Seminar Teacher
Position: Seminar teacher on the post-secondary team
Reports to: Principal
The teacher is responsible for the values based education of the students entrusted to his/her care through both delivery of the instructional program and modeling of appropriate skills, attitudes and behaviors. There is no more important relationship in the school than that between the teacher and student. A teacher at Catalyst must be mission driven and results oriented. He or she must hold the belief that not only can all students learn, but that they will learn. The Catalyst teacher must take steps to gain command of the curriculum and the classroom and assume responsibility for the success of each child.
The teacher is immediately accountable to the principal. It is the teacher’s duty to utilize every possible resource to drive his/her students toward superior academic outcomes in a highly structured, respectful, disciplined environment that maximizes the use of instructional minutes and reflects Catalyst’s character traits and values.
A Catalyst teacher must live these professional values:
- Base all decision making on what is best for students and what lends greatest integrity to the academic program and what supports the school’s values based philosophy.
- Believe that a highly structured and disciplined environment that maximizes instructional minutes is the key factor that empowers a young learner and unleashes their freedom – and that the teacher is in total control of creating that environment.
- Seek out knowledge to improve teaching skills: learn about content area subject matter; probe more deeply into the programs being used in the classroom and school; learn about and reflect on Catalyst cultural values, character traits, and mission beliefs and implement them in the classroom.
- Use “good judgment” in all cases taking ownership for professional behavior and accept correction from the principal and/or administrative team when they deem it necessary.
- Be relentless in ensuring the students that you teach achieve academic success.
- Believe and accept the responsibility that you are the primary driver for your students’ academic success.
- Nurture an environment that is studious, disciplined, focused, and on task.
- Establish and follow through on classroom routines and procedures.
- Share thoughts, inspiration and business with colleagues especially grade or department level team.
- Keep self and space neat and clean and dress professionally.
- Address conflict as soon as it arises with another staff member appropriately and not in front of children; use good communication skills to address issues privately, respectfully, professionally and quickly.
A Catalyst teacher must deliver these professional responsibilities:
- Be present in the building from 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM Monday through Friday and participate in faculty in-service, team meetings or professional development on Fridays as scheduled after student dismissal at 1:00 PM on Friday.
- Adhere to and support all school policies as set forth in the Staff and Student Handbooks.
- Maintain classroom protocols and procedures that demonstrates discipline, order and rigor aligned with Catalyst’s cultural values and expectations.
- Begin class at outlined times and be prepared to supervise any student in the building at any time.
- Teach, as a member of a grade level or departmental team, those classes assigned by the principal; design and implement curriculum; keep a written record of unit and daily lesson plans and a written record of student evaluation, both of which remain the property of the school.
- Actively participate in all staff orientations, meetings, in-services, grade or department level team meetings, parent meetings, student conferences or staff mission days.
- Reflect critically on teaching practice and implement improvement strategies as needed.
- Implement with high fidelity all components of the Catalyst Schools education programs, which include: Web based programs/curriculum, interim assessment implementation and data analysis, and differentiated instructional strategies.
- Engage data analysis and evaluate weekly, bi-quarterly, quarterly and annual data to inform goal setting and instructional decisions.
Post-Secondary Specific Teacher duties
- Create, monitor, and achieve win the month goals for your grade level and course
- Actively participate in weekly post-secondary team meetings
- Monitor weekly scholar on track data and respond with organized study halls
- Execute post-secondary benchmarks for your grade level – for freshman seminar semester 1 is focused around introduction to high school (grades, study hall, credits) and post-secondary pathways. Second semester continues this learning but includes a 12 week unit on health: mental, physical, and sexual.
- Update grade level post-secondary tracker with any relevant win the month and/or benchmark data
- Meet weekly with your instructional coach
- Submit weekly lesson plans
- Track special education accommodations that you provide to your students
- Participate in cross grade level collaboration for 'all hands on deck' post-secondary projects: FAFSA, post-secondary fairs, Learn Plan Succeed
- Promote the post-secondary team mission that all scholars strive for a post-secondary plan this best fits the scholar: college, career, or armed forces.
- Collaborate with post-secondary counselors
- Assist students with Catalyst information systems (i.e. Illuminate, Naviance, accessing email)
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's Degree
- Current, valid Illinois Teacher Certificate Type 3; Type 4; Type 9 or Type 10 with ESL endorsement
- ISBE approved alternative licensure (Type 29 with ISBE language proficiency test)
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $53,000.00 - $88,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Referral program
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Grade levels:
Schedule:
License/Certification:
- Professional Educator License (Preferred)
Work Location: In person