Teacher High School English Language Arts (ELA) Teacher
Job Description
English Language Arts Teacher
● Are you a passionate, and talented teacher?
● Do you love working in urban schools?
● Are you looking for a high school culture that strikes the perfect balance of structure and freedom, where academic rigor drives all other aspects of school life, and where positive reinforcement for hard work and effort is the norm?
● Do you constantly strive to improve your craft through coaching, incorporation of data, and whatever other resources you can find?
● Do you thrive in the company of equally committed, driven, and gifted teachers?
MESA Charter High School might be the right place for you!
Math, Engineering, and Science Academy (MESA) Charter High School is a new high school in Bushwick, Brooklyn. On August 19, 2013, we opened our doors, and we now have 470 students in grades 9-12. Our students come from more than fifty different middle schools, including public, parochial, and charter schools. Some are advanced students coming from magnet schools; others are beginning English Language Learners. What they all have in common is a desire to succeed. MESA students come to school every day, ready to work—we have a 95% attendance rate and a 97% punctuality rate, both significantly higher than other high schools in our district! When it comes to regents pass rates, MESA outperforms our peers by a rate of 30-40%!
Some key aspects of MESA’s design are:
● Smart teaching—MESA uses a Standards-Based Grading system, which makes data understandable and accessible. This enables teachers to create targeted, focused instruction, and helps students understand and track their own progress. MESA teachers love data (or at least aren’t afraid of it!).
● Smart support—MESA teachers have a minimum of rote administrative duties in order to better focus on planning, instruction, and assessment. Teachers receive ongoing coaching and feedback. MESA is committed to collaboratively developing and growing its teachers. Dedicated time for professional development and collaborative planning is built into the calendar.
● Smart scheduling—MESA’s school day starts and ends later than most DOE schools, as research indicates that a late start helps high-school students succeed.
● Smart culture—MESA provides students with a separate effort grade each week, which will lead to rewards for students. MESA also emphasizes positive reinforcement for student effort and performance. All MESA teachers lead an Advisory, and serve as Advisor to 10-13 students.
● Smart relationships—MESA believes that all parents want their children to succeed, and enlists them as partners through phone calls, workshops, and frequent contact. More than 85% of MESA parents attended parent-teacher conferences, a number generally unheard of in unscreened urban high schools
● Smart calendar—MESA’s calendar has 187 days of instruction, as well as dedicated PD and grading days. MESA’s calendar and earlier start allow for “Intersession,” during which students receive enrichment, skill remediation, or Regents preparation.
Specific Responsibilities
● Design and teach five periods of English Language Arts each day (two periods daily of prep time). Utilize Universal Design for Learning method of planning and instruction to reach all learners.
● Build relationships with all students. MESA teachers believe that rapport is key to student engagement and motivation.
● Attend, participate in, and facilitate team meetings and professional development opportunities, as well as common planning times. MESA believes that good professional development is interactive, practical, and teacher-driven.
● Communicate regularly with parents about both positive and negative interactions with students, making a minimum of two positive contacts (phone, email, or text message) with parents per week.
● Hold office hours before or after school, twice per week, to provide extra help and opportunities for reassesment.
● Teach one week of Intersession enrichment program based on teacher interest (additional stipend provided).
● Maintain duties as Advisor.
● Other duties, as assigned by the Principal.
Qualifications: (1) Minimum Bachelor’s degree in subject area to be taught, Master’s Degree preferred; (2) Minimum of three years teaching experience in an urban public high school or charter school setting, or similar background; (3) Proven track-record of high achievement in the classroom and commitment to accountability; (4) Belief in and alignment with MESA’s core beliefs and educational philosophy; (5) Valid New York State Certification strongly preferred; (6) Spanish-speaker a plus.
Salary: Highly competitive, commensurate with experience.
