Middle School English Language Arts Teacher- The Academy for Global Citizenship

Middle School English Language Arts Teacher

The Academy for Global Citizenship is seeking an educator to teach the Language and Literacy class in our International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. This position is focused on teaching sixth and eighth graders. Teachers are responsible for helping our children learn, classroom management, participating in professional development, assisting in the development of and improvements to curriculum, and communicating to staff and parents regarding student performance. This position is ideal for a passionate, creative middle school educator seeking a collaborative and open environment for whole-student learning. Our educators are defining and disseminating best practices daily within a unique public school setting. Those with Dual Language and International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities include:

– Teaching: Uses various modes of learning to accommodate different learning styles: inquiry, real-life experiences, current events, technology, the arts and other engagement opportunities.
– Content: Teaches middle school students assigned content area according to IB Middle Years Program principles and student data. Also responsible for elective and advisory periods. Elective content is based on educator and student preference.
– Collaboration: Meets weekly with the middle school team. Collaborates with special education teachers and other grade level teachers to differentiate instruction.
– Technology Integration: Incorporates technology across all disciplines as much as possible, where appropriate.
– Professional Development: Participates in coaching cycle, stays abreast of latest techniques and demonstrates an eagerness to learn new skills and share experiences with others.
– Curriculum Development: Works with coaches and grade level team to align curriculum with Common Core Learning Standards, the IB MYP, and AGC’s unique mission.
– Performance Assessment: Sets high and measurable goals for student achievement and evaluates student progress using both summative and formative assessment data.
– Community: Encourages the use of community resources, cooperates with families in welcoming them to our community and maintains solid communication with all community members.
– Advisory Teacher: Leads a small group of students through social emotional learning every morning in 40 minute blocks. Acts as the primary point person/contact for the student and family during the year. Co-plans advisory activities with the middle school team. Co-leads (with student) parent conferences
We are looking for staff who:

Have a big heart to match a big brain
– Are bilingual in English and Spanish (ideal)
– Want their work to define best practice
– Respect and thrive in a dynamic, changing, and growing environment
– Know extraordinary things can happen when people work hard together
– Want to participate in a laboratory for innovation in education
– Working at AGC means:

Being surrounded by thoughtful, inquisitive students and hard-working, like-minded colleagues
– Thinking outside of the box to do what is best for our students
– Being held to high standards for continuous personal and school improvement, and being given the time and support to do so – AGC teachers receive twice as many professional development hours as their peers, and coaching from an Instructional Leadership Team with a combined experience of 13 advanced degrees and 78 years in 26 schools
– Promoting student profile qualities of the International Baccalaureate Program: inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk takers, knowledgeable, principled, caring, open-minded, well-balanced, and reflective.
– Gaining experience with interdisciplinary International Baccalaureate Units of Inquiry, balanced literacy, arts integration, and constructivist Mathematics approach
– Having high academic expectations for every student in the school everyday
– Getting your hands dirty in our school garden
– Enjoying 100% organic, scratch made meals prepared by our on-site chef
– Working in an environmentally sustainable school culture

Preferred Skills and Experience:
– 3+ years (ideal) experience as an educator
– Familiarity with IB (MYP) (ideal)
– Familiarity with inquiry-based teaching
– Believer in culturally relevant teaching
– Strong leadership, communication skills and personal drive
– Ability to maintain a safe, orderly environment, in accordance with restorative justice practices
– Experience with MTSS process and accommodating students diverse learners in the classroom
– Bilingual in Spanish and English (ideal)

Education Requirements:
– Bachelor Degree in Education
– Middle School Endorsement
– English Language Arts Endorsement
– State of Illinois Teaching Certificate in relevant area
– Certification in Bilingual Education, ESL Endorsement or extensive experience in ELL instruction (ideal)