Employment

Middle School Science Teacher

A Full-Time Benefits-Eligible Faculty Position Beginning August 2023

NPES is seeking an engaging, experienced, collaborative, and culturally-responsive middle school science teacher with expertise across the physical, life, earth, and environmental sciences to teach sixth, seventh and eighth grades. We seek to teach a rigorous, interesting, and engaging project-based curriculum that integrates fundamental concepts and skills across the sciences named above, as well as from STEAM–including engineering, design thinking, coding, and robotics–to prepare our middle schoolers to thrive in high school and beyond.

A successful candidate will be prepared to plan, implement, and maintain a challenging and relevant three-year science curriculum that teaches students to think critically and empathetically while applying the design-thinking process to real-world problems. This is an exciting opportunity for an outstanding science educator who understands and appreciates early adolescence as a stage of human development. This understanding, combined with a passion for challenging and supporting all learners, is essential to preparing our middle schoolers to reach their full potential as student-scientists.

Our facilities include a new Middle School Science Lab and a new Innovation Lab completed in the fall of 2021.

Responsibilities

• Teach three middle school science classes, one section each of sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, with up to 24 students per class
• Serve as advisor to a designated group of about a dozen middle school students across grades six, seven, and eight
• Offer a fun and interesting science-related elective course during each trimester (includes students in grades six, seven, and eight)
• Coach Middle School Science Olympiad (includes an additional coaching stipend)
• Implement a skills-rich three-year science curriculum that builds on our preschool through 5th grade program 
• Collaborate with the 4th and 5th grade STEM teacher to maintain an engaging, varied, and intentional scope and sequence over 4th through 8th grades
• Align instructional and assessment practices with the latest brain science on teaching and learning, including the need for collaborative learning spaces, risk taking, and flexible thinking  
• Create and maintain a welcoming, affirming, and safe classroom environment in which listening, patience, respect, student voice, and adaptability are valued and practiced
• Plan field trips for students to experience and develop appreciation for science and scientists, drawing upon the rich scientific diversity of Chicago
• Employ clearly-defined and equitable processes and structures for planning, teaching, assessing, and documenting (in trimester reports) student mastery and growth 
• Differentiate instruction so all learners can grow their appreciation of science, their understanding of key concepts, their ability to think scientifically, and their confidence
• Engage thoughtfully and respectfully with colleagues with an open mind during faculty meetings and professional development experiences
• Reflect continually on one’s own practice and commit to professional growth informed by these self-reflections and the school’s collaborative faculty evaluation process 
• Establish a trusting partnership with parents/caregivers and communicate regularly via Schoology, email, phone calls, conferencing and reporting
• Create at least one opportunity per year for students to invite parents/caregivers into the science lab to share their learning and process
• Other duties as assigned by the Head of School

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in science or a related field; Master’s preferred
• Experience teaching students science, preferably in a middle school setting 
• Exemplary teaching skills focused with intentionality on preparation, process, purpose, adaptability, skill development, and depth of understanding
• An understanding of the developmental needs of early adolescents (intellectually and social-emotionally) and the ability to structure and maintain a healthy, respectful, and positive classroom community
• A growth mindset, seeing mistakes as opportunities for growth, and a belief that learning, while it involves struggle and the need for resilience, should be joyful 
• The ability to facilitate a middle school classroom positively and effectively
• An understanding of how to integrate STEAM and the design-thinking process intentionally and creatively into teaching to deepen conceptual understanding 
• Strong executive functioning and communication skills (both written and oral)
• Experience in and a commitment to including all learners in instruction regardless of ability or differences in how one learns
• A commitment to the cultural competence necessary to contribute with intention to an affirming, inclusive, equitable, and just community for all 
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and administration to support and extend the objectives of the curriculum and the well-being of students

Compensation and Benefits

• A positive, engaging, and supportive work environment that values authenticity, collaboration, well-being, gratitude, and cultural competence
• A competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Access to relevant and meaningful professional development opportunities, with faculty voice in the process
• The opportunity to sponsor clubs and other groups with payment via stipends
• Leadership opportunities to serve on our Diversity Action Team, Student Advocacy Team, and in other programs (i.e., service learning, basketball coaching, advisory, affinity/ally groups, yearbook, social media, etc.)
• A present, accessible, and supportive administrative team with an open-door policy and an interest in considering and implementing faculty ideas when feasible
• A comprehensive benefits package that supports our faculty and staff, including:  
  • Health, dental and vision insurance, with most plans offered at little or no cost to employee 
  • Tuition remission (50%) for the children of full-time employees
  • 403(b) retirement program with employer match
  • Short-term/long-term disability plans and life insurance provided at no cost
  • Healthcare/dependent care/transportation flexible spending accounts (FSA)
  • Paid time off (holidays, personal, and sick days)
  • A 10-day paid parental leave benefit
  • $2500 toward graduate school coursework in fields related to work at NPES

About NPES

North Park Elementary School is an independent school accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) located in Chicago's North Center-Ravenswood community. North Park serves 249 students in Preschool through 8th Grade, and is dedicated to raising confident, self-reliant individuals in partnership with families, instilling a sense of curiosity, a passion for learning, and a commitment to impacting the broader community in positive ways. North Park seeks to nurture curiosity, spark creativity, and sustain a vibrant, inclusive, community that supports all students, helping them become the best version of themselves. North Park believes that diversity is a critical source of strength for all.  For more on the school’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, click here.

Location/Accessibility

NPES is located in Chicago’s North Center/Ravenswood community. We are accessible by the CTA Brown Line (the station is three blocks east of the school, on Montrose), the north-south CTA Damen Bus (#50 Bus), the east-west CTA Montrose Bus (#78), and the METRA train to the suburbs and downtown Chicago (the Ravenswood Station is .8 miles from the school).  Ample free street parking is available around the school.  The walkable community surrounding our school offers many amenities, including shopping, dining, parks and recreation.

Please submit a cover letter with resume to North Park Elementary School Office Manager Kerry Maman at maman@npeschool.org.

We are seeking thoughtful, engaging, adaptable, reliable, and professional substitute teachers to work across all grade levels at NPES, a wonderful opportunity to gain experience with a variety of subject areas and age groups in a welcoming, inclusive, and vibrant school community. The compensation is $18.00 per hour, or $135 for a full day, 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The ideal candidate will have:

• A Bachelor’s degree (in education preferred but not required)
• Teaching experience in a school setting, camp setting, or other organization with an educational aspect to its work
• A commitment to creating an affirming, inclusive, equitable, and just learning space for all students
• An understanding of the developmental needs of children at various ages and the ability to manage a classroom positively and effectively
• Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with students, colleagues, and administration
• Strong cultural awareness and competence
• Experience providing a nurturing, creative, challenging, and supportive environment that fosters mutual respect and age-appropriate levels of independence
• Strong technology, executive functioning, and communication skills (both written and oral)

If you would like to be considered for substitute teaching, please complete this application and send us your resume. You may send these documents via email to Kerry Maman.