Teacher Elementary Science Teacher
Job Description
Elementary Science Teacher
VOICE Charter School (http://www.voicecharterschool.org/) is an elementary and middle school located in Long Island City, Queens that serves about 650 students across grades K-8. We are located just minutes from Manhattan (two stops outside of Manhattan on the F, N, and W train lines) and Long Island City’s growing waterfront district, thriving arts community, and rapid residential growth. We are looking to identify extraordinary educators and administrators committed to urban education who wish to join a dynamic professional learning community.
Our mission is to create a safe and healthy learning environment that will nurture, motivate and challenge all of our children to achieve the highest level of academic excellence and to develop into mindful, responsible, contributing participants in their education, their community and the diverse society in which we live.
What makes VOICE different?
At VOICE, it’s not just about the music. It’s about the people. It’s about what you can be. It’s about using your passion. It’s about relationships. It’s about having the opportunity to choose. It’s about caring enough. It’s about each individual child and adult.
We believe in efficacy. At the core of our academic culture is the idea that all students are capable of doing well in any discipline. At VOICE, all students will learn – being smart is not something that you are, it is something you become. At VOICE, you will be pushed to become more.
We support and develop the effectiveness of our teachers. We believe that teachers need time to collaborate to build their practice, so we provide our team with over two hours of planning time a day as well as additional days for collaborative thought partnership and planning during the school year.
We promote participation in music and the arts. As music and art help develop problem solving and critical thinking skills and open children’s imaginations, all VOICE students participate in and learn from daily activities in the arts including rigorous choral training. We design our arts-integrated curriculum to bring joy and wonder to the lives of our children, providing them with the skills necessary to forge their own path.
All Staff at VOICE:
- Love and nurture all of our students as they become deeply caring and responsible individuals;
- Take personal responsibility and work collaboratively to ensure that all students achieve and grow, understanding that the performance and progress of our students is directly under our control;
- Ask questions and empower students to exercise curiosity and wonder about the world around them;
- Hold themselves to the highest standards;
- Push and support themselves, their students, and their colleagues;
- Proactively seek and incorporate feedback;
- Help each individual child gain the opportunity to choose what his or her future will be.
Position Responsibilities:
Curriculum and Planning
- In collaboration with colleagues, develop daily and long-term curriculum plans that are purposeful, rigorous, engaging, and aligned to standards; update plans as appropriate to meet students’ needs
- Create documents to support daily and long-term curriculum plans, including but not limited to scope and sequence, curriculum maps, lesson plans, reteach plans, intellectual preparation documents
- Utilize student IEPs to inform instructional assessments that provide meaningful measurements of students’ growth toward the goals
- Maintain records of student progress toward academic goals; meet deadlines for submitting student records to other departments
- Keep families well-informed of student performance and progress through appropriate and professional communication methods
In the Classroom
- Maintain a productive, safe, and disciplined learning environment
- Uphold all school policies within the classroom
- Integrate feedback and goal-setting into lesson delivery
- Provide the differentiation and accommodations needed for the growth and success of all students
- Model strong written and verbal communication skills
- Invest time in knowing students and demonstrate an active interest in their well-being; use kind, firm body language to convey authority and care
- Review and comply with guidelines of students’ IEPs, follow IDEA reporting requirements, and provide information about student performance and services received
- Collaborate with and provide feedback to classroom assistants in order to maintain a productive, safe and nurturing classroom for students
- As needed: May supervise out-of-classroom settings including but not limited to field trips, arrival/dismissal, transitions, lunch, and others.
Content-Specific
- Develop and coordinate learning opportunities outside of the classroom, including but not limited to the science electives and field trips (virtual and/or in person) to science museums/institutions
- Anticipate and identify equipment or other material needs, work with support staff to procure items, and may transport materials/supplies to/from classrooms
Staff-Wide Professional Expectations
- Embrace and be an ambassador of VOICE’s mission, vision and values
- Collaborate communicate and maintain effective and professional relationships as member of an interdisciplinary team of educators, support staff, and administrators
- Participate in required meetings and events, which may include student events, school concerts, parent-teacher conferences, on- and off-site conferences and trainings, and others.
- Meet expectations related to punctuality and professionalism including but not limited to reporting to work on time, following the appropriate call-out and lateness procedures, timely responding to emails, consistently meeting deadlines and communicating appropriately on progress on projects and goals.
- Proactively and appropriately seek assistance and/or guidance when faced with challenges appropriately provide and receive feedback to/from students, parents, faculty, classroom assistants, support +staff, and administration
- Reflect on professional practice through self-reflection and engagement in informal and formal feedback processes
Position Qualifications:
Educational Background and Work Experience
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- New York State teaching certification
- Teaching or student teaching experience in a school
- Preferred: Experience with and interest in working with high needs students
- Content Specific
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- VOICE’s mission, vision, values and culture
- Effective skills in self-management including but not limited to meeting deadlines, effective prioritization of tasks, self-organization, managing up, and efficient time and task management
- Ability to gather and analyze data using defined and differentiated processes
- Tact and sensitivity, including but not limited to adhering to confidentiality obligations such as mandated reporting as part of child protection
- Ability to build strong and effective collegial relationships as part of an interdisciplinary team of educators and administrators
- Ability to build warm individual relationships with students
- Ability to communicate and build relationships effectively and appropriately with diverse range of individuals, including but not limited to current and prospective children and families, colleagues, and external partners
- Teaching and classroom
o VOICE Teaching Framework
o Common Core and other content area standards
o Curriculum design principles
o Child learning theory and behavioral approaches, teacher techniques
o Differentiation strategies (conferencing; small group work); basic understanding of English as a Second Language and SpEd approaches and procedures
o Elements of effective classroom environment and management
- Building effective sequential long-term plans and mastery-oriented short term plans
- Maintaining high academic expectations through purposeful building of thinking skills, standards-aligned independent practice, questioning and discussion techniques, high standards for language and evidence, and structured support for students
Behavioral Characteristics
- Wonder, care, and efficacy
- Commitment, authenticity, and passion
- Critical thinking, including communication, analytical and strategic strengths
- Constant learning, including resilience and perseverance
- Strong sense of personal responsibility, including discipline, self-accountability, and self-initiative
- Sensitivity to environment, including humility, empathy and kindness
[Please note: All offers of employment are contingent upon the employee meeting all prerequisite job qualifications by the first day of employment.]
Compensation and Benefits: Compensation is competitive and based on experience. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including participation in a pre-tax commuter benefits program and partial reimbursement for monthly commuting expenses, gym reimbursement, cultural enrichment reimbursements, participation in the Teachers Retirement System pension program and many opportunities to get to know your VOICE colleagues!
