Walden Center and School seeks a dynamic Spanish Teacher to join our teaching collective in the fall of 2024. If you have a vision of building a close-knit community, of working with kids, parents, and a small committed team of educators, this may be the engaging, invigorating, satisfying job you are looking for.
Walden Center and School has been a leader in progressive elementary education and collective administration for over 65 years. Walden is an independent K-6 school where drama, music, language, and art sit alongside traditional academic subjects as our core curriculum. At Walden, we believe that children learn best when their academic, emotional, physical, and social needs are addressed, and families are an integral part of our community. Teachers take an individualized approach in designing their curricula in order to meet each child where they are developmentally. We believe that tests and grades are not the best measure of a child’s learning. Instead teachers are guided by informal assessments, and close observation. We do not give tests or grades. Also, the teachers run the school as a teacher-led collective, which provides them with autonomy, and the right and responsibility to make decisions that affect both their own classrooms and the whole school. We are passionate about working with the diversity of our current community and strive to support an environment that feels inclusive and intentional.
Our approach to learning encourages creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking as a means to help children develop a lifelong love of learning, a strong sense of community, and a powerful sense of self. We believe learning should be personalized, child-centered, and joyful.
Job Description
Spanish Teacher:
This position is for teaching Spanish using a self-developed curriculum. Our Spanish teacher integrates arts and play-based learning in their lessons in a hands-on, meaningful way. Walden teachers practice flexibility, openness, and keen observation to fully engage students and support their joy of learning. We utilize various assessment tools to inform our teaching. We do not administer formal tests or give grades.
Spanish Teacher Duties:
- Creating an engaging and developmentally appropriate multi-sensory Spanish program.
- Preparing hands-on, project-based lessons grounded in constructivist principles
- Planning and implementing units with social-emotional, and anti-bias in mind
- Conducting informal assessments to track progress, inform teaching and engage learners
- Fostering a warm, welcoming, safe classroom community
- Creating a positive learning environment through consistent, fair, and respectful classroom management
- Communicating effectively about student learning and behavior with students’ base teachers
- Contributing regular updates regarding curriculum
- Holding parent-teacher conferences in the Fall and Spring and as needed throughout the year
- Teaching appreciation of Spanish language and Latinx cultures through songs, games, dances, role plays and other activities; for older students teach beginning grammar, verb conjugation, country studies, reading simple texts
- Organizing one assembly a year, and one whole-school cultural event a year.
- Communicates program content and expectations in writing for teachers to present at Back to School Night
Administration (Collective duties):
At Walden, there is no “principal” of the school. We operate as a collective, meaning that the teachers are solely responsible for all matters pertaining to the school’s day-to-day operation and leadership functions. In this non-hierarchical structure, all teachers play an equal role in the running of the school, and decisions are made on a consensus model.
For your first two years, your duties as a member of the collective will include the following:
- Actively participating in weekly staff meetings
- Participating in the planning and executing of school events, including community-wide events and assemblies
- Collaborating to ensure the smooth operation of the school, which might include coordinating schedules, making admissions decisions, and communicating with other stakeholders
- Implementing and managing school policies and procedures, helping to ensure a safe and supportive learning environment
- Participating in at least two school committees
- Supporting other administrative needs as they arise
- Meeting with a mentor once a week
Typically, in your third year at Walden, your duties will shift as you become a core collective member. This will entail:
- Additional time with the other core collective members for sensitive and pressing issues
- Leadership positions on school committees
- Evaluating, mentoring, and managing fellow employees
- Ultimate responsibility for community-wide issues, complaints, problems
- Managing the recruitment and hiring of new staff
Other Collective duties:
- Being on-site from 8:45-3:15p for full teaching days and till 6p on Wednesdays for staff meetings
- Supervising students when assigned duty
- Covering and teaching other classes as needed
- Collaborating with Collective members in consensus building process
- Reading and responding to emails regarding school business in a timely manner
- Attending and participating in school events
- Reflecting on and supporting the school’s vision and mission
- Commitment to participate in collectively administering the school using a consensus model
- Supporting ongoing school business after hours and on weekends as needed
- Supporting administrative goals generated in the meeting by taking on tasks
- Summer Duties: admissions support, ongoing committee projects, and other tasks; meets when needed
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent)
- 3+ years experience teaching Spanish at the elementary school level
- Knowledge of child development
- Experience designing child-centered, age-appropriate, multi-sensory curriculum
- Experience implementing anti-bias approaches and curriculum
- Robust classroom management skills
- Ability to adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of learners
- Familiarity with social-emotional learning curricula and/or anti-bullying programs
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to be flexible
Preferred:
- Responsive Classroom experience
- Experience teaching K-6 elementary grades
- Teaching Credential- multiple subjects/language
Desired:
- Experience in mission-driven nonprofit work
- Skills and experience that will add to our Collective Administration: event planning, finance, marketing, project management, construction, gardening, scheduling, tech skills, social media
- Knowledge or experience of collective/worker cooperative model workplaces, non-hierarchical organizations
Compensation:
This is a part-time salaried position for 3 days of teaching/week
$49,444.54 / 12-month salary
Benefits include Health, Vision, Dental, Retirement contribution, 7 PTO days
For more information about Walden, see our website: www.waldencenterschool.org.
Please send a resume and cover letter addressing your philosophy of education to Spanish-hiring@waldencenterschool.org and add “Spanish Teacher Hiring” to the subject line.