Grade 8 Humanities Teacher, Saltonstall K-8 School, SY 2024-2025

About Salem Public Schools

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history.  Salem Public School educators are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement.  We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community.  We seek individuals who are able to serve all of our students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. Salem Public Schools has a clear equity statement and core values that guide and drive our work as an anti-racist organization. Applicants who have experienced working in urban schools and have bilingual skills are strongly encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do:

8th grade Humanities teachers are responsible for preparing all students for personal and academic success. The Humanities teacher will be responsible for delivering the English Language Arts and Social Studies curriculum to students in the eighth grade.  The successful candidate will work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure a high-quality program for all students. The humanities teacher will effectively manage a partnership with families including regular communication informing of students’ success towards mastering content and personal learning habits. All teachers will participate in ongoing professional learning to deepen knowledge of rigorous engaging curriculum and pedagogy in both academic content and social emotional learning.

Role Responsibilities:

• Teaches reading, language arts, social studies by using the district curriculum and other appropriate learning activities that reflect a deep understanding of state frameworks and use of the workshop model.
• Plans and uses appropriate instructional and learning strategies, activities, materials, and equipment that reflect understanding of the learning styles and needs of students assigned.
• Provides structure in the classroom by promoting a positive classroom environment that is conducive to learning.
• Prepares teaching materials and related reports including ongoing data analyses for the purpose of improving instruction, implementing lesson plans, and documenting student progress.
• Participates in in-service programs to enhance the overall educational experience for students.
• Instructs and provides assistance for student learning, individually or in groups, designing lessons that both present and reinforce learning concepts.
• Collaborates with experts in the building and creates a welcoming environment to support the social-emotional learning of all students.
• Works under the general supervision of the building principal and other building administrators, manages student behavior, assesses and evaluates student achievement.

What You’ll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission, and are highly motivated to change children’s lives through education. You’ll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level.  We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues – You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.
• Build authentic, caring relationships with colleagues, students, and families – You build strong relationships across students, families, and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS. You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.
• Embrace feedback – You are a reflective practitioner who learns from failure, using mistakes and challenges as opportunities for growth. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree Required; Master’s Degree preferred
• Required Massachusetts teaching certification/licensure
• Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement (Required within 1-year of start date)
• Ability to meet the expectations of the Massachusetts Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching Practice
• Maintain professional competence through in-service education activities provided by the District, and/or in self-selected professional growth activities.
• Minimum of 2 years teaching experience and working in an urban public school or charter school setting preferred.
• Proven track record of raising student achievement scores in an urban/turnaround environment highly desired.
• Secondary license in content area or Special Education, also preferred
• Proficiency with technology (blended learning, teacher/family communication suites (Remind preferred), Google G-Suite Apps, etc.) desirable.
• Second language (Spanish and/or Portuguese) proficiency a plus
• Bilingual candidates and candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply
• Current authorization to work in the United States

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.