ESL Teacher - Elementary K-5 (SY26-27)

Watertown Public Schools•Watertown, MA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Watertown Public Schools is seeking an exceptional ESL Teacher to join our community of teachers, learners, and leaders. The ideal candidate will be passionate about language instruction, with the ability to help students develop strong communication skills, critical thinking, and academic growth while supporting their emotional and social development. The ESL Teacher will identify Multilingual Learners (MLs), administer relevant assessments such as the WIDA ACCESS, WIDA screener, and/or WIDA MODEL, and teach English Language Development (ELD) classes. Collaboration with content teachers and school staff is essential, with opportunities for co-teaching in subjects such as math, social studies, and science.

Requirements

Hold a Bachelor’s degree.
Hold a valid Massachusetts Educator License as a 5-12 ESL teacher AND SEI endorsement.
Meet all state and federal guidelines in order to be fully licensed and Highly Qualified.
Ability to meet the Standards of Effective Teaching established by the Massachusetts Model System for Educators.
Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment.

Nice To Haves

Prepared to teach ESL and either majored in ESL or have completed a significant amount of ESL coursework in order to ensure their ELD services are effective in meeting the needs of the MLs.
Engaging and provide rigorous grade-level instruction for language development and access to grade-level content.
Master’s Degree in related field preferred.
Bilingual in Portuguese or Spanish.
Arabic, Turkish, Pashto, and Russian are also sought after.
Core content teachers to be certified in their subject area and one or both of the following: Moderate Disabilities, English as a Second Language (at the appropriate grade level(s).

Responsibilities

Plan and teach a self-contained English Language Development (ELD) class as well as co-teaching with content teachers.
Work collaboratively with members of the department and the school to support student learning and growth.
Demonstrates mastery of related subject matter, instructional skills, and resource materials for the course(s) taught.
Utilizes lesson plans and units of instruction, aligned with current state and district standards, which drives instruction through formative assessment and differentiation.
Maintains a safe, organized classroom, which supports students’ independent learning, collaboration, and choice.
Utilizes a variety of effective instructional and management techniques.
Provides a variety of assessments and uses assessments for planning and instruction.
Provides consistent, immediate feedback to student learning and asks analytical questions that elicit students’ responses that incorporate prior knowledge, life experience, and interests that are directly related to the content objective.
Monitors and maintains a positive classroom environment that supports the school-wide behavior expectation in which most students are engaged, incorporates mutual respect, and provides cooperative learning opportunities.
Uses available technology/instructional media to enhance the students’ learning experiences.
Establishes and maintains appropriate relationships with students, parents, staff, and community members by communicating in a tactful, courteous, and confidential manner.
Appropriately communicates and interacts with other professional staff in academic planning and school committee work.
Attends and participates in staff meetings and school-related activities and committees.
Demonstrates a commitment to continuous professional growth and works with the administrator to formulate and complete professional growth plans.