Middle School Social Studies Teacher (6-8)

VOICE Charter School • Long Island, NY

1d • Onsite

About The Position

VOICE Charter School is an elementary and middle school located in Long Island City, Queens, serving approximately 650 students in grades K-8. The school is seeking dedicated educators and administrators committed to urban education to join a dynamic professional learning community. VOICE's mission is to foster a safe and healthy learning environment that nurtures, motivates, and challenges all students to achieve academic excellence and become mindful, responsible contributors to their education, community, and society. VOICE emphasizes the belief that all students are capable of success, viewing intelligence as something that is developed rather than innate. The school supports teacher development by providing over two hours of daily planning time and additional days for collaboration. VOICE also promotes participation in music and the arts, integrating them into the curriculum to develop problem-solving, critical thinking, and imagination skills. All staff are expected to love and nurture students, take personal responsibility for student achievement, encourage curiosity, uphold high standards, support colleagues, seek feedback, and help students choose their future paths.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university required.
• New York State teaching certification required. VOICE will consider only candidates that are either (a) already fully certified at time of application, or (b) on track to become fully certified by the first day of employment.
• Significant experience working with and/or teaching children in middle school grades required.
• Unwavering humility, patience, and kindness.
• Professional demeanor with the ability to influence and facilitate decision-making among multiple, diverse parties.
• Perseverance to create clarity while allowing for complexity and nuance.
• Openness to work collaboratively to solve problems.
• High sense of urgency, demonstrated ability to successfully handle multiple projects concurrently in a fast-paced environment, and ability to be self-directed and take initiative.
• Organized and systems driven.
• Fastidious and attentive to detail.
• Deep belief in VOICE’s mission, vision, and values.
• Basic principles of curriculum design.
• Child learning theory and behavioral approaches.
• Differentiation strategies (conferencing; small group work); basic understanding of English as a Second Language and Special Education approaches and procedures.
• Elements of effective classroom environment and management.
• Expertise in the study and techniques of social sciences including history and political science; background knowledge in U.S. History and World History.
• Analyzing data using defined but different processes in order to inform student progress.
• Ability to adapt to changing work priorities.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality; exhibit tact and patience.
• Building strong and effective collegial relationships as part of a team, including but not limited to co-teachers and grade teams; be able to effectively manage an assistant.
• Building individual relationships with students and maintaining a kind, firm voice and body language.
• Building effective sequential long-term lesson plans and mastery-oriented short term lesson plans.
• Maintaining high academic expectations through purposeful building of thinking skills, standards-aligned independent practice, questioning and discussion techniques, high standards for language and evidence, and structured support for students.
• Communicating effectively and frequently with families.
• Reflecting on own practice and implementing action steps; embodying VOICE values in everyday interactions and work products.
• Using time efficiently; prioritizing tasks appropriately; meeting deadlines.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with and interest in working with high needs students preferred.
• New York State teaching certification in Middle Childhood Education: Generalist or Social Studies preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provides students in grades 6-8 with a safe and healthy learning environment that will nurture, motivate and challenge all children to achieve the highest level of academic excellence and to develop into mindful, responsible, contributing participants in their education and communities.
• Develops purposeful, rigorous, and engaging daily and long-term plans aligned to standards, and regularly revisits these materials.
• Creates, administers, and analyzes meaningful and frequent assessments from which reteaches are planned.
• Maintains the necessary records of student progress toward academic goals; meets deadlines for submitting data to other departments.
• Consults with departmental colleagues on curriculum support materials and planning to support intellectual preparation and classroom instruction.
• Maintains a productive, safe, and disciplined learning environment in which classroom values, teaching points, process charts, and student work are clearly displayed.
• Maximizes instruction time by keeping the flow of classroom activities moving smoothly and efficiently throughout the day.
• Upholds all school policies and middle school specific policies within the classroom.
• Infuses VOICE values, rigor, and joy into lessons.
• Integrates feedback and goal-setting into lesson delivery.
• Provides the differentiation and accommodations needed for the growth and success of all students.
• Models strong written and verbal skills.
• Invests time in knowing students and demonstrates an active interest in their well-being.
• Reviews and complies with guidelines of students’ IEPs, follows IDEA reporting requirements, and provides information about student performance and services received.
• Fully embraces VOICE’s mission and values and promotes them to students, parents, and colleagues.
• Collaborates as part of an interdisciplinary team, across grade bands, and across departments, coordinating all instructional activities with teachers, assistants, and instructional leaders.
• Collaborates with colleagues to develop systems for student accountability and academic ownership.
• Serves as Advisory Leader for students in grade 7-8.
• Proactively seeks assistance or advice when faced with challenging teaching situations.
• Maintains positive relationships with and supports the learning of all staff members.
• Appropriately gives and receives feedback to/from students, parents, faculty, staff, and administration.
• Keeps families well-informed of student performance and progress.
• Provides feedback and guidance to classroom assistants.
• Fully participates in all school and grade-level meetings, designated school functions outside of school hours, and opportunities for individual and school-wide professional development.
• Meets expectations including punctuality and professionalism in conversation and in writing; consistently meets deadlines and communicates frequently and appropriately on progress on projects and goals.
• Reflects on professional practice through self-analysis and engagement in informal and formal feedback processes.

Benefits

• Participation in a pre-tax commuter benefits program and partial reimbursement for monthly commuting expenses.
• Gym reimbursement.
• Cultural enrichment reimbursements.
• Participation in the Teachers Retirement System pension program.
• Frequent access to baked goods.
• Many opportunities to get to know your VOICE colleagues!

What This Job Offers

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