Lead Math Teacher, Esperanza Academy

Esperanza Academy, an independent middle school for girls from Lawrence, Massachusetts, seeks a creative, highly motivated lead math teacher who can engage and inspire students who have a wide range of strengths and areas of growth. The teacher should have a clear understanding of the scope and sequence of the content area and have a personal love for real-world, hands-on, problem-based instruction to invoke critical thinking skills of the students creating a relevant, yet rigorous standard in the classroom. 

At Esperanza Academy, teachers form the backbone of our community. The relationships that teachers build with students, parents, fellow faculty members, and administrators, are the central factor in the success of our students. Esperanza Academy makes a commitment to invest in the professional, emotional, and spiritual well-being of its teachers, just as it expects teachers to invest in the academic, emotional, and spiritual well-being of our students. 

ABOUT ESPERANZA ACADEMY: At Esperanza Academy, we are fortunate to serve our students, their families, and the community of Lawrence. We are a tuition-free independent middle school with a 12-year commitment to our students because we believe that everyone deserves the right to high-quality independent school education. Our school is a revolutionary antidote to racism; we, as an academic community, emphasize racial and cultural identity affirmation, love of community, and restorative justice. By creating a culture of achievement in which academic success and self-discovery are paramount, we protect and nurture the innate confidence that each of our girls possesses. We accomplish this by being a restorative justice school that believes that relationships must come first. We believe that it is critical to center the lived experiences and cultural backgrounds of our families and to create a program that honors each of our students and the depth of beauty in their cultural and ethnic backgrounds. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grades mathematics with an innovative and rigorous curriculum
• Effectively lead a classroom of students with diverse social-emotional needs using a Restorative Justice approach. 
• Provide student-centered instruction, particularly through problem-based, collaborative learning, and principles of Universal Design for Learning and Culturally Responsive Teaching 
• Create, communicate, and hold students accountable in an environment of “high challenge, high support, high joy” with learning goals aligned with Common Core State Standards, high school, and college preparation 
• Experiment with and develop an equitable and rigorous math program that centers girls of color, in collaboration with the Director of Curriculum and Instruction
• Use principles of Grading for Equity and standards-based grading to provide students and their families with effective feedback about their learning 
• Creatively use technology in the classroom 
• Help build a “culture of math” throughout school life 
• Collaborate and plan with teachers and administrators to support student learning and wellbeing
•  Serve as an advisor for a grade of students 
• Collaborate with tutors and families to support students’ math skill development and confidence
•  Work one-on-one or in small groups to develop math skills during Academic Support
• Participate in our extended-day program as a mentor 
• Communicate in a timely and professional manner with all community stakeholders
• Maintain an active presence and participate fully in campus life