Director of Elementary Education

Director of Elementary Education

The Resonance Lab · Blue Ash, Ohio · Full-Time, 10-Month

About The Resonance Lab

The Resonance Lab is a wellness-centered K–8 microschool inside the Blue Ash YMCA. We exist because students are over-scheduled, under-inspired, and stripped of agency — and we believe school can be otherwise. Our graduates lead with self-awareness, resilience, and integrity, unapologetically prepared to pursue their purpose.

We are built on five pillars: Love, Autonomy, Co-Creation, Authentic Leadership, and Equity & Belonging. Students learn in mixed-age pods through four themes cycled at every grade level — Identity, Perspective, Power, and Impact — with state standards woven through rather than bolted on.

This is a founding-era role. We open our doors August 19, 2026.

The Role

The Director of Elementary Education leads instruction, learning design, and student experience across our K–8 program. You are the instructional heart of the school: you shape what happens in the pods every day, coach the facilitators who lead them, and hold the line on both academic rigor and human warmth.

This is not a caretaker position. You will build systems that do not yet exist, make judgment calls without a playbook, and be visible with students daily. If you want a role where the structure is already settled, this is not it. If you want to build the school you always wished you taught in, keep reading.

What You'll Own

Instructional Leadership

• Lead implementation of our high-quality instructional materials — Bridges in Mathematics, FOSS, and TCI — inside our thematic curriculum spine

• Coach and develop facilitators through observation, feedback, and modeling

• Ensure state standards in math, science, literacy, social studies, and financial literacy are met and documented

• Design and lead professional development, including our monthly faculty circles

Student Experience

• Oversee mixed-age pod structure, Resonance Circles, and Leadership Portfolios

• Lead our Multi-Tiered System of Supports and coordinate services for differently wired learners

• Model and uphold restorative discipline practices across the community

• Hold our graduated behavior intervention plan with consistency and care

Assessment & Accountability

• Own our mastery reporting system, progress monitoring, and Exhibitions of Learning

• Maintain instructional records required for Ohio chartered nonpublic school compliance

• Partner with the Founder on state reporting and site visit readiness

Family Partnership

• Serve as the first point of contact for instructional questions and concerns

• Lead family conferences and communicate student progress with clarity and candor

What We're Looking For

Required

• Ohio educator licensure, OR eligibility for the Ohio permanent non-tax certificate through the Department of Education and Workforce

• Minimum five years teaching experience at the elementary or middle level

• Demonstrated instructional leadership — coaching adults, not only teaching students

• Ohio BCI and FBI background checks completed prior to student contact

• Genuine comfort with ambiguity, iteration, and building from scratch

Strongly Preferred

• Experience in microschool, Montessori, project-based, or other non-traditional settings

• Background in social-emotional learning, conscious discipline, or trauma-informed practice

• Special education or intervention specialist credentials

• Prior experience opening a school or launching a new program

Who Thrives Here

You believe children are capable of far more than most schools ask of them. You can hold high expectations and deep warmth in the same hand. You are willing to be watched, coached, and corrected — and to do the same for others. You are steady when a plan falls apart, and you would rather solve the problem than assign the blame.

You are energized, not exhausted, by a school where the answer is often "we haven't built that yet — let's build it."

Compensation & Schedule

• Full-time, 10-month position aligned to our August 19 – May 28 academic year

• School hours are 8:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m., with staff on site 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

• Salary commensurate with experience and credentials; discussed openly in the first conversation

How to Apply

Send a resume and a short letter telling us about a time you changed your mind about how children learn. We care more about that letter than your resume.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

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The Resonance Lab does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, or employment practices.