Summary
Description
POSITION: Special Education Teacher
JOB DESCRIPTION: Great Oaks Academy is seeking an in-person Special Education Teacher for the 2024-2025 school year. Salary based on experience, starting at $55,000.
Great Oaks Academy teachers are our most important curriculum. Our teachers model virtue, curiosity, and excellence in learning for students. We are seeking teachers who are committed to deepening their knowledge and love for their content, who understand and enjoy children, who are effective communicators, and who embrace the mission of our school. A Classical educator must be organized, joyful, and compassionate; someone who models a spirit of inquiry and wonder for students through their example.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
- A desire to teach using the Classical Education methods and the Trivium. (Experience in classical education is a plus, though not required.)
- A valid Minnesota teaching license in Special Education or a related field.
- A willingness to work hard and maintain a positive, professional attitude and demeanor.
- A commitment to teamwork, service, leadership, and professional growth.
- Excellent organizational and communication (speaking & writing) skills.
- A working understanding of childhood development, combined with patience, good humor, and professionalism.
- Basic skill with technology (e.g., use of a laptop, document camera, and projector; use of word processor).
RESPONSIBILITIES: Duties of this job include, but are not limited to:
- Cultivating their own sense of wonder through self-initiated and Academy-directed learning.
- Managing a classroom environment characterized by order and respect, wonder and joy.
- Develop and implement Individual Education Plan(s) (IEPs) in accordance with state and federal requirements
- maintain contact with parents of special education students in support of academic achievement to meet IEP objectives
- Complete required reports for parents and/or administration
- Cultivating virtuous habits among the students through direct instruction and personal example.
- Teaching with skill and fidelity, using the course of study adopted by the Great Oaks Academy Board and other appropriate learning activities.
- Planning well to create non-anxious times of deep and efficient learning.
- Identifying or creating potential resources to improve instruction.
- Developing lesson plans and instructional materials and providing individualized and small group instruction in order to adapt the curriculum to the needs of each student.
- Assessing students’ academic and social growth, maintaining appropriate records, and creating progress reports.
- Communicating with parents through conferences and other means to discuss students’ progress and understand the school program.
- Collaborating with other staff members in identifying student needs, and helping students solve health, attitude, and learning problems.
- Supervise students in and out of classroom activities during the school day, as needed.
- Maintaining professional competence through professional development activities.
- Participating in curriculum development programs as required.
- Participating in faculty committees and supporting student activities as needed.
- Assisting colleagues through times of co-planning, peer observation, mentorship, and etc.
- Complying with all relevant school policies and state and federal laws and regulations.
APPLICATION PROCESS: Teacher applicants must submit the following in a single email to Ms. Ellen Grossman, Special Education Director, ellen@uptickeducation.net:
- Cover letter. (Please tell us how you learned about Great Oaks Academy and indicate your salary requirements.)
- Statement of your educational philosophy (in 500 words or fewer)
- Resume/curriculum vitae
- Three professional (or academic, if a recent graduate) references. Please include email address and phone number for each reference.
SCHOOL BACKGROUND: Great Oaks Academy is a Classical charter school built on the pillars of Rigor, Literature, Wonder and Virtue. We are committed to building a small school community with rigorous academics, an emphasis on developing virtue while encouraging students’ natural sense of wonder. We believe that great stories are powerful teaching tools, that studying history chronologically can inspire wonder and lead to virtue, and that rigor means appropriate challenges for each student.
Great Oaks Academy currently serves K-8th grade students. We will add a grade each year until we are a full K-12 Academy.
For more information on Classical Education:
"The Lost Tools of Learning" by Dorothy Sayers
"What is Classical Education?” by Susan Wise Bauer
