Teacher of the Deaf

Clarke School For The Deaf•Canton, MA

About The Position

The Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (TOD) is responsible to the Director, Boston. This is a contracted 200 day position and the hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Qualifications necessary for this position include an educational background and experience in early childhood education; training and expertise in listening and spoken language development and education of hearing-impaired children, speech and language pathology and/or experience in parent counseling is preferred but not necessary. Teachers should hold current Massachusetts Department of Education Certification in at least one of the following areas: 1. Early Childhood 2. Elementary 3. Special Needs 4. Speech/Hearing/Language Disorders, or 5. Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing – Oral/Aural The Preschool and Kindergarten classes may have as many as 9 children with hearing-impairments and operates from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Classroom Teacher will be responsible for classroom activities. During the afternoon hours, this position may include an extended day program, early intervention services, individual audition, speech, language sessions, mainstream services in public school settings and/or activities that support the educational programs.

Requirements

Teachers should hold current Massachusetts Department of Education Certification in at least one of the following areas:
Early Childhood
Elementary
Special Needs
Speech/Hearing/Language Disorders, or
Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing – Oral/Aural

Nice To Haves

speech and language pathology and/or experience in parent counseling is preferred but not necessary.

Responsibilities

To create an environment which fosters independence, confidence, creativity, respect for materials and the people in the environment and is conducive to enjoyment in learning.
To facilitate children’s interaction with a curriculum which is child-centered, based on basic principles of child development, and will provide children with problem-solving skills and a foundation for acquiring knowledge which is more content-related in the elementary years.
To provide a comfortable, supportive environment for parents in which they are respected, encouraged to observe their children, and supported in their efforts to parent their hearing-impaired children.
To observe children in the classroom and record information related to all aspects of the child’s developmental profile to be used later in quarterly reports.
To maximize opportunities for auditory and language learning in the classroom.
To facilitate children’s communication in the classroom and ensure carryover of activities between the classroom and individualized sessions.
The role of the classroom teacher is primarily one of facilitator, diagnostician and observer.
To engage individual and small groups of preschool and kindergarten students, on a daily basis, in activities which contribute to the development of auditory and spoken language skills.
To provide diagnostic information about auditory and spoken language skills of hearing-impaired preschool and kindergarten students using formal tests, diagnostic teaching and observation.
To provide a comfortable, supportive environment for parents in which they are respected, encouraged to observe their children in the individualized sessions and in the classroom, and supported in their efforts to communicate with their hearing-impaired children.
To educate parents and provide them with follow-up activities which will enhance the development of their child’s communication skills.
Will participate in regular staff meetings and curriculum planning meetings with members of their team.
Will attend TEAM meetings for the hearing-impaired children, schedule permitting.
Will attend Staff meetings at Clarke School Boston, and when possible, attend staff meetings at Clarke’s main campus in Northampton, or view the videotaped meetings, commensurate with the percentage of FTE as schedule permits.
Classroom lesson plans will be kept to ensure that information is available to professionals working in the classroom and to provide a record of activity in the classroom. Lesson plans and data from individual sessions also will be kept on a daily basis.
Contribution to the hearing-impaired children’s Individualized Educational Plans will be in the form of supplying goals and objectives in the areas of cognitive, motor, and social-emotional development.
Quarterly reports will be written for the hearing-impaired children, and submitted on a timely basis on dates provided at the beginning of the school year (in December, March, and May).
Regular entries in a communication notebook will be one way of informing parents about classroom activities, audition, speech and language work which takes place with their children.