Salmonberry School on Orcas Island is seeking a creative and skilled educator ready to engage in holistic
teaching with children. Our unique pre-K-7th grade program follows the philosophy of the school’s founders. We seek to integrate all academic areas with arts, nature and play to awaken within children a sense of empathy, connection and meaning.
About the Position: We are searching for a full-time lead teacher for grades 3 and 4 who embodies the following attributes:
-A willingness to engage in a transformative process him/herself: to question
personal beliefs and prejudices, and to critically examine his/her relationships with
students;
-Warmth and kindness, firm expectations, knowledge of child development, and the
conscious use of language in a school setting;
-A growth mindset characterized by ongoing personal and professional development,
while leading children to discover new capacities in themselves.
Teaching at Salmonberry: The school is organized into small mixed-age classes (10-15 students). The teachers collaborate to determine integrative content strands and essential questions, then implement those strands through developmentally appropriate activities with their individual classes. They communicate regularly with parents to inform them about student work and assess student progress against standard benchmarks of achievement.
Teachers participate in school community events and outreach programs. They also set yearly professional development goals to support continued growth in educational theory and practice. Teachers reflect on their practice, collaborate constantly, and bring a strong personal touch to their work. Our holistic approach allows them to design original activities that reach across the traditional disciplines of science, literature, social studies, and art. A desire to explore, research, and teach unfamiliar topics is essential.
Benefits
-Salary range $45,000-65,000
-Health benefits, employer pays full premium costs for Blue Cross Silver level plan
-Tuition credit for staff children
-Opportunities to apply school mission in creative ways
-Highly supportive staff and parent community
-Inclusive decision making process
-Developmentally appropriate teaching environment
About Salmonberry: Salmonberry School was founded in 2001 on Orcas Island, WA. We are seeking a full-time educator (40 hours per week) ready to engage in holistic experiences with children in grades pre-K-7. Following progressive and constructivist principles of education, we provide many key characteristics of a research-based school:
-warm and engaging school climate
-integrated and thematic curriculum
-inquiry-based science
-conceptual mathematics
-direct investigations of the surrounding community
-theatrical performances with music and dance
-portfolio assessment
-mindfulness practice
Salmonberry School is a Holistic Education school. We see children as natural learners and honor that principle. We recognize that children come to the classroom with many gifts, multiple intelligences and languages, full potential, uniqueness, and natural curiosity. We strive to design a learning environment and to use teaching practices that support children’s characteristic ways of exploring, discovering, and constructing their knowledge of the world. Holistic education seeks to foster a sense of connection to both the natural world and the human community; we feel this approach cultivates social as well as ecological responsibility, a compassionate sense of wonder, and genuine self-understanding.
Contact: Please send a resume to info@salmonberryschool.org and include a customized cover letter describing why you would like to work at Salmonberry.
Expectations:
-Master's degree preferred
-Elementary classroom teaching experience (at least 3 years) in all curriculum areas
-Familiarity with stages of child development
-Ability to develop curriculum following student interest and school themes
-Responsiveness to the needs of a spontaneous, child-oriented environment
-Ability to write and communicate very well
-Strong collaboration skills
-Personal contemplative practice encouraged
