Middle School Head Teacher

An exciting opportunity is available at Peninsula School, a leader in N-8 progressive education with a focus on fostering intellectual curiosity, social and emotional learning and social justice in a manner that is interactive and responsive to student interests.

Peninsula School is rich in history and is situated on a wooded, 6-acre campus. The school is in an exciting time as it approaches its centennial in 2025.

At Peninsula, children thrive and develop to their full promise as confident contributors in the world, learn about themselves and others, discover their passions, and grow intellectually in an inclusive community rich with choices, exploration, and play. In addition to intellectual development and social and emotional learning (SEL), Peninsula School has an explicit focus on educating for democracy, student choice and voice, and social justice.

Peninsula School actively promotes the principles and practices of diversity throughout the school community. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage people of under-represented groups to apply. We offer competitive compensation and a progressive community dedicated to learning and engaged citizenship.

Position Overview: Peninsula School seeks an innovative, creative, and collaborative Head Teacher to join our Upper School team. This position reports to the Associate Head of School for Program and Community, and serves as a member of the School’s teaching team. The Head Teacher will supervise and partner with an Assistant Teacher.

Head Teachers at Peninsula School work closely together, sequencing and coordinating curriculum and miscellaneous logistics. Head Teachers are responsible for teaching math, integrated social studies, literacy and social/emotional development within a progressive framework that honors and celebrates play, student choice and voice, and centers DEIB practices. Teachers are provided flexibility in their classrooms to enable them to best serve the needs and interests of their students while remaining true to the mission, values, and progressive pedagogy of the school. Upper School Head Teachers also collaborate with Specialist teachers (Art, Drama, Woodshop, Ceramics, Weaving, Music, Library, Science, Physical Education) on student learning, curriculum, and support.

General Responsibilities

• Support and promote Peninsula School’s mission and values
• Provide a progressive program for children using instructional methods and materials that are responsive and appropriate to the intellectual, social and emotional needs of students
  and that fosters their positive learning and personal growth
• Maintain a cooperative classroom environment that encourages problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, and intellectual curiosity
• Create and maintain a welcoming, safe, equitable and respectful learning environment that honors and values a diversity of learning, cultural, ethnic, racial and sexual identities and lived experiences of the student population
• Manage and monitor student learning
• Remain current on educational research, topics and progressive practices
• Participate in and contribute to the school’s process of continual reflection and evolution of its program
• Collaborate and communicate constructively with other teaching staff, Associate Head Of School, Director of Equity & Belonging, and Learning Specialists
• Integrate anti-racist principles and practices into teaching and learning. Specific Duties and Responsibilities
• Recognize and address the unique needs and varied learning styles of all children, ensuring each child’s progress in all areas
• Develop and implement teaching units that explore and examine multiple cultures, ethnicities, perspectives, lifestyles, lived experiences and identities
• Deliver a math curriculum that that is age appropriate and that aligns with the scope and sequence of the overall school program
• Deliver a literacy program that is age appropriate and that aligns with the scope and sequence of the overall school program
• Monitor and document student learning
• Build class community by fostering students’ social/emotional learning
• Plan and lead camping trips with support
• Clearly articulate program and developmental goals to parents
• Clearly communicate student learning to students and parents
• Maintain open lines of communication with parents
• Communicate with families to share and preview classroom learning (newsletter, email, blog) at least once per month
• Examine and evaluate classroom program and teaching and adjust as needed
• Define at least one PD goal and complete a PD (in addition to in-service learning) according to your goals and in agreement with a supervisor
• Share high level (month by month) curriculum goals and objectives for students with AHOS/Programmatic Team
• Provide guidance and oversight to Assistant Teachers and/or Associate Teachers under the direction of the Associate Head Of School to nurture and enrich children’s experiences. This includes: supporting learning, goal setting, monitoring students, scheduling planning/prep and support time, providing feedback
• Support an open door policy for classrooms and meetings for teaching colleagues and program administrators, appropriate to role
• Participate in coaching conversations and peer-review on an as needed basis Other responsibilities as required.

Qualifications and Requirements

B.A. required. Passionate about working with 9-14 year old students. Experience in negotiating pre-teen/teen issues and skilled in building a close rapport with adolescents. Ability to work with a diverse population. Embracing progressive education ideals. Caring, flexible, creative, organized, good judgment, sense of humor. Current first aid or CPR a plus.

Competencies

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion – A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and an ability to work with and support a diverse population of students and families. An ability to remain sensitive to the experiences of students, parents and faculty in all situations and integrate feedback into practice.
• Ability to Learn and Teach – Recognizes the importance of learning and motivates others by own enthusiasm. Stays abreast of best practices in schools.
• Relational Skills – Ability to relate well to a wide range of people, including building rapport with students, parents, faculty, staff, and administrators. Willingness to work to understand the culture of the school. Knowledge of each child’s challenges and strengths. Skill with conflict resolution, consensus building and decision-making.
• Emotional Intelligence and Maturity – Ability to interact with individuals in heightened emotional states and navigate complex and emotionally challenging situations involving children and adults. A high degree of emotional stability, ability to separate one’s own emotions from a situation, and ability to maintain perspective in the midst of emotional situations is essential.
• Communications Skills – Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of constituents. Maintains open communications channels with teaching staff, parents and administrators. Able to present information formally and informally in an effective manner both through oral presentations or conversation and through written means. Has a strong understanding of the power of word choice and the need for a high level of tact and professional, accurate communication.
• Time Management Skills – Ability to manage many tasks and projects simultaneously and to prioritize them appropriately.
• Organizational Skills – Ability to balance many tasks and processes, including keeping track of progress on longer term projects or goals, managing details accurately, and following through in a timely fashion.
• Problem Solving Skills – Ability to recognize immediate issues and take decisive action when appropriate. Ability to consider a broad range of internal and external factors when solving problems. Grasps complexities and perceives relationships among different problems or issues. Uses various problem-solving strategies appropriate to the situation, including enlisting others when appropriate.
• Strategic Thinking Skills – Ability to work with others to gather, synthesize, and analyze quantitative and qualitative information and to develop plans for meeting short and long-range goals which support the vision and further the broader strategic direction of the organization.
• Knowledge and understanding of the Mission Statement and purpose of the school
• Proven competency in the classroom, including innovative teaching and recognition of an appropriate response to various learning profiles.
• All prospective employees must be able to clear a background check and TB screening.

To Apply

Peninsula School is an equal opportunity employer and we actively promote the principles and practices of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the school community. We actively support equal opportunity for all people and encourage members of BIPOC communities and LGBTQ+ candidates to apply.

Our school is strongly committed to learning about and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all interactions and programs. We offer competitive compensation and a progressive community dedicated to learning and engaged citizenship. We encourage people of under-represented groups to apply.