Career Center

The Downtown School is affiliated with Lakeside School, a national leader in independent school education. The curriculum of The Downtown School combines some of the best aspects of Lakeside School's high-quality academic program with special programs and features that are unique to the new school. 

The Downtown School is a tight-knit community. The school serves 150-160 students in grades 9-12. Through relationships with organizations and businesses around the city, students at The Downtown School use the city itself as a lab, forging connections with the greater community and developing a deeper understanding of who they are and what they can accomplish. 

The academic program focuses on developing critical and creative thinkers who can communicate and interact effectively. Engaging and relevant to students, the courses emphasize active learning and prompt students to take intellectual risks; engage in self-reflection; identify goals and strategies for personal development; use feedback effectively; and transfer skills from one context to another. Students "learn how to learn" so they can prepare for a future in which rapid change is the norm. 

Responsibilities 
The Spanish Teacher position, reporting to the head of school, will join a team that consists of 12-15 faculty members, with a class size of approximately 20 students per class. Responsibilities include: 

1. Teach five sections of Spanish at all levels. Teaching includes classroom instruction, with an emphasis on building oral proficiency, promoting students' ability to read and write in the language, and exploring the culture and history of the Spanish-speaking world;
2. Team teach interdisciplinary intensive courses at the start and end of the school year;
3. Develop partnerships with businesses and organizations around the city;
4. Use the City as a Lab, integrating curricular partnerships and field trips on a regular basis.
5. Write narrative evaluations of students;
6. Maintain class webpage on Canvas on a regular basis;
7. Conferences with students and colleagues;
8. Participate in on-going Professional Development opportunities;
9. Advise a group of between 12 and 15 high school students;
10. Actively participate in the work of curriculum development and pedagogy;
11. Have some significant administrative responsibilities (admissions, development, communications, technology support, etc.)
12. Attend faculty meetings as scheduled; and
13. Actively participate in the life of the school community.

Requirements and Qualifications
The ideal candidate should have:

1. A bachelor's degree (masters preferred) in Spanish or other relevant field
2. Native or near native proficiency in both Spanish and English. This job requires faculty to interact with colleagues, students, and families proficiently in English.
3. Experience with teaching Spanish in high school using communicative and task-based pedagogical practices
4. Demonstrated ability to collaborate with faculty both in and out of the Spanish department
5. Experience living in a Hispanic culture
6. Tech savvy
7. Comfortable working with computers to present daily lessons and on line learning platforms for tracking assignments and grades (e.g., Canvas is a plus, but experience is not required)
8. Growth mindset and sense of humor are essential

General

1. High level of organization skills with an attention to detail and deadlines
2. Demonstrated cultural awareness, including knowledge of themselves and the cultural lenses they bring to interactions.
3. An understanding of different perspectives, the ability to interact respectfully with cultures other than their own and the ability to cultivate meaningful relationships with people who have different cultural frameworks.  
4. Candidates must satisfactorily complete two criminal background checks
5. Candidates must provide proof of vaccination and booster to human resources. Candidates requesting a medical and/or religious exemption should reach out to Human Resources.

Curriculum
Our Spanish program helps students develop the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills they need to interpret diverse cultures and interact meaningfully and respectfully with native Spanish speakers and authentic texts. Classes are fully immersive from day one- no English is spoken - and students learn the vocabulary and grammatical structures they need to communicate appropriately in specific contexts and situations. Through exposure to the diverse cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, students enhance their cultural awareness, literacy, and understanding. 

Over the course of four years, students will learn to: 

1. Understand different perspectives; interact respectfully with cultures other than their own; and cultivate meaningful relationships with people that have different cultural frameworks.
2. Demonstrate cultural awareness, including knowledge of themselves and the cultural lenses they bring to interactions.
3. Communicate effectively and solve problems in the Spanish language and in Spanish-speaking cultures.
4. Develop resilience when faced with unknown situations.
5. Attain a level of language proficiency that allows effective communication with native Spanish speakers in a wide variety of contexts.
6. Develop lifelong curiosity about other cultures.

Salary and Benefits
Salary Range: $90,000 - $110,000

The Downtown School: A Lakeside School is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding candidates and provides a competitive compensation package. Benefits include:

• Employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance (based on FTE)
• Dependent medical and vision subsidy
• Retirement with generous employer contribution
• Life/disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible spending accounts
• Free parking
• Housing assistance program
• Passport Corporate membership
• Computer loan program
• Paid holidays and vacation 

Working At The Downtown School