Grade 2 Lead Teacher

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

New Canaan Country School is a co-ed, independent day school for students in Pre-K (ages 3 & 4) through Grade 9 living in Fairfield and Westchester Counties. Located in New Canaan, CT, and serving approximately 550 students, our mission is to guide students to reach their intellectual, creative, moral, and physical potential. A talented and devoted faculty engages our students in developmentally appropriate ways, delivering a challenging curriculum that builds intellectual skills and fosters creative and critical thinking. We lead by example and challenge students to fulfill their potential, find their path, and follow their passions whether in the classroom, on the playing fields, on the stage, or serving the community.

The Lower School at Country School serves over 200 students in Grades 1 through 4. Our teachers support the educational mission of the school as well as its core values of community, courage, curiosity, and kindness. A strong teacher presence and low student-teacher ratio help usher children through these critical formative years. Our Lower School teachers are experienced, dynamic and possess a strong sense of pedagogy. They demonstrate a commitment to bringing out the best in each student and ensure that each child is known, seen, loved, and valued. Responsive Classroom is robustly used as our social emotional curriculum across all settings in the Lower School.

About the Grade 2 Lead Teacher Position

The Grade 2 Lead Teacher serves as a member of our Lower School faculty. Lead teachers are responsible for cultivating a joyful and inclusive classroom community, as well as delivering instruction of the highest caliber. The Lower School focuses on offering a program hallmarked by pedagogical excellence, differentiated instruction, and a child-centered approach. The Grade 2 Lead Teacher will serve as a member of the Grade 2 team, and grade level collaboration is vital for day-to-day logistical planning as well as short and long-term curriculum planning. Each lead homeroom teacher also has the opportunity and responsibility to mentor a year-long Apprentice Teacher, who serves full time in their classroom.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate a joyful, vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming classroom community supported by strong classroom management skills
• Create strong connections and relationships with students in order to foster a positive and trusting learning environment
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with parents/guardians through formal and ongoing informal touchpoints
• Plan, organize and implement a developmentally appropriate and pedagogically sound program
• Evaluate students’ academic and social growth, keep appropriate records, prepare narrative reports and conduct parent conferences
• Differentiate instruction to meet the varied needs of learners across all core subjects
• Mentor a year-long Apprentice Teacher and share teaching responsibilities appropriately
• Partner with the classroom Apprentice, grade level team, and divisional colleagues in short and long term planning of curriculum
• Participate productively in grade level, department, division and all-employee meetings
• Supervise and engage with students in out-of-classroom activities during the day, such as recess, lunch, and during field trips and other events
• Identify student needs and partner with the Learning Resource Team to support student growth and development
• Engage in internal and external professional development in order to stay abreast of best practices

• Understanding of the social, emotional and academic needs of students and the ability to connect with students of this age level
• A strong sense of pedagogy and highly developed classroom management skills
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with parents/guardians to support student growth
• Well developed interpersonal and collaborative skills
• Relevant experience teaching the age group and assessing student learning
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university

Desired Competencies

• Demonstrates a true sense of joy in working with students of this age and being in a school environment
• Highly organized, collaborative, flexible, responsive and adaptive
• Has strong oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrates cultural competence
• Strong skill set for mentoring and the ability to play an active and supportive role in our teacher training program
• Experience in literacy and mathematics instruction for varied levels of readers
• Proficiency in delivering multisensory, evidence based phonics instruction
• Demonstrates a commitment to professional growth and development
• Stays informed of current research and best practices in instruction and child development
• Has knowledge of appropriate use of technology to enhance the learning experience
• Has an understanding of and experience with Responsive Classroom practices
• Instills a growth mindset of healthy risk-taking and mistake-making in students