Middle School English Teacher & Curriculum Fellow (2024-2025)

Job Description: Middle School English Lead Teacher & Curriculum Fellow
Background
Libertas School of Memphis is a public charter school serving an underserved neighborhood in Memphis by offering humane education from six weeks old through eighth grade. Our mission is to be a school for human flourishing: cultivating minds, hands, and hearts for lives of wonder, work, and love. We offer a rich, rigorous, and personalized liberal arts education through the method of Dr. Maria Montessori, with an attachment village of wraparound family supports. We plan to expand our school to include Middle Grades beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.
Role Summary

• Lead two sections of sixth-grade English instruction with an emphasis on classic literature. (Highlights of the sixth-grade curriculum include Homer's Odyssey and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.)
• Participate in the development and expansion of our ELA program and curriculum. Potential leadership opportunities, based on interest and skill, include: providing coaching and feedback to other teachers; leading professional development sessions; auditing, revising, and/or developing curriculum for other elementary or middle grades.
• Full-time role. Work hours will vary with the published school calendar. Assist with periodic school events outside of the normal schedule. Flexibly scheduled Curriculum Fellow responsibilities during the summer will be compensated separately.
• Start date: Summer 2024 (detailed calendar TBD)
• Measures of success for the position include student academic growth, family satisfaction, observation feedback, performance evaluations, and related indicators.
• Meaningful professional development and advancement opportunities.
• Reports to: Middle School Program Director.
• Key relationships: Principal; Students and Families; Teachers; support staff.

Key Responsibilities
Planning and Instruction

• Plan and implement high-quality instruction for daily individual student lessons in alignment with our school curriculum. Prepare lessons and materials and organize the classroom.
• Submit lesson plans weekly for review and incorporate feedback into planning
• Regularly observe students to inform instruction. Collect and analyze assessment data.
• Teach students with diverse needs in an inclusive environment; implement IEP accommodations and modifications with support from Student Support Team / special education staff. Participate in our Child Study process, including presenting data and implementing plans.

Curriculum Fellowship

• Support the Academic Coordinator and Middle School Program Manager in our academic alignment and curriculum development efforts by monitoring, evaluating, and adapting our Montessori-based, state standards-aligned roadmap of curriculum and assessment.
• Support the coordination and implementation of aligned English curriculum and assessments.
• Evaluate and adapt the ongoing work of aligning our ELA Seminar and Montessori canon lessons.
• Review and enhance the alignment of our Montessori curriculum with Tennessee standards.
• Adapt and/or create Middle School English curriculum and program plans for our Middle School program.
• Organize and analyze academic data and support teachers' use of data for planning and reflection.
• Support teachers in understanding and implementing our curriculum.
• Produce aligned academic materials for classroom use.
• Participate in developing and implementing coaching, training, and ongoing collaboration for teachers.

Classroom Culture

• Foster habits of excellence, including order and grace & courtesy, through schoolwide and classroom-level practices and rituals such as: connecting before redirecting; using a warm and firm tone; tending the heart of virtue through presenting beautiful, enduring literature; and sharing responsibility for all our students.
• Be a model of character and strive toward virtue for students.
• Supervise students within the classroom and outside of the classroom.

Family Communication

• Communicate frequently with families.
• Prepare quarterly report cards to share about student progress.

Professional Development and Relationships

• Participate in formal check-in with assigned academic support team member at least biweekly.
• Engage in teacher meetings, team planning, professional development, and data reviews.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications and Traits

• Two or more years of effective teaching experience in schools in underserved communities (preferred).
• Willing to serve all students, regardless of background or needs, in an inclusive and supportive setting.
• Knowledge of curriculum content and students' developmental needs.
• Skills in instructional practices and classroom management for student achievement.
• Interest in and commitment to Montessori pedagogy, liberal arts, and humane education.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Bachelor's degree and appropriate teacher license (Note: a Montessori credential is NOT required for Middle Grades teachers, but all staff will receive professional development in the Montessori method)
• Love of learning
• Flexibility, initiative, and personal responsibility to work in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Fortitude for the challenges we will face
• Warm and firm demeanor
• Work collaboratively with a growth mindset. Give and receive feedback in a spirit of craftsmanship.
• Additional Curriculum Fellow qualifications:
• High capacity for and consistent follow-through on complex organizational projects
• Deep knowledge of curriculum content, state assessments, and state standards, including an understanding of the progression and coherence of standards across grade levels and subjects

Compensation

• Salary/wage competitive with the local school district and nearby charter schools.
• Eligible for salary increases for performance or stipends for additional duties.
• Investment in faculty professional development and growth. We also offer to eligible applicants our Teacher Residency program, which provides financial sponsorship and additional coaching and support to achieve state licensure and/or Montessori certification. Please contact us for more details.
• Paid sick leave. Deferred pay model distributes salary throughout the year (including breaks and vacations).
• Full-time employees are eligible for health insurance benefits, which we sponsor at an above-market rate (including family coverage). We also offer dental, vision, and other benefits, and retirement plans similar to local schools.

Application Process
Interested candidates should apply online at www.LibertasMemphis.org, where candidates can also learn more about our school. Please submit a resume, at least three references, and a cover letter (required) explaining why you would be a good fit for this position. Please direct any questions to talent@LibertasMemphis.org. Libertas does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, handicap, age, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.