Since 1915, Shady Hill, a school of approximately 520 students (PreK - 8) and 70 faculty, has been a leader in progressive education. Shady Hill is a deeply mission-driven school.  We seek to develop independent, joyful and curious learners who respect their own accomplishments and those of others. We strive to be a community whose values are strong and whose teachers are unafraid to engage students in important questions. The school’s program allows children to explore their worlds and test their powers.  As a school with a historical and contemporary commitment to social justice, we believe that an inclusive and equitable community is an educational and moral imperative that empowers us all. Therefore, we seek to hire teachers who demonstrate a mindset and skill set that prioritizes cultural competence, equity, and justice in their practice with students and in their work with colleagues.

A hallmark of a Shady Hill education is the Central Subject methodology. Students in Grades III-VIII engage in an assigned Central Subject, an in-depth, integrated study of a particular time or people in history. The year-long study, which emphasizes strong content, the use of primary sources, understanding of multiple perspectives, acquisition of essential skills, and self-discovery, forms the core of our curriculum. Gradeheads (lead teachers) are responsible for developing content and implementing instruction in both social studies/history and language arts, with the support of performing arts and visual arts faculty to integrate these disciplines. 

Shady Hill School is also a teaching training institution.  Its long-standing Teacher Training Center, which brings as many as eighteen apprentice teachers to campus each year, prepares talented people for careers in education and allows each faculty member the opportunity to be a mentor and meaningful contributor to the teaching field.  Because of the school’s commitment to teacher training, the school seeks teachers with certification or a demonstrated interest in working towards certification when hired by Shady Hill School.

The Middle School consists of students in Grades V-Grade VIII.  For the 2021-2022 academic year, classrooms will ideally have between 12-18 students and one gradehead. 

Specific Gradehead Responsibilities:

• Teach the yearlong, grade-level assigned Central Subject (See document for further descriptions of each grade’s Central Subject)
• Grade V: Ancient and Modern China
• Grade VI: Africa
• Grade VII: The Early American Experience
• Grade VIII: Democracy and Immigration in the United States
• Monitor the social, emotional, and academic lives of early adolescent students
• Manage all classroom responsibilities, including designing and implementing curriculum, differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all learners, utilizing a variety of approaches to teaching and assessing students
• Communicate about student progress, write reports, hold parent conferences, and meet with administrators and other faculty to support the needs of individuals
• Work collaboratively with grade level team and other members of the Central Subject department to shape and refine the curriculum
• Document curriculum using Atlas curriculum mapping software
• Athletics coaching is strongly encouraged and coaching outside of the school day provides additional compensation (COVID-dependent for 2021-2022)
• Serve as a full community member by attending weekly faculty meetings, sitting on committees, participating in admissions activities and volunteering for coverage duties.
• Engage in professional development to enhance inclusive teaching and leadership practices. The school offers extensive professional development opportunities, including faculty summer study, travel grants, and yearly trips to the People of Color Conference for BIPOC employees.