Middle School ELAR Teacher (6th-8th Grade)

Do you believe words matter? Do you get genuinely excited about a well-written sentence, a story that catches you off guard, or a student who finally finds their voice on paper? If language arts is not just a subject to you but something you actually care about, we need to talk.

At Prelude Prep, we know that great teachers are not always found. Sometimes they are discovered. You do not need years in a classroom to catch our attention. You need the instinct, the love for the content, and the kind of presence that makes a 8th grader care about what they write and mean what they say.

Who You Are

You actually enjoy middle schoolers. Not despite the eye rolls and the "do we have to" and the student who says they hate reading but you catch them with a book under their desk, but because this is exactly the age where a story or a poem or the right writing prompt can crack something open in a kid that was not open before. You understand that power and you do not take it lightly.

You know how to hold the line without losing the relationship. You are consistent and structured and you also know when to let a conversation breathe because something real just came up in the room. That balance is everything with this age group.

You are also a reader and a writer yourself. Not performatively, genuinely. You have opinions about books. You have things you want to say. That authenticity is something middle schoolers recognize immediately and it is something you cannot fake.

Why Prelude Prep

We believe middle school is where kids start deciding what they are capable of. We refuse to let them decide small. Our students are held to a real standard, given real structure, and treated like the capable young people they are becoming. They rise to it because we expect them to and we build the conditions that make it possible.

Teachers at Prelude Prep receive:

• Weekly instructional coaching so you are never figuring it out alone
• Dedicated planning time built into every school day
• A team that supports each other and takes the work seriously
• Leadership that invests in your growth from day one
• A student culture built on structure, independence, and high expectations
• Meaningful relationships with students and families
• Real opportunities for leadership and growth as you develop

What You Will Do

You will build a classroom where reading is not a chore and writing is not something students dread. You will teach students how to think critically about what they read, how to construct an argument, how to tell a story, and why any of it matters beyond the classroom. You will teach 6th, 7th, or 8th grade ELAR with rigor and intention, use data to drive your instruction, and collaborate with a team that is genuinely invested in getting better together.

• Deliver rigorous, engaging literacy instruction that builds readers, writers, and thinkers
• Create a classroom culture where student voice is valued and developed
• Use complex texts and real writing tasks to push students beyond surface level thinking
• Build a structured classroom where routines create the conditions for deep work
• Use data to understand what your students know and what they need next
• Hold high expectations while building the relationships that make students want to meet them
• Partner with families and colleagues to support every learner
• Show up to coaching and planning ready to grow

What We Are Looking For

• A genuine love for literature, writing, and language and the ability to make it matter to a 13 year old
• Someone who actually likes middle schoolers and understands how they operate
• The kind of passion for storytelling and communication that is impossible to fake
• Consistency and structure, because this age group needs to know exactly where the line is
• Humility and coachability, you want feedback and you use it
• Grit, because some days are hard and great teachers show up anyway
• Strong communication and the ability to connect with families and teammates

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university

Preferred:

• Texas teaching certification in ELAR (or willingness to obtain one)
• Any experience working with kids in any setting counts. Tutoring, writing programs, mentoring, after school programs. Tell us about it.
• A background in English, literature, communications, journalism, creative writing, or any field where words were your thing is a plus

Have a moment you are proud of? A time you helped someone find their voice, fall into a story, or say something they did not know they had in them? We want to hear that story.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary: $55,000–$65,000
• Teacher Retirement System (TRS)
• Health insurance benefits
• Weekly coaching and professional development
• A real path to leadership and growth

Prelude Prep is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability in admission, access to, or treatment in its programs and activities, including employment practices.

If you have been waiting for a school that takes middle school seriously, this is it. Apply today and become part of the Prelude Prep family.