First Grade Lead Teacher

Thrive Education Partners • Miami, FL

8h • $50,000 - $69,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Thrive Education Partners is partnering with a growing independent school in Miami that believes exceptional education develops the whole child—not just academic achievement. Every aspect of the student experience is intentionally designed to foster intellectual curiosity, emotional intelligence, physical well-being, creativity, and personal responsibility. As a First Grade Lead Teacher, you'll play a pivotal role during one of the most formative years of a child's education. You'll join a highly collaborative faculty that values exceptional teaching, meaningful relationships, high expectations, creativity, and continuous growth while helping students become confident, capable, and increasingly independent learners. This is an especially exciting opportunity for an educator who loves the craft of teaching but also wants to help build something—someone who brings ideas to the table, embraces feedback, solves problems collaboratively, and is energized by being part of an innovative and evolving school community. The school's educational philosophy begins with a simple belief: children learn best when their academic, emotional, and physical development are intentionally supported together. Students experience a challenging academic program enriched by social-emotional learning, entrepreneurship, project-based learning, wellness practices, and meaningful real-world experiences. The school places a strong emphasis on helping children develop not only academic skills, but also self-awareness, emotional regulation, resilience, creativity, initiative, and independence. Families are viewed as trusted partners in their children's education, and teachers are expected to build thoughtful, proactive relationships with parents. The culture is both high-expectation and highly supportive. The school's strongest teachers describe the environment as collaborative and creative: educators are given meaningful autonomy, encouraged to bring ideas to the table, and supported closely by school leadership and instructional specialists.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Education or a related field
• Elementary classroom teaching experience, ideally within the primary grades
• Strong understanding of elementary instruction and child development
• Demonstrated ability to differentiate instruction and create engaging learning experiences
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to build strong, positive relationships with students, families, and colleagues
• Ability to successfully complete all required employment screenings and background checks

Nice To Haves

• Experience or training in Conscious Discipline, or a similar relationship-based approach to social-emotional learning and classroom management
• Experience with project-based or interdisciplinary learning
• Experience incorporating entrepreneurship or authentic real-world learning into instruction
• Independent or private school experience
• Experience contributing to innovative curriculum design
• Familiarity with NWEA MAP or other growth-based assessment systems
• Training in structured literacy or evidence-based early literacy practices

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver engaging, developmentally appropriate first-grade instruction that balances academic rigor with creativity, inquiry, and hands-on learning.
• Create a student-led classroom that is organized, bright, positive, and calm—but active, with students meaningfully engaged in their learning.
• Differentiate instruction to meet individual learning needs while maintaining high expectations for every student.
• Help students develop independence, confidence, curiosity, emotional regulation, and strong learning habits alongside academic skills.
• Work within an established core curriculum while using your professional judgment, creativity, and imagination to bring learning experiences to life.
• Design meaningful learning experiences through project-based learning, entrepreneurship, cross-curricular connections, and authentic real-world applications.
• Consistently integrate longer-term projects into classroom learning rather than treating project-based learning as an occasional special activity.
• Monitor student progress through formal and informal assessment, including formative classroom assessments, curriculum-based assessments, and NWEA MAP assessments administered three times per year.
• Use assessment data and classroom observations to continually adjust instruction and support student growth.
• Build strong partnerships with families through proactive, thoughtful, and consistent communication.
• Collaborate closely with colleagues, school leadership, and instructional specialists around curriculum, student needs, and schoolwide priorities.
• Participate actively in coaching, professional development, faculty meetings, and reflective conversations about teaching practice.
• Contribute to the broader school community with a mindset of shared ownership—identifying challenges, proposing solutions, supporting colleagues, and helping make the school stronger.

Benefits

• Relocation assistance may be available for an exceptional candidate.
• Significant investment in professional learning and teacher development
• Regular coaching and individualized support from school leadership
• Access to instructional and student-support specialists
• Meaningful autonomy within an established curricular framework
• The opportunity to innovate, create, and contribute to a growing independent school

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level