Special Education Teacher

Job Overview and Requirements

Domus is the educational provider for incarcerated youth in the Hartford Juvenile Detention Center (HJDC). Students are remanded to the center and attend school, full time, until they are transferred to another program, or released. It is our role to provide a comprehensive education experience to all students, using the common core standards and our curriculum. Our educational mission is to successfully transition our students to the next stage of their education.

The High School Special Education Teacher will deliver instruction in whole-class, small-group, and one-on-one environments. The Special Education Teacher will help students, especially those with IEP's acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for the understanding of the curriculum. The Special Education teacher is required to plan for each day's instructional activities and will participate in weekly professional development opportunities and meetings.

REPORTS TO: Director of Domus at Hartford Juvenile Detention Center

Essential Responsibilities

Classroom Instruction & Management

• Plan, prepare and deliver instructional curriculum in various subjects and assess student performance
• Select appropriate learning materials including texts, tests, supplements, audiovisual materials, and other media
• Provide instruction on diversified activities and tasks that contribute to the understanding of course curriculum
• Maintain a classroom environment that is conducive to learning
• Meet and instruct assigned classes in the locations and at the time designated
• Maintain the established routines of the class
• Effectively de-escalate students in crisis according to the tenets of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention
• Conduct assessment and data analysis on the results
• Help develop consequences that teach new skills
• Attend and participate in events outside of school hours
• Supervise transitions and whole student gatherings
• Remain visible in the school environment

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Education or closely related field with 3 years' experience in an educational setting is preferred. CT state certification specialized in Science, Mathematics or Special Education highly preferred. A combination of education, training and experience will be considered.
• Experience working with target population preferred
• A great sense of humor!
• Willingness and ability to work with a behaviorally difficult youth population in a positive and calm manner
• Absolute commitment to the Domus mission, values and core principles, including the Sanctuary model of trauma-informed care
• Ability to work within systems, with a nuanced understanding of the balance of building relationships and advocating within an institution that is not operated by Domus
• Demonstrated ability to be self-directed and take initiative
• Ability to successfully handle multiple projects concurrently
• Flexibility and adaptability, able to shift styles to fit the needs of a wide range of cultures, people, and organizations

Skills

Required:

• Excellent organizational, time management and follow-up skills
• A strong work ethic
• High emotional intelligence, able to easily develop deep, trusting relationships with diverse individuals from many different backgrounds
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with demonstrated ability to speak and write clearly and persuasively
• Excellent problem-solving, critical-thinking, and strategic planning skills
• Ability to receive and respond to constructive feedback
• General computer literacy in relevant educational software programs and excellent proficiency with MS Office
• Must be able to instruct, evaluate, direct, discipline, delegate, supervise and motivate students
• Ability to learn quickly and be effective in a fast-paced, dynamic, entrepreneurial environment
• Knowledgeable about Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), as well as restorative justice principles and practices.

Domus is an equal opportunity employer. People of color and bilingual Spanish speakers are strongly encouraged to apply.

Our Hiring Process & Timeline:

• To apply: complete the online application and submit a resume and cover letter.
• We will review all qualified applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
• Candidates should note that this job requires you to meet in person with students and you are based on site at the Hartford Juvenile Detention Center. Safety precautions will be utilized for preventing the spread of Coronavirus, and all state guidelines will be followed, but candidates should note that this is an in-person job, and remote work is not an option.

Compensation

• This is a 10-month position that follows the school calendar year.
• Staff members are provided with a competitive salary, a comprehensive benefits package (health, dental, vision, 403(b) plan, life insurance, disability, etc.), and a working environment that includes all the necessary technology and resources to succeed.

Join a team of like-minded educators who work to achieve the mission ensuring that the community's most struggling students get the world-class education and social support they need to thrive at the next level.

Core Program Beliefs

The following beliefs are essential commitments for our staff team:

• We believe that within each of us is a desire to move towards health and achievement, under the right conditions. It is our job to provide young people with those conditions.
• We believe that every young person wants to love and be loved. It is our job to love these young people, and to help them learn to love themselves and others.
• We believe in the power of belonging. It is a core human condition to want to be missed when we are gone. We will miss young people when they are absent, and we will express that: "We didn't see you yesterday. We missed you. We are glad you are back". We will make sure every young person belongs in our community. No matter what. "She drew a circle to shut me out. Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win. We drew a circle that took her in" (Edwin Markham)
• We accept young people for who they are. Right here. Right now. They do not have to change to be respected and loved and valued and be a member of our community. Behavior is not a condition of their worth as human beings.
• We believe that every young person wants to be in charge of their own life. To that end, we will give young people a voice in this program, and choices of how to best accomplish their goals.
• We are hungry to understand if our interventions are having the intended impact. We will be meticulous in our data entry, and ruthless in our hunt to understand the data and learn from it. If what we are doing is not working, we will set aside our egos, intentions and preconceived notions and we will change what we are doing.
• We believe that the young people with whom we work deserve our full attention and our best selves. Therefore, we will: NOT allow our personal beliefs or baggage to interfere with our work; we will commit to doing excellent work all the time on behalf of our young people; we will be honest and transparent with ourselves, our colleagues and our partners. To be very clear, by working in this program we are committing to:
  • Engaging in self-care outside of work so that our personal issues don't interfere with our ability to focus on our young people;
  • Open communication - Bringing all issues directly back to the person OR to the group session in a way that fosters a healthy team;
  • Learning our craft before practicing on our youth;
  • Giving and receiving honest feedback, even if it is uncomfortable to hear or say

Working Conditions

• Work will be performed inside of the Hartford Juvenile Detention Center.
• Expect to work a school day/year as established by the Director. This is a 10-month school year position.
• Work will be under the supervision of the Director with periodic performance appraisals.
• Will be working with faculty, staff, and administrators in a team-teaching approach.
• The Hartford Juvenile Detention Center is an environment not controlled by Domus, which at times may be high