Music Teacher

Codman Academy Charter School • Boston, MA

5h • Onsite

About The Position

The Music Teacher is responsible for planning, organizing and implementing an appropriate instructional program in a learning environment that guides and encourages students to meet and exceed standards for the grade level/course.

Requirements

• Subject area expertise
• Cutting-edge grasp of child development and how students learn
• Alignment with state standards and assessments
• Ability to plan diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments
• Ability to anticipate students’ misconceptions and confusions
• Ability to design lessons with clear, measurable goals
• Ability to design highly relevant lessons that motivate all students
• Ability to design lessons using a mix of high-quality, multicultural learning materials and technology
• Ability to design lessons that address all learning needs, styles, and interests
• Ability to use room arrangement, materials, and displays to maximize student learning
• Ability to communicate and enforce high expectations directly, specifically, consistently, and tenaciously
• Ability to show warmth, caring, respect, and fairness for all students and build strong relationships
• Ability to win students’ respect and create a climate where disruption is unthinkable
• Ability to implement a program that develops positive interactions and social-emotional skills
• Ability to inculcate class routines
• Ability to develop students’ self-discipline, self-confidence, and sense of responsibility
• Effective discipline repertoire
• Ability to use coherence, momentum, and transitions to maximize learning
• Alertness, poise, dynamism, and self-assurance to prevent discipline problems
• Ability to implement a system of incentives linked to intrinsic rewards
• Ability to convince all students they will master the material
• Ability to inculcate a “growth” mindset
• Ability to post learning targets, essential questions, rubrics, and exemplars
• Ability to hook students’ interest and make connections to prior knowledge, experience, and reading
• Ability to present material clearly and explicitly
• Ability to orchestrate effective strategies, materials, and groupings
• Ability to engage all students in focused work
• Ability to differentiate and scaffold instruction
• Ability to adapt lessons and units to exploit teachable moments
• Ability to have all students summarize and internalize learning and apply it to real-life situations
• Ability to post and review clear criteria for proficient work
• Ability to give diagnostic assessments and use information to fine-tune instruction
• Ability to use effective methods to check for understanding
• Ability to set ambitious goals with students and self-assess
• Ability to post students’ work with rubrics and commentary
• Ability to use interim assessment data with colleagues
• Ability to follow up with struggling students
• Ability to ensure students needing specialized diagnosis receive appropriate services
• Ability to analyze chart data with colleagues
• Ability to reflect on instruction to improve it
• Sensitivity and respect for family and community culture, values, and beliefs
• Ability to show parents/guardians in-depth knowledge of their child
• Ability to give parents/guardians clear learning and behavior expectations
• Ability to communicate positive news and flag problems promptly
• Ability to involve parents/guardians in supporting the curriculum
• Ability to assign engaging assignments and provide rich feedback
• Ability to deal with parent/guardian concerns immediately
• Ability to provide detailed feedback on student progress
• Ability to contact and work with all parent/guardians
• Ability to enlist classroom volunteers and community resources
• Perfect or near-perfect attendance and punctuality
• Appropriate, succinct, and eloquent professional communication (spoken and written)
• Conscientious and punctual execution of assignments
• Meticulous record-keeping
• Professional presentation and observance of boundaries
• Ethical, honest, and forthright conduct
• Impeccable judgment
• Respect for confidentiality
• Participation in teacher teams and committees
• Attendance at after-school activities
• Contribution of valuable ideas and expertise
• Instilling in others a desire to improve student results
• Active seeking of feedback and suggestions
• Weekly collaboration with colleagues
• Active pursuit of new ideas and professional development
• Informing administration of concerns and seeking help
• Years of direct experience as per compensation scale

Responsibilities

• Planning and Preparation for Learning: Demonstrates subject area expertise and a cutting-edge grasp of child development and how students learn. Develops a well-honed game plan for the year that is tightly aligned with state standards and assessments. Plans all expeditions backwards, aligned with high standards, state assessments, and all Bloom’s levels; documents and shares all lessons with supervisor at a minimum of two (2) weeks in advance. Plans diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments to closely monitor student learning. Anticipates students’ misconceptions and confusions and develops multiple strategies to overcome them. Designs lessons with clear, measurable goals closely aligned with standards and expedition outcomes. Designs highly relevant lessons that will motivate all students and engage them in active learning. Designs lessons that use an effective mix of high-quality, multicultural learning materials and technology. Designs lessons that break down complex tasks and address all learning needs, styles, and interests. Artfully uses room arrangement, materials, and displays to maximize student learning of all material, focusing on learning targets and student work.
• Classroom Management: Is direct, specific, consistent, and tenacious in communicating and enforcing high expectations. Shows warmth, caring, respect, and fairness for all students and builds strong relationships. Wins all students’ respect and creates a climate in which disruption of learning is unthinkable. Implements a program that successfully develops positive interactions and social-emotional skills. Successfully inculcates class routines up front so that students maintain them throughout the year. Successfully develops students’ self-discipline, self-confidence, and a sense of responsibility. Has a highly effective discipline repertoire and can capture and hold students’ attention any time. Skillfully uses coherence, momentum, and transitions so that every minute of the classroom time produces learning. Is alert, poised, dynamic, and self-assured and nips virtually all discipline problems in the bud. Gets students to buy into a highly effective system of incentives linked to intrinsic rewards.
• Delivery of Instruction: Exudes high expectations and determination and convinces all students that they will master the material. Actively inculcates a “growth” mindset: take risks, learn from mistakes, through effective effort you can and will achieve at high levels. Shows students exactly what’s expected by posting learning targets, essential questions, rubrics, and exemplars. Hooks all students’ interest and makes connections into prior knowledge, experience, and reading. Always presents material clearly and explicitly, with well-chosen examples and vivid and appropriate language. Orchestrates highly effective strategies, materials, and groupings to involve and motivate all students. Engages all students in focused work in which they are active learners and problem solvers. Successfully reaches all students by skillfully differentiating and scaffolding. Deftly adapts lessons and units to exploit teachable moments and correct misunderstandings. Consistently has all students summarize and internalize what they learn and apply it to real-life situations.
• Monitoring, Assessment and Follow-Up: Posts and reviews clear criteria for proficient work, including rubrics and exemplars, and all students internalize them. Gives students a well-constructed diagnostic assessment up front, and uses the information to fine-tune instruction. Continuously uses a variety of effective methods to check for understanding; immediately unscrambles confusion and clarifies. Sets ambitious goals with students, continually self-assesses, and takes responsibility for improving performance. Frequently posts students’ work with rubrics and commentary to celebrate progress and motivate direct effort. Works with colleagues to use interim assessment data, fine-tune teaching, re-teach, and help struggling students. Relentlessly follows up with struggling students with personal attention (time and support) so they all reach proficiency. Makes sure that students who need specialized diagnosis and help receive appropriate services immediately. Works with colleagues to analyze chart data, draw action conclusions, and leverage student growth. Constantly reflects on what worked and what didn’t to continuously improve instruction.
• Family and Community Outreach: Shows great sensitivity and respect for family and community culture, values, and beliefs. Shows each parent/guardian an in-depth knowledge of their child and a strong belief they will meet or exceed standards. Gives parents/guardians clear, user-friendly learning and behavior expectations and exemplars of proficient work. Makes sure that parents/guardians hear positive news about their children first and immediately flags any problems. Frequently involves parents/guardians in supporting and enriching the curriculum for their children as it unfolds. Assigns highly-engaging assignments, gets close to 100% return, and provides rich feedback. Deals immediately and successfully with parent/guardian concerns and makes parent/guardian feel welcome at any time. In conferences, report cards, and informal talks, gives parents/guardians detailed feedback on their children’s progress. Is successful in contacting and working with all parent/guardians, including those who are hard to reach. Successfully enlists classroom volunteers and extra resources from homes and the community to enrich the curriculum.
• Professional Responsibilities: Has perfect or near-perfect attendance and punctuality. In professional contexts, speaks and writes appropriately, succinctly, and eloquently. Carries out assignments conscientiously and punctually, keeps meticulous records, and is never late. Presents as a consummate professional and always observes appropriate boundaries. Is invariably ethical, honest, and forthright, uses impeccable judgment, and respects confidentiality. Is an important member of teacher teams and committees and frequently attends after-school activities. Frequently contributes valuable ideas and expertise and instills in others a desire to improve students results. Actively seeks out feedback and suggestions and uses them to improve performance. Meets at least weekly with colleagues to plan units, share ideas, and analyze interim assessments. Actively reaches out for new ideas and engages in professional development with colleagues to figure out what works best. Informs the administration of any concerns and reaches out for help and suggestions when needed.
• Stewardship: Uphold the ideal of being crew, not passengers, by supporting each other in reaching shared goals. Act as a teacher and role model, modeling and implementing EL Education design principles and core practices. Advance the educational mission of the school by participating in duties and responsibilities consistent with building, upholding and promoting a strong Codman community. Actively value and solicit feedback to improve performance. Share responsibility for management and supervision of additional daily duties, including but not limited to breakfast, lunch, recess, crew, club, work block, and office hours. Ensure schedules include a 30-minute lunch break per day and 4 hours of prep time per week (Monday through Thursday).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed