High School Mandarin Language Teacher

High School Mandarin Language Teacher

Tessellations is a modern, innovative PreK-12 non-profit school for gifted learners based in Cupertino, CA. Our mission is to provide challenging experiential education that recognizes and nurtures the individual strengths of gifted learners, empowering them to confidently express who they are and pursue a meaningful life.

At Tessellations, community is a core value, as it is the reason our small and mighty school was able to form and thrive despite the global pandemic. Our team consists of passionate, qualified and dedicated staff from diverse backgrounds and includes nationally renowned gifted experts. We believe that it is time to open a new chapter in high school education by forging a model that fosters a cultural ecosystem within the school that promotes innovative thinking and intellectual risk taking. Moving on from an antiquated model born during the industrial revolution, we favor durable skills over compliance and memorization, and collaboration over competition. We believe that assessments should function as guidance rather than judgment.

Building on the overwhelming success of our K-8 program, we are hiring the founding faculty for Tessellations High School that will open in August 2024. This is a unique opportunity to realize an innovative vision of what a high school experience should be. We are seeking teachers who are lifelong learners, who have a passion for their own discipline and an active interest in creating throughlines across a curriculum that they will have the opportunity to help create.

World Language Teacher: Mandarin

Tessellations is seeking language instructors in Mandarin, who can differentiate instruction and bring languages to life in meaningful ways inside and outside the classroom. The World Language program at Tessellations is rooted in the Communicative Approach: we believe that the initial goal of language acquisition is to get students talking in the target language through role playing and simulation, task based learning and tolerance for error. And that grammatical instruction follows – once there is context for its application. Language instruction should make use of current media in popular cultural as well as foundational documents in Chinese History.

If you join our team you will help us grow our program and continue designing and delivering a rich, immersive learning experience. You will be heard, respected, and celebrated for your talents and efforts. You will work with students who love to learn, engaged parents who are grateful for your work, and supportive colleagues that will help bring out your best. Successful applicants start immediately upon their availability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lesson Planning: Craft classroom lessons that bring the curriculum to life through experiential learning opportunities, transdisciplinary projects and hands-on research opportunities.
• Thematic, Transdisciplinary Learning: Develop and implement learning activities and units that promote critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world application of knowledge that integrates concepts across disciplines. This means that teachers will sometimes need to explain things from the front of the classroom, but more often they should facilitate discussion and project based learning.
• Student Assessment: Design formative and summative assessments to measure and track student progress toward major competencies, and provide valuable, timely feedback to support the students’ acquisition of skills and competencies.
• Professional Development: Approach professional development with a growth mindset, believing that we can always learn and improve our craft as educators. Attend staff meetings and actively engage with professional development opportunities.
• Incorporate Technology: Integrate educational technology to support innovative teaching methods to enhance the curriculum, keep it aligned with current educational trends, and support students with diverse learning needs.
• Adaptability: Be responsive to changes in the educational landscape and the unique needs of our gifted student population, including scaffolding and differentiation while adjusting and modifying the curricular content and processes as necessary.
• Sense of Belonging: Create and foster a safe and supportive learning environment where all students feel heard
• Family Engagement: Attend family-teacher meetings as scheduled and as needed to support student learning.
• Other: Complete other duties and responsibilities as required to ensure student safety and educational instruction

Requirements

• Secondary teaching experience; experience teaching gifted or high-achieving students is highly desirable
• While the incoming class will be limited to 9th graders, the ideal candidate must be able to teach 9th-12th grades
• Proficiency with technology (GSuite in particular)
• Strong understanding of project-based learning and differentiated instruction
• Knowledge of curriculum design, assessment strategies, and educational technology
• Exceptional organizational, communication, and collaboration skills
• Innovative mindset and a commitment to educational excellence
• Ability to adapt to changing educational environments and student needs
• Desire to jump into a start-up environment and help create, design, and troubleshoot with like-minded, passionate educators and professionals
• Social-emotional teaching experience
• Familiarity with and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion practices
• Openness and flexibility in designing improved learning experiences
• Enthusiastic life-long learner
• Passing a criminal background check upon hire

Bonus Points

• Bachelor’s degree in Education or a related field. Master’s degree or PhD preferred.
• Knowledge of, or curiosity about, Mastery Learning or Competency Based Learning
• Experience teaching gifted learners
• Connection to nature

Compensation

Salary range: $77,000 – $110,000, commensurate with experience.

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, 401(k), flexible spending account, paid time off, holidays, and school breaks.

To Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume to careers@tessellations.school. For more information about our school, visit https://tessellations.school.

Tessellations is an Equal Opportunity Employer — we do not discriminate against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, sex, or reproductive health decision making.

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