Class Teacher / Grades 1 - 5

*Faculty Chair and Pedagogical Director positions and the class teacher’s role with these positions will be clarified.
**Constellation follows the District’s Calendar. There are 2 weeks onboarding prior to the start of school, as well as important summer Professional Development in July.

JOB SUMMARY
Constellation Charter School is an initiative member of the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education (APWE). This is a grades-classroom instructional position in an innovative charter school. In this role the class teacher strives for the success of individual students and the class as a whole. The class teacher also works collaboratively within the faculty, with school leadership, and with the parents, to ensure a learning climate that is nurturing, respectful, and safe for all students. An important aspiration for our faculty includes maintaining the continuity of the class teacher as the students progress through the grades (“looping”). Working out of the Core Principles as articulated by APWE, the class teacher understands child and human development and demonstrates this understanding in the context of Constellation’s curriculum. The class teacher delivers student instruction creatively and effectively using the desired methods, and performs appropriate assessments to inform necessary changes for the purpose of maximizing educational achievement for all students. The class teacher works under the statutes governing Florida charter schools as well as the guidance set forth by Constellation’s Board and the Principal.


ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
School and Classroom Culture:
- Work out of an understanding of the specified perspective on child and human development in all aspects of work with the students, and especially through the proscribed curriculum.
- Develop a climate of openness, fairness, mutual respect, support and inquiry in the classroom, the school, and community. Listen and interact effectively with students, parents, colleagues, and community members, respecting diverse perspectives. Demonstrate respect for students, colleagues, administrators, and parents.
- Create opportunities to educate parents in what the students do in the classroom and more importantly why they do it from the perspective of child and human development.
- Model and reinforce self-discipline and responsibility, while engaged in self-study and self-improvement.
- Promote both independent and collaborative work ethic.
Provide professional leadership to establish an environment conducive to learning and welcoming of student diversity. Work effectively with school colleagues, parents, and the community to support students’ well-being and in so doing, student’s learning.
- Involve students in the development of a mission and goals that support the school’s goals and guide classroom decisions.
- Establish and maintain a safe and secure classroom environment. Manage student misconduct promptly and appropriately according to Constellation’s guidelines; resolve conflict and crises appropriately and effectively.
- Openness to outdoor teaching when beneficial to the content and to the students’ wellbeing.
- Use nature as an attribute in teaching and learning. This is an important aspect of the curriculum. Guidance will be provided on how to achieve this.
- Provide opportunities for students to demonstrate appropriate progress toward graduation expectations: knowledgeable, lifelong learner; responsible individual; effective communicator; problem solver; collaborative team worker, and self-directed learner.
Use quantitative and qualitative data for continual improvement.


ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Instructional:
- Develop and submit weekly lesson plans ahead of time that are aligned with Constellation’s curriculum and B.E.S.T. and Florida Standards, with support provided as needed.
- Understand central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structure of the subjects taught; make the subject matter meaningful to students as is reflected in the curriculum.
- Engage every student in grade level appropriate learning experiences that promote performance, starting with the present capacity of the individual student.
- Incorporate teaching, learning strategies and content that reflect each student’s culture, learning styles, special needs, and socioeconomic background.
- Use classroom processes that support effective teaching and learning, to promote high student achievement; designing lessons to engage all students in learning all the time, through such strategies as active learning, hands-on application, and teacher-student and student-student conversations about the learning.
- Provide learning opportunities that support intellectual, social, and personal development of diverse learners, ensuring their full potential to excel is actualized.
- Uses appropriate technology in teaching and learning processes.
- Demonstrate positive classroom results and trends.
- Provide students and parents with timely data for improvement in student achievement.
- Use formal (including the mandated FAST Monitoring) and informal assessment strategies to determine whether students have achieved high standards; modify instructional strategies as needed to maximize achievement.
- Engage students and parents in the assessment process, including regular updates and collaborative parent teacher conferences.
- Perform other related duties as required that may not be listed in this job description.