The Howard School educates students with language-based learning disabilities and learning differences through instruction designed to complement and address each student’s individual needs, and to help each student understand and advocate for his or her own learning process. The curriculum focuses on depth of understanding to make learning meaningful and therefore, maximize educational success.

Position Purpose:

The candidate must be comfortable teaching reading and written expression skills to students in grades 9-12. The History teacher will be responsible, in collaboration with the teaching team, for creating a vibrant, student-centered environment that supports the learning and personal growth of each student. He or she must be skillful in establishing strong relationships with students and creating learning opportunities that motivate and inspire students to develop all aspects of their learning profiles.

Teacher Characteristics:

1. Understands the cognitive/brain-based underpinnings of comprehension and written and verbal communication difficulties
2. Thinks flexibly and embraces progressive pedagogy, with a keen eye towards developing “21^st Century Skills” in students
3. Committed to differentiation in designing and adapting instruction to meet a range of student learning needs and interests
4. Demonstrates enthusiasm about interdisciplinary instruction; looks to create interdisciplinary learning experiences for students
5. Encourages students' creative expression, incorporates student interest and passions, and develops critical thinking
6. Seeks opportunities for collaboration and is excited about generating curriculum and assessment ideas in a team setting
7. Exhibits curiosity, creativity, and self-reflection, with a willingness to take initiative and run with new ideas

Essential Functions

1. Develops a multi-sensory curriculum that integrates music, art, and film with classic and modern literature, as well as grammar and vocabulary instruction
2. Collaborates closely with speech-language pathologists to create specific guidelines and rubrics for creative and formal writing assignments, as well as accessible graphic organizers
3. Provides students with specific feedback on their short and long-term writing goals
4. Creates a balance of opportunities for creative and formal writing expression
5. Develops lesson plans and supplementary materials compatible with the division’s basic instructional and philosophical standards; provides individualized and small group instruction in order to adapt the curriculum to the needs of each student and subgroups of students
6. Translates lesson plans into learning experiences to effectively and actively engage students
7. Evaluates reading and writing skills and social growth of students, through writing student Learning Profiles, facilitating student-led conferences, and documenting student progress through the school’s on-line communication and record keeping systems
8. Guides students to know their own profile and to advocate for their learning needs
9. Seeks and chaperones regular field experience opportunities for students that extend the classroom into the broader community
10. Works collaboratively with the teaching team on behalf of students, and seeks the ideas, feedback or advice of colleagues as an integral part of effective planning
11. Integrates modern technologies, media and other tools into instruction
12. Establishes and maintains standards of student behavior through relationship, positive reinforcement and support to provide an orderly, productive classroom environment
13. Identifies student needs and cooperates with other professional staff members in assessing and helping students solve learning and social-relational problems
14. Participates in faculty committees and the sponsorship of student activities
15. Administers or facilitates testing in accordance with division testing practices
16. Models nondiscriminatory practices in all activities
17. Serves as advisor to a group of high school students and is responsible for coordinating those students’ learning profiles
18. Regular and predictable attendance is an essential function of the job
19. Performs other duties as assigned