Position Title: Middle School Lead Teacher

FLSA Classification: Exempt,Instructional Faculty, 10-Month

Reports To: Middle School Principal

School Profile:

The Howard School educates students with language-based learning disabilities and learning differences through instruction designed to complement and address each student’s individual needs, and to help each student understand and advocate for his or her own learning process. The curriculum focuses on depth of understanding to make learning meaningful and therefore, maximize educational success.

Mission:

The Howard School empowers students with language-based learning differences by addressing individual needs and leveraging strengths to develop a lifelong understanding of and advocacy for their own learning process.

Position Purpose:

The Lead Teacher is responsible, in collaboration with the teaching team, for creating a vibrant, student-centered language rich environment that supports the learning and personal growth of each student. This individual must be skillful in establishing a strong relationship with students and creating learning opportunities that motivate and inspire students to develop all aspects of their profiles. The Howard School recognizes and celebrates learner passions and strengths, while also addressing their disabilities and weaknesses, and believes that learners are neither defined nor limited by labels. We seek an experienced educator to join an interdisciplinary team who is committed to interactive learning, student self-knowledge and self-advocacy, collaboration, flexibility, and humor. They must possess the insight and skills to participate fully on a team which brings research-based expertise, depth of experience, and enthusiasm to a full and robust academic program that includes the arts, technology and athletics.

Teacher Characteristics:

• Committed to best practices for the education of students with language learning differences and disabilities

• Committed to and skilled in differentiation

• Committed to designing and adapting instruction to meet a range of student learning needs and interest

• Committed to multidisciplinary instruction, encouraging students' creative expression, incorporating student interest and passions, and developing critical thinking

• Curious about the world of ideas across multiple disciplines, and excited to teach across different disciplines

• Highly collaborative and excited about generating curriculum and assessment ideas in a team setting

• Curious, creative, self-reflective, and willing to take initiative and run with new ideas 

  Essential Functions:

• Develops lesson plans and supplementary materials compatible with the division’s basic instructional and philosophical standards; provides individualized and small group instruction in order to adapt the curriculum to the needs of each student and subgroups of students

• Translates lesson plans into learning experiences to effectively and actively engage students

• Guide’s students to know their own learning profile and to advocate for their learning needs

• Seeks regular field experience opportunities for students that extend the classroom into the broader community

• Works collaboratively with the teaching team on behalf of students, and seeks the ideas, feedback or advice of colleagues as an integral part of effective planning

• Integrates instructional and assistive technologies, media and other tools into instruction