Associate Teacher

Description
Do you believe that:

“No single literacy activity has a more positive effect on students’ comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, spelling, writing ability, and overall academic achievement than free voluntary reading.” — Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer
“[Play] is our brain’s favorite way of learning … a process as instinctive as breathing.” — Diane Ackerman, Deep Play
“When children have some choice and control over their learning, they are more motivated, more persistent, and more successful.” — Alfie Kohn, The Schools Our Children Deserve
“Since learning is almost always a social pursuit, strong relationships with teachers and classmates can inspire students like little else.” — Tom Little, Loving Learning
“The desire to feel connected to others is a powerful and motivating force within us.” — Jane Nelsen & Chip DeLorenzo, Positive Discipline

About The Teaching Position

Your working day will be eight hours. You will have at least 2½ hours during the day for lunch, professional development, and individual and team planning, so you shouldn’t need to take work home.
Instruction begins at 9 a.m. so you’ll be able to arrive at 8:30 a.m. and leave by 4:30 p.m.
Our school is conveniently located in the South Bronx just two blocks from the Cypress Avenue # 6 subway station.
Our dress code is relaxed. You can wear sneakers and dress comfortably (so long as you dress in a way that our students’ parents will also find appropriate).
Our philosophy is pragmatically progressive. We will have some traditional instruction but during much of the day, children will be involved in self-directed activities such as reading books of their choice, doing science kits, engaging in project based learning, and playing educational games. We want a joyful and rewarding school environment for both our teachers and students.
If you have children who are elementary school age, they are welcome to attend our school and we hope they will! We are seeking to create a joyful and academically ambitious school to which we would want to send our own children.
You will have help from teaching assistants who will supervise lunch and recess and will support you in the classroom so you can provide small group instruction.
You will be treated with respect by students, parents, and by us. Teachers work too hard to be treated disrespectfully, so we don’t tolerate it.
You will have ten weeks of paid time off annually including holidays, vacation, and sick/personal days that can be converted to vacation days if unused.

Requirements
No teaching experience is required for this position. If you have two or more years of experience teaching in an elementary or middle school, you should apply for our lead teacher position rather than this position. BA Degree required