen School strives to provide equal opportunity to all employees. The school's policy is not to discriminate in employment based on race, color, sex (including pregnancy), religion, creed, age, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status or any other status protected under applicable local, state or federal law. The School is committed to administering employment decisions, including hiring, promotions, compensation benefits, transfers, layoffs, return from layoffs, terminations, training, sabbaticals, tuition assistance and other programs, without regard to an employee's protected status.