Acting Teacher

Nexus Family Healing•Manteno, IL

4h•Onsite

About The Position

Nexus Family Healing is hiring an Acting Teacher for Safe Harbor School at their Manteno, IL location. The role offers small class sizes, full-time Teaching Assistants in every classroom, and support from Behavior and Residential Staff throughout the school day. Nexus Family Healing is a national nonprofit network of mental health agencies with over 45 years of restoring hope for thousands of children and families through outpatient/community mental health services, foster care and adoption, and residential treatment. Safe Harbor School (SHS) is a private school serving youth receiving treatment at Nexus-Indian Oak in Manteno, IL, for grades 6-12. Students participate in a curriculum tailored to their unique needs and current grade level. The school provides a special education curriculum accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement and approved by the Illinois State Board of Education. Credits transfer to any school upon the client's discharge. At Nexus Family Healing, diversity, equity, and inclusion are embraced, serving a diverse group of youth and families and striving for a diverse workforce. The position involves providing educational instruction through a variety of accepted teaching techniques while employing behavior management strategies to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of assigned individual students’ IEPs on an as needed basis to complement the needs of the full-time teaching staff. The Acting Teacher will also provide direct instructional supervision to any teaching aide or assistants as assigned.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree
Current educator certification or eligible for a conditional certification
Valid driver’s license required. Must meet state regulating agency and Home Office driving requirements
Must successfully pass an IL DCFS criminal background check.
Successfully participate and complete a three-part Therapeutic Crisis Intervention exam and training
Must have the ability to build strong relationships with diverse individuals or communities and understand their unique needs and challenges.
Must be open to meeting the cultural needs of individuals or communities, considering factors such as language, traditions, and values.

Nice To Haves

2+ years teaching experience.
Bachelor’s degree in an educational discipline preferred.

Responsibilities

Fill in scheduling gaps of the full-time teaching staff on as needed basis, with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice, to cover for sick leave, PTO, and other unexpected shift openings.
Accommodates vacation and leave needs of the full-time teaching staff.
Collaborates with school team to assess educational needs and the progress of assigned students.
Provides instruction to assigned students in classes of expertise as assigned; prepares lesson plans suitable to the environment, age group and class mix on the assigned subject area(s).
Assists students individually where necessary; provides one on one support to help with assignments, goals, assessments and progress toward academic goals.
Clearly and articulately conveys lesson plans and instructions to students; communicates effectively with other team staff and demonstrates exceptional written and oral communication skills.
Continually for new approaches to instruction, class content and new ways to respond to student needs.
Provides crisis intervention within the classroom setting and apply TCI or approved de-escalation techniques appropriate to the situation at hand; asks for assistance when warranted through appropriate procedures while ensuring the clinical and treatment staff are apprised of inappropriate student behaviors.
Demonstrates problem resolution skills and the ability to handle emergency or crisis situations and uses sound judgment by taking appropriate actions consistent with Nexus policy and procedures.
Fosters a classroom climate that is positive and supportive for both learning and treatment.
Establishes and maintains appropriate relationships with students and emphasizes student responsibility in the educational program.
Recognizes student achievement and provides appropriate feedback and reinforcement while redirecting student misbehavior as needed.
Communicate students’ academic and behavioral successes and opportunities/challenges through written and verbal communication to both fellow educational staff and treatment team staff.
Incorporates cultural diversity into all aspects of educational programming and instruction; attend trainings and other educational opportunities to become better informed and respectful of other cultures and backgrounds.
Ensures the confidentiality of students and maintains compliance with all licensing agencies, company policy, COA and HIPAA guidelines.
Develops and assists in developing student Individual Educational Plans (IEPs), student testing ability and the coordination of meetings, with other IEP team members, as needed.
Attends staff and faculty meetings, IEP staffing briefings and participates in additional meetings and training sessions as required; understands and supports the Nexus treatment philosophy and modalities.
Remains adaptable and flexible as Teachers may be assigned a classroom on a long-term basis or transition from classroom to classroom, depending on the needs of the school; adjusts in meeting changing work needs and demands and willingly provides direction and/or assistance when needed.
Remains current on all company policies, assigned trainings and/or certification requirements; exhibits a high degree of ethical conduct, discretion and confidentiality while exemplifying professional behavior.
Continually seeks knowledge of and exhibits an understanding and acceptance of differences in gender, race, age, culture, ethnicity, class, religion and disability to better appreciate staff, children, and families.
Supports the mission of Nexus (“Strengthening Lives, Families, and Communities Through Our Cornerstone Values”) by exemplifying the Cornerstone Values and the Nexus Guiding Principles in all interactions with internal and external customers, and in all work performed on behalf of the organization.