Lower School STEM Teacher
STEM Teacher: K-4th Grades (Full time)
Town School for Boys seeks a full time STEM Teacher beginning in the 2015-2016 school year. Located in San Francisco, Town School for Boys is a K-8 independent day school. Since its founding in 1939, Town School is committed to providing a dynamic and engaging environment that suits the developmental learning needs of boys. An intensive academic program is supplemented by fine arts offerings and outdoor education trips that take advantage of the school's Bay Area coastal location. Our teaching balances traditional methods with key student-centered approaches including inquiry and project-based learning. Town School values academic excellence, respect for self and others, diversity and inclusivity, community service, and social-emotional development. Town places a high value on maintaining a collegial atmosphere among faculty members. There is an expectation of continuous growth and improvement for all faculty and strong support for a wide range of professional development opportunities.
Specific Responsibilities:
Town is seeking a full-time Lower School STEM Teacher to work with Kindergarten through 4th grade students. An ideal candidate would be able to promote critical thinking and problem solving through daily activities and project based learning experiences. There are monthly faculty meetings, weekly grade level meetings, and weekly lunch and recess duty obligations. Faculty are expected to take an active role in the school by contributing to committees, chaperoning field trips, and attending student performances and athletic events.
Students at Town learn science via hands-on inquiry using frameworks from the Exploratorium’s Inquiry Institute and the Buck Institute for Education. Subject matter is integrated across disciplines and incorporates the Next Generation Science Standards as a foundation. We make an effort to maximize partnerships with local institutions (e.g., ecosystems field site in the Presidio through the GGNRA, training from the Exploratorium and Stanford’s d.School). In recent years there has been a greater emphasis on engineering, coding, robotics, and tinkering along with core scientific understandings. In the coming school year, we will be incorporating the use of a newly available rooftop STEM lab and garden.
Desired Qualifications and Skills:
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of two years of teaching experience and experience working with students in elementary grades. A credential or masters degree is preferred. The candidate will have a deep knowledge of science and a passion for engineering, coding, robotics, and tinkering. The position involves working closely with two other head science teachers, head teachers in grades K-4, the Director of Technology and the Lower School Head. Candidates should be strong in their use of technology tools for teaching. Collaboration with the librarians and educational technologists is also expected.
Non-Discrimination Policy:
Town School for Boys admits students of any race, color, religion, or national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship programs, athletic and other school-administered programs.
Town School for Boys is an equal opportunity employer. Salary and benefits are commensurate with our peer schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and with like NAIS schools.
To apply for this position, please send a cover letter, resume, and three letters of reference to Courtney Hurley:
employment@townschool.com
Town School for Boys
2750 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Town School for Boys
www.townschool.com
Mission
At Town School learning is prized, love of school is essential, and boyhood is celebrated.
Philosophy
As an all boys’ school, Town provides a rich, challenging and rigorous educational experience that addresses the distinctive energy levels and developmental styles of boys. Town values being a diverse community that nurtures integrity, sensitivity and respect in its boys, and prepares them to become productive and contributing members of an ever-changing world.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Our goal is for each boy to be engaged in an environment that weaves together collaboration, critical thinking, integrity, empathy, and creativity. These broad skills, as well as a firm grounding in core academic competencies, offer boys an excellent preparation for their further education. We promote social and emotional learning as a foundation of academic excellence and self-discovery. We prepare students to meet challenges in the world by helping them develop an appreciation for a variety of perspectives from the local to the global. We celebrate diversity by fostering a community of learners built on mutual respect. Learning experiences are inclusive, relevant, flexible, innovative, and adapted to reflect the needs of all kinds of learners. In our joyful, active, and collaborative school, boys flourish.
We achieve these goals through an authentic curriculum that originates in the classroom, travels through the halls, and extends into the world. Our teaching balances traditional methods with key student-centered approaches including inquiry, project-based learning, and teaching for understanding. We stay relevant and current through our testing of innovative, research-based approaches. We model a commitment to lifelong learning, and we hone our craft by pursuing professional development and sharing knowledge with one another.