Job Summary

Reporting to the Primary School Principal and Assistant Principals, the PS French Teacher Assistant assists in the carrying out of French instruction class activities and student supervision, under the direction of the classroom teacher in Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten or Grade 1.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Contribute to the WIS Mission and Values.
2. Contribute to a climate of respect and understanding amongst faculty and staff, students, and parents.
3. Support the classroom teacher with lesson plans and lesson preparedness.
4. Model French at a native level, both orally and in writing, with excellent communication skills.
5. Reinforce learning in French at the direction of the classroom teacher by working with individual students and small groups of students.
6. Assist with the documentation of student progress.
7. Provide supervision of students to maintain safe and positive interactions throughout the day, including lunch, recess, single subject classes, in restrooms, and in the hallway.
8. Show compassionate, supportive approaches to teaching in line with a strong understanding of child development.
9. Maintain a positive attitude and professional demeanor, demonstrating attributes that are supportive of building school communities.
10. Help to maintain a clean and organized classroom environment, including assistance with classroom displays.
11. Attend parent conferences, back to school nights, and other grade level and school events, as needed.
12. Assist in the execution of distance education when directed and needed to include alternative teaching and learning delivery methods: assist in the development of online courses, assist in the provision of student support to include alternative assignments and assessments, collaborate with colleagues, supervisors, and students online to build a connected and positive learning environment.
13. Participate in ongoing professional development.
14. In case of (short term) absence of the lead teacher, assume responsibility for the class.
15. Perform other duties as needed.

Qualifications

• 2+ years relevant experience working with ages 3-7 year-old children
• College degree 
• Preferred Early Childhood Education (ECE) certification
• Knowledge/experience of PYP preferred
• French mother tongue speaker

About Washington International School

Founded in 1966, Washington International School is a private, non-profit, Preschool-12 school profoundly committed to its mission: to be an exemplary learning community—enriched by differences, informed through inquiry, global in reach. Serving its full community of 900 plus students on two campuses, the school is multinational, multicultural, and multilingual. The school’s challenging international program draws on classroom-based research on pedagogical practices and curriculum design from renowned organizations such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Project Zero, based in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. From Preschool through Grade 5 students follow the inquiry-based IB Primary Years Program; in Grades 6-10 they continue with a multidisciplinary and inquiry-based approach designed to enhance understanding and develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the prestigious IB Diploma Program (DP). All students in Grades 11 and 12 are enrolled in the DP, which prepares them to take exams to receive the International Baccalaureate Diploma in addition to a WIS diploma. IB Diploma results are well above the worldwide pass rate, and WIS gra...duates attend highly selective colleges and universities in both the United States (about two-thirds in a typical year) and abroad. Commitment to the intensive study of a second language is a core principle, with Pre-School, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes taught entirely in French or Spanish. All instruction in Grades 1-5 is “dual language” in English and either French or Spanish. Chinese is an option beginning in Grade 6. Typically, one half to three-quarters of WIS graduates earn the Bilingual IB Diploma, demonstrating fluency in two languages. The entire school community – alumni, parents, students, teachers, administrators and staff – are ardent advocates for international education. WIS has played a prominent role in setting a standard for a global perspective that many schools now emulate. The school culture is highly egalitarian, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and understanding differing points of view. There is no typical WIS family: some households consist only of U.S. passport holders, others are all non-U.S. passport holders and many are a mix of nationalities. In addition to this global diversity, WIS also strives to achieve economic diversity: 14% of the students receive financial assistance.

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