Teach at Montessori Center School!

MCS seeks an experienced and certificated Montessori Lower Elementary Lead Teacher. This is an opportunity to work with our talented and committed staffulty and wonderful students and families as you lead a classroom of approximately 24 students through the Lower Elementary years of their Montessori learning journeys – grades 1 through 3. 

Overseeing an assistant teacher, and working in a highly collaborative manner with the whole elementary team, you will carefully curate a welcoming, orderly, beautiful and resource-rich environment and will deliver a high-fidelity Montessori learning experience for our students each day, developing their independence, curiosity and love for learning.

A Lower Elementary Lead Teacher at MCS performs the following duties:

Classroom Environment & Curriculum

• Design and maintain a beautiful, orderly and resource-rich Montessori Lower Elementary environment that nurtures a high quality, developmentally appropriate academic program.
• Meticulously plan the daily work cycle, and deliver a daily mix of lessons grounded in the Montessori curriculum and aligned to the school’s curriculum map and pacing guides. 
• Build strong relationships with each of your students and help nurture a keen sense of equity, agency, confidence, community and belonging for every student in your classroom.
• Blend robust opportunities for age-appropriate social-emotional learning into daily lessons and activities ensuring that students are building the social-emotional and executive functioning skills necessary to navigate and thrive throughout their day to day lives – both in and beyond the classroom.
• Support students in developing executive functioning skills, conflict resolution strategies, and independence consistent with Montessori practices.
• Maintain a classroom environment that ensures safety and stability for all students; uphold school-wide behavioral expectations and implement progressive discipline.
• Partner effectively with our Student Support Services team to ensure that neurodivergent students and those with learning disabilities in the class successfully access the curriculum and thrive in the environment. 
• Participate in required supervision duties (e.g. recess, arrival/dismissal, lunch) in compliance with California labor regulations regarding rest and meal breaks.
• Partner effectively with the Director of Operations to procure classroom supplies and equipment using classroom budgets and operating within school procurement and purchasing guidelines. 

Observation & Record-keeping 

• Oversee students’ progression through the curriculum, ensuring that each child is pursuing a well-designed program that best reflects their unique learning style.
• Conduct child observations regularly, documenting these through the school’s shared online learning management system (TransparentClassroom).
• Utilize child observations, standardized assessment data (NWEA MAP Growth, etc.) and your data and records to lesson-plan and  inform daily choices regarding each child’s support and program.
• Lead conference report cycles 2-3 times per year for the families of children in your class.

Family Engagement

• Be an excellent proactive communicator with parents and caregivers; work to engage parents and caregivers as great partners in each student’s educational process.
• Utilizing school-wide protocols, share data and updates routinely with families regarding their children’s academic and social development.
• Be responsive, receptive and welcoming of parent/caregiver inquiries and feedback. 
• Share weekly classroom updates with families, host family gatherings (potlucks, etc.) and classroom visitations, and be each of your students’ families’ go-to person in the school.
• Participate in the life of the school community by supporting annual events including occasional weekend commitments (e.g The Montessori Journey, the fall harvest festival, annual benefit auction, etc.).
• Partner effectively with our Outdoor Education Coordinator to plan and lead two overnight classroom-wide family campouts each school year, serving as the lead chaperone.
• Partner effectively with our Director of Enrichment to plan and lead two field trips yearly, one in the Fall/Winter and one in the Spring. 

Teamwork & Learning

• Embody MCS’s core values in your daily interactions with children, families and staffulty.
• Seek out and embrace opportunities for collaboration with colleagues across the school.
• Model lifelong learning: Seek out opportunities for learning and development, including opportunities to learn from peer feedback from your colleagues.
• Be an engaged and committed coach, mentor and manager to the Co-teacher working alongside you in your classroom. Support their learning, development and success.
• Complete all required and requested responsibilities in a timely manner.

Experience & Professional Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university
• A Lower Elementary teaching certification from a MACTE-accredited teaching program (Masters degree preferred)
• Experience working in a Montessori classroom (3+ years preferred)
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills

Mindsets & Skills

• Commitment to MCS’ mission, vision and core values
• Demonstrated capacity to collaborate effectively as a member of a results-oriented, high-performing team, including monthly whole-staffulty meetings and professional development days throughout the school year
• Passion for serving children with diverse learning needs 
• Commitment to living out principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Sound professional judgment and decision-making skills 
• Capacity to share and receive and implement feedback with grace and agility
• High level of emotional intelligence, integrity and humor
• High level of personal organization, planning and follow-through

Essential Job Functions 

The physical demands described here represent essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• The role is performed primarily in a school setting and requires the physical stamina necessary to engage with elementary-aged children throughout the day.
• Duties include frequent standing, walking, bending, kneeling, crouching, stooping, reaching, and sitting at children’s level, including teaching full lessons while seated on the classroom floor.
• The position requires the ability to lift, carry, push, or pull items weighing up to 50 pounds, such as classroom materials or emergency supplies, and to assist a child if needed for safety purposes.
• The employee must be able to use hands and fingers to handle or manipulate materials, including Montessori materials of various sizes, shapes, and textures.
• The employee must be able to move quickly and safely in response to student behaviors or emergency situations, both indoors and outdoors.
• Vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus, necessary for observing children, reading instructional materials, and using a computer.
• Hearing and speaking abilities are required to communicate clearly with students, staff, and parents; give instructions; participate in meetings; and respond to safety concerns or emergencies.
• The employee is regularly exposed to indoor and outdoor environmental conditions, including varying weather, moderate noise levels, and the typical hazards associated with supervising active children.
• The role requires daily direct interaction with students, including close physical proximity, to provide instruction, guidance, redirection, and classroom management.
• The position requires the ability to lead, participate in and supervise day and overnight field trips, including camping trips, as part of the educational program.
• Regular in-person communication and collaboration with parents, colleagues, administrators, and other members of the school community is required.

Employee must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship. All MCS employees must clear a DOJ/FBI background check (LiveScan), must provide a negative TB test, must know the school emergency procedures, and must perform other duties not specifically stated as directed by the Head of School.

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