1st Grade Lead Teacher

1st Grade Lead Teacher Job Role

Friends School of Wilmington seeks a joyful, student-centered educator to join our Lower School (K-5) teaching team as 1st Grade Lead Teacher. Our ideal candidate is someone who will contribute to a learning environment where academic excellence is infused with the spirit of inquiry and a passion for lifelong learning. They will be a dynamic instructor with experience teaching structured literacy (i.e., phonological awareness, phonics, explicit reading and writing instruction, and small groups), guided math that follows the Everyday Mathematics approach, and thematically-scaffolded science and social studies units. They will be enthusiastic to embrace place-based learning, outdoor exploration, and environmental education as essential components of their teaching practice. They will implement and uplift our students’ social and emotional development through a Responsive Classroom framework. They will be knowledgeable about and fully embrace the Quaker history of our campus, including our foundational values—simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship, or, the “SPICES” for short. Ultimately, they will be a mission-aligned, compassionate educator who loves their students and the joys of teaching.

The selected candidate will co-teach alongside the current Lead and Assistant Teachers in November and December, with an official start date in January after winter break.

Areas of Responsibility

• Deliver thoughtful, relevant, and student-centered lesson plans that promote an environment of critical thinking and academic rigor.
• Uplift experiential learning principles through dynamic instruction that engages, motivates, and empowers students to take ownership of their learning.
• Review and analyze sources of data to measure and assess student growth aligned to instructional goals and adjust instructional strategies and content delivery as needed.
• Maintain a physically and emotionally safe, supportive learning environment that is characterized by efficient and effective routines, clear and high expectations for all student behavior, and organization that maximizes student learning.
• Utilize positive behavioral management strategies that invest students in their academic goals and motivate them to be actively engaged in their learning journeys.
• Work to establish and maintain open lines of communication with students and their parents concerning academic and behavioral goals, including directing parent-teacher conferences to discuss student progress, strategies for improvement, and home/school collaboration.
• Attend and actively engage in collaborative professional development (“in-service”), faculty meetings, and division-level planning.
• Seek feedback and professional learning opportunities throughout the year to improve instruction and drive student achievement.
• Support school-wide programs and events, including the occasional evening or weekend function, to foster community and parental engagement.
• Supervise children during lunch and recess, ensuring a safe and respectful environment.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by school leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in education, elementary education, or a related discipline.
• Experience working with elementary-aged children in a student-centered, experiential learning program.
• A deep investment in the Friends School of Wilmington mission statement and guiding values.