[26-27] Exceptional Children Teacher Assistant

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Organizational Overview

Every School. Every Student. Every Day.

Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) North Carolina, is a network of eight tuition-free, college-preparatory public charter schools educating approximately 3,000 students in grades K-12 in Durham, Halifax, Northampton and Mecklenburg counties. At KIPP NC, we are committed to improving the life outcomes of North Carolina’s children through the delivery of research-based, rigorous curricula that are grounded in research, and clearing the paths that our students choose to follow by ensuring that they have the roadmaps and guideposts they need to arrive at success - however they define it.

At KIPP, we see the gifts in everyone who walks through the doors of our schools. Especially our teachers. Their skill. Energy. Love. Their determination. On the good days and on the hard days. So we support our teachers to make the most of those gifts. It starts with respect – for our teachers’ innate talent and desire to learn, for their professional growth and the lives they lead beyond our walls. We offer pay and benefits that reflect our appreciation for the invaluable role our teachers play in lighting paths to opportunity for our students. And as our teachers progress through the day, the year and their careers, we ensure they always feel the KIPP Team and Family at their backs, with opportunities to lead, and support to grow. 

Together, our students, schools, families and communities share an ambitious mission to create a future without limits. And the only way to realize it is with talented teachers like you. Shape the future, for your students and yourself, by joining KIPP today.

Essential Duties

Preparing and Delivering Instruction

• Provide exceptional education students (individually or in groups) with physical help and emotional support so they can benefit from our instructional program
• Establish as fully as possible a supportive and sympathetic relationship with students without fostering or encouraging intense emotional involvement
• Guide and help students with curriculum tasks set up by classroom teachers
• Works with students (individually or in small groups) to reinforce materials initially introduced by classroom teachers
• Assist with behavior management and other disciplinary procedures in a manner consistent with policies and expectations of colleague teachers and the school
• Keep supervising teachers informed of any issue with specific students
• Communicate with colleagues about student issues or special information as appropriate
• Communicate with, contact, and respond to families as directed by colleague teachers
• Assist students in such physical tasks as putting on and taking off of outerwear, moving from room to room, and using the bathroom
• Perform simple errands and tasks for students, such as sharpening pencils, carrying lunch trays, and the like, as needed given student conditions
• Perform classroom health procedures, when necessary, under the supervision of the school nurse
• Serve as a resource person, if and when requested, to the student evaluation team conferring about students to whom assigned
• Embrace and incorporate the gift of feedback from wherever it comes—colleagues, principal, assistant principal, regional coaches, students, wherever—in the spirit of Pursuing Excellence, one of KIPP NC core values

Building Positive Classroom and Schoolwide Cultures

• Develop positive relationships with students, families, teachers, and staff through regular positive phone calls to families, routine curbside check-ins with families at arrival and dismissal, and attendance at all school events, including Back-to-School Night, family conferences, report card conferences, and all other school celebrations
• Leverage those relationships to induce behaviors and instructional habits from students that are significantly different from those previously exhibited; pinpoint and tap the needs, wants, and underlying motivations of students
• Participate fully in the daily routines of a school that form the foundation of culture, like arrival/dismissal, advisory/circle time, lunch, hallway transitions, and the 1,000 other moments that make up a day
• Embody, nurture, and build KIPP NC’s core values (Pursuing Excellence, Building Knowledge, Fighting Injustice, Sparking Joy, and Rising Together) and the school’s student and staff cultures
• Assume personal responsibility for student achievement, all the students in the school, and the success of staff colleagues
• Create and maintain a joyful classroom space that exudes love, builds a sense of belonging, and celebrates learning, which includes displaying current student work and grade level/content- appropriate and identity-affirming decorations

Exemplifying a Growth Mindset

• Collaborate with leaders and coaches to identify areas of strength and areas of growth for professional development throughout the year, some of which will be leader-led, and some of which will happen in the quiet after-school moments in classrooms with colleagues in the routine preparation for the next day
• Attend practice clinics to hone and sharpen pedagogical skills and lesson delivery
• Participate in Teacher Work Days, Regional Data Days, and Professional Development meetings after school; satiate their hunger to learn and grow as a professional

Qualifications

• A deep commitment to the mission of KIPP NC and an unwavering belief in the potential of all our students
• A deep commitment to improving the lives of kids from economically marginalized communities
• An Associate’s Degree OR have earned 60+ college credit hours
• Working toward a Bachelor’s degree with a goal of becoming a certified Exceptional Children’s Teacher preferred
• 3+ years of teaching experience in K-12; experience in teaching in a high performing charter school and/or schools with a high population of students with free and reduced lunch preferred
• Demonstrated success in raising the achievement levels of economically marginalized students
• Training and experience working with children with special needs
• Must be able to physically perform the basic operational functions of stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, hearing and repetitive motion
• Pass Criminal Background Check

Additional Notes

• Hours are 7:30 AM - 3:45 PM Monday, Thursday, Friday and 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM Tuesday & Wednesday
• Being able to lift 50 lbs +
• Being able to stand on your feet 8+ hrs per day

Total Benefits

EC Assistants are paid based on educational attainment:

• Bachelor's Degree is $39,000
• Associate's Degree or 48 + college credit hours is $37,000

Health Insurance: State Health Plan with plans for individuals, spouses, children, and families

Paid Parental Leave: 8 weeks of 100% paid maternity leave and 4 weeks of 100% paid paternity leave

Paid Time Off + Sick Leave: 5 days of PTO and 6 sick days every year

Retirement: An optional 403b with a generous employer match with immediate vesting