High School Living Environment Science Teacher (26 - 27 SY)

Challenge Preparatory Charter School•Queens, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Challenge Preparatory Charter School (Challenge Prep) is seeking a Living Environments Teacher for the 26-27 school year. Since 2010, Challenge Prep has served over 1200 students from Kindergarten to 12th grade in Far Rockaway, Queens. The school's mission is to prepare students for academic excellence, mastery of NY State Learning Standards, and career aspirations. Challenge fosters intellectual, aesthetic, social, emotional, and ethical development, preparing students to be responsible 21st-century citizens. The school offers a rigorous instructional program, a supportive environment, technology integration, data-driven instruction, social-emotional learning, field experiences, career counseling, and college coursework. Collaboration across all sites is expected to support all scholars. The Living Environments Teacher reports to the Principal and is responsible for delivering instruction that builds understanding of life science concepts, including preparing and implementing lesson plans, teaching core content areas like organism structure and function, ecosystems, and the flow of matter and energy. The role involves creating meaningful learning experiences for all students, teaching effectively across related science topics, and using engaging, student-centered strategies. The teacher will guide students in investigations and the application of scientific methods to understand organism interactions, environmental influences, and the movement of matter and energy through living systems.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required
NYS Certification in the appropriate content area
Highly motivated to teach students from underserved areas and devoted to closing the achievement gap
The ability to create a classroom setting where students of every academic level experience enjoyment, engagement, and enthusiasm in their learning
Strong teamwork ethic
Ability to use data to drive instruction
The ability to create a classroom environment where students feel safe, supported, and challenged
Passion and commitment to teaching scholars in underserved areas and to closing the achievement gap
Relentless drive to set and achieve ambitious goals
Strong collaboration and teamwork skills
Growth mindset and the ability to use feedback to improve practice

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred
Dually licensed preferred; content area and ESL or Special Education
2 years of teaching experience in an urban school setting preferred
Experience teaching in underserved areas is a plus

Responsibilities

Providing instruction about Living Environments, including ecosystems, life processes, organism interactions, and environmental influences on living things, as well as other related science topics connected to the Living Environments curriculum.
Performing research as a Living Environments teacher may be required.
Developing daily lessons aligned with the CPCS curriculum in collaboration with leadership team members.
Instructing students on the structure, function, and processes of living organisms, and how matter and energy move through living systems.
Teaching students how to examine how living organisms interact with one another and with their environments, using safe, inquiry-based investigations.
Teaching high school level science and lab classes using lectures, technology, and hands-on learning experiences.
Designing, testing, and supervising weekly laboratory experiments relevant to the current lessons being taught in class.
Ensuring students understand and follow all safety rules for laboratory experiments and are aware of the proper actions to take during accidents and emergencies.
Assigning and evaluating all coursework, submitting grades, and maintaining contact with parents regarding student performance.
Working to ensure all students are well prepared for state exams and meet school and state goals for student competency.
Maintaining strict records of student attendance, participation, homework, lab work, and test results.
Planning and supervising at least one field trip per school year, obtaining parental permission for all students involved and ensuring student safety when outside the school.
Attending parent-teacher conferences each semester and having detailed evaluations ready to share for all students.
Preparing demonstrations; assisting and supervising students while conducting experiments.
Evaluating student performance on tasks established by the standards using different methods such as observation, performance-based tasks, or other standard test practices.
Establishing classroom and lab rules and regulations.
Upholding high academic and behavioral expectations for students.
Participating actively in coaching and professional development programming.
Assisting with school programming as needed during non-instructional time.