Middle School Spanish Teacher

Overview of Woodland School 

Woodland School seeks an inspiring and nurturing Middle School Spanish Teacher who develops students’ inquiring minds and compassionate hearts. The position requires maintaining a full teaching load, serving as an advisor, weekly recess and lunch duties, and professional meetings and begins August 1, 2021.

Located just west of Stanford University, Woodland is an independent day school that offers a joyful approach to learning in a diverse, respectful, and inclusive environment for approximately 300 students in early childhood through eighth-grade. There are two sections of each grade level K-8 with class sizes that average from 14-18 students per class.

Woodland School specializes in education that inspires students by nurturing each individual’s voice, intellect, and character. With rich content and an emphasis on inquiry-based and student-driven projects, students are empowered and encouraged to be active and engaged learners. Our students’ innate sense of wonder is the foundation of learning at Woodland School. Teachers craft meaningful, multi-sensory learning experiences which enable creativity, ingenuity, and deep interdisciplinary connections. Students explore and develop complex understandings that engender a sense of self and purpose in the world.

Woodland School’s faculty create a school environment that is as supportive and nurturing as it is challenging, and they embody the core values of the school—respect, integrity, curiosity, resilience, equity, and stewardship. Our teachers apply best practices through collaboration, integrated curriculum, a wide range of learning methods, and continued professional development. Our teachers are themselves learners, constantly searching for ways to improve their practice. A robust professional development program supports our faculty by connecting them to the best practices in pedagogy, curriculum development, educational technology, and student assessment.

Overview of the World Language Department
The World Language Department believes students should be global citizens and active members of our local communities, linguistically and culturally, which necessitates students being bilingual and culturally-literate in Spanish.  By integrating the world language standards developed by the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages, we aim to facilitate the development of strong comprehension and speaking skills with a near-native pronunciation, develop ease and confidence with reading and writing skills, encourage students’ integration of language learning across their daily academic experience, and introduce students to the joys and beauty of language learning.

Position Overview 
Woodland seeks a dynamic teacher who inspires students to learn Spanish and who works collaboratively with colleagues in various curricular areas and divisions. Candidates must be a US citizen or have a green card, be fluent, have a strong knowledge of Spanish grammar and vocabulary, and have training in second language instruction. Candidates should be passionate about teaching and celebrating Spanish language and Hispanic cultures and should be committed to collaborating with colleagues.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)
Candidates should have successful teaching experience in lower or middle school levels. Candidates should be comfortable using a blended approach based on ACTFL’s standards and conducting classes exclusively in Spanish while incorporating a deep focus on cultural understandings.

• Bachelor’s degree in education or Spanish, a teaching certificate or credential or equivalent successful experience teaching in classroom settings. Advanced degree preferred but not required.
• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills with the ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with all constituents.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.
• Collaborates well with colleagues of diverse backgrounds on pedagogical approaches, curricular alignment and instructional strategies.
• Promotes the use of multiple methods in solving problems, identifying more efficient strategies and generalizing principles to a broad variety of applications.
• Encourages collaborative teamwork in the classroom, teaching students to communicate effectively and thoughtfully, justify their reasoning and to consider multiple perspectives when solving problems.
• Invests in the life of the school by participating in the advisory program, social and emotional learning, weekly department meetings and multidisciplinary team meetings, anti-bias training, and any and all aspects that support the student experience.
• Demonstrated professional behavior, including discretion, judgment and integrity.
• Effectively interacts with a diverse population of students and faculty.

Physical Demands and Work Environment 

The position can be physically demanding. Reasonable accommodations may be made if requested in advance.

How to Apply

Candidates for this position should submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for a minimum of three references (at least one recent supervisor is required) to  woodland-school.hiringthing.com/job/251977/middle-school-spanish-teacher.

Salary and benefits are commensurate with our peer schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and with like NAIS schools.

Woodland School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin in the administration of its educational or admission policies, financial aid distribution, or other school programs. Woodland School is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment and strongly encourages applications from candidates who reflect such diversity.