Social Studies Teacher - Charter Middle School

Social Studies Teacher MISSION The mission of the Christa McAuliffe Charter School is to cultivate within each member of a diverse student body an intense commitment to self and community, the courage and insight to set high standards for academic and personal success, and the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to achieve those standards.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL The Christa McAuliffe Charter School is an EL Education school for 300 scholars in grades 6-8 with a hands-on curriculum that inspires achievement through active learning, character growth, and teamwork.

The school is committed to ensuring that all students grow as learners and as ethical people through meaningful work and a strong community, WHAT IS EL EDUCATION?

EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) is a national school transformation organization operating in 165 schools in 30 states and reaching over 45,000 students.

EL partners with schools to improve student achievement through an inquiry and project-based approach.

EL schools inspire the motivation to learn, engage teachers and students in new levels of focus and effort, and transform schools into places where students and adults become leaders of their own learning.

POSITION OVERVIEW Everything that we do at McAuliffe is intended to meet the needs of students in their early adolescents.

You must have the ability to develop meaningful connections with students, have strong classroom management skills, and have the skills to create classroom culture in which individuals are valued for what they bring to the group.

As a social studies teacher you'll create learning experiences that guide students to develop an in depth understanding of concepts.

We emphasize inquiry-based activities, simulations, and differentiated lessons that guide students to develop background knowledge from a variety of texts.

We also emphasize the importance of infusing literacy instruction into social studies classes so that students learn how to read and comprehend nonfiction texts and write reports, summaries, and persuasive pieces.

As a crew leader, you'll lead a crew, similar to an advisory, of about 12 students.

You will be the mentor and advocate for each student in your crew.

You'll engage them in team building activities, facilitate social-emotional learning, guide the development of crew and individual goals, and prepare students for student-led-conferences.

RESPONSIBILITIES ** Collaborate with colleagues to create highly engaging, authentic units and learning expeditions ** Employ a variety of teaching methodologies that guide students to engage in critical thinking: use of protocols, simulations, workshops, Socratic seminars, cooperative learning, experiments, hands-on projects, and other inquiry-based activities ** Implement formative and summative assessments to track student progress; engage students in the assessment and tracking process ** Analyze data on student performance to effectively inform instruction ** Provide differentiated support including accommodations and modifications to ensure all students are given access to the curriculum and instruction ** Integrate work with expert professionals during fieldwork, via video conferencing, or in person on site interview ** Participate in ongoing professional development including observations and feedback from an instructional coach ** Implement school-wide positive behavioral systems to effectively manage the classroom ** Continually communicate with students' families regarding performance and progress ** Serve as a Crew advisor to approximately 12 students, which includes leading a daily advisory, called Crew, supporting advisees and regularly communicating with parents/guardians ** Serve as an active member of the McAuliffe Community including attending evening celebrations of student learning QUALIFICATIONS ** Appreciation for the EL Education design model ** Appreciation for the life and mind of the adolescent scholar ** Personal qualities that exemplify the school's emphasis on character development and community ** Teaching experience (ideally in grades 5 through 9) consistent with McAuliffe's progressive, constructivist, exploratory and project-based educational philosophy ** Strong subject area background; highly qualified or ready to get qualified; licensed in Massachusetts with relevant content area expertise ** Skillful at using a variety of assessment methods and data to pinpoint students' strengths and weaknesses, and skillful at applying instructional practices to address diverse learning needs ** Strong interpersonal skills, commitment to teamwork, and readiness to reflect and grow ** Values a collaborative approach to working with a diverse population of children and adults ** Sense of humor and a high level of energy, enthusiasm, flexibility, and spontaneity ** Exemplary organizational skills including ability to prioritize, complete tasks (such as grading) efficiently, keep gradebook up to date, and document lessons, materials, and assessment A Salary Scale is available upon request The Christa McAuliffe Charter School (McAuliffe) may not and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, homelessness or any other legally protected status.

(M.G.L.

c.

71, § 89(m); 603 CMR 1.06(l)).