Teacher
Join a school for transformative learning.
Tru is seeking creative educators ready to engage in transformative experiences with children, grades K-5. Following progressive and constructivist principles of education, we provide many key characteristics of a research-based school:
- warm and engaging school climate
- integrated and thematic curiculum
- inquiry-based science
- conceptual mathematics
- direct investigations of the surrounding community
- school-wide theatrical performances with music and dance
- portfolio assessment
- mindfulness practice
Our unique program follows the philosophy of the founding teachers, who seek not merely to teach children but to awaken within them a sense of empathy and connection. Inspired by Parker Palmer, Nel Noddings, John Dewey, and many other voices in educational literature, the school believes that the inner experience of the child is crucial to meaningful growth.
We need teachers who are ready to engage in a transformative process themselves: to question their own beliefs and prejudices, and to examine critically their relationships with students. Warmth and kindness, firm expectations, knowledge of child development, and the conscious use of language all play fundamental roles. We find that these qualities make teachers most successful. We seek to engage candidates in a process of personal and professional growth while leading children to discover new capacities in themselves.
The school is organized into mixed-age classes with one teacher each. To prepare candidates for an independent role in our school, we are creating apprentice positions for new or experienced teachers to learn school practices and work closely with our lead teachers. The teachers collaborate to determine integrative content strands and essential questions, then implement those strands through developmentally appropriate activities with their individual classes. They communicate regularly with parents to inform them of student work and assess student progress against standard benchmarks of achievement.
Teachers participate fully in school community events and outreach programs. They also create a yearly professional development plan to support continued growth in educational theory and practice. Our program requires educators to reflect on their practice, collaborate constantly, and bring a strong personal presence to their work. Our integrative approach necessitates the development of original activities that reach across the traditional disciplines of science, literature, social studies, etc. A desire to explore, research, and teach unfamiliar topics is essential.
Expectations:
Master's degree preferred (student candidates also welcome)
Elementary classroom teaching experience
Familiarity with stages of child development
Demonstrated interest in all curriculum areas
Ability to write and communicate well
Ability to develop curriculum following student interest and school themes
Strong collaboration skills
Willingness to respond to the needs of a startup environment
Personal contemplative practice encouraged
Benefits:
Salary range $65,000 - $85,000, commensurate with education and experience
Full benefit package with health and retirement matching
Tuition credit for staff children
Opportunities to apply school mission in creative ways
Highly supportive staff and parent community
Inclusive decision making process
Developmentally appropriate teaching environment
Contact:
Send resume and cover letter describing your interest to work@truschool.org.