Founding High School Teacher (EXPIRED)

The Intellectual Virtues Academy of Long Beach received a $2 million grant to expand its highly successful charter middle school to include a new charter high school (the “Academy”).  One of the central features of the grant is the development of a philosophical curriculum that will specifically meet the needs of 14-17 year old public high school students.  The Academy will hire its founding teachers for its inaugural freshman class in 2016-17, and grow to serve all high school levels.  Our mission is to foster intellectual virtues – qualities that engender critical thought, creative problem solving, and self-directed growth – to equip our students for the opportunities and challenges of college, career, and beyond. 

Our founding teachers will be a critical part of attracting prospective families, inspiring life-long learners, and providing a rigorous and challenging education. They will join a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and thoughtful organization dedicated to the growth of each of its students, and its staff.

Why Teach at the Academy?

The founding teachers will join an organization known for providing its students top quality education, and where teachers have consistently stated they love to teach (100% “highly satisfied” for the last two years). This success results from our commitment to providing an excellent place to work:

• Entrepreneurial Opportunities.  Join a growing organization that values flexible work arrangements.  The Academy will provide as we grow multiple career paths and flexible hybrid roles that allows our teachers to reach their professional goals and gain meaningful leadership experience (including administration experience) while staying in the classroom.
• Highly Competitive Compensation.  Our 5-year budget projects a quarter of teachers could be paid $100,000 at full capacity, including competitive benefits.
• Smaller Class Sizes, Less Instructional Time.  Having fewer students to teach allows teachers to spend more personalized time with each student and manage better classroom culture.  Moreover, because there will be seven classes instead of six, there is less instructional minutes for a full-load, allowing for more preparation time.
• Instructional Support.  Part of the $2M grant provides hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional administrative support and professional development programs, including training from Dr. Ron Ritchhart, one the world’s foremost experts in intellectual character development. 
• University Support.  The Academy partners with intellectual character experts from Boston College, Harvard University, Calvin College, Loyola Marymount University, and Biola University that will provide research, professional development, instructional tools, and assessment. 
• Counselor Support.  Counselor-to-teacher ratio will be half that of CA high schools at full capacity. A full-time counselor has already been hired to start this coming year.
• Honoring the Profession.  The foundation to the Academy’s commitment to our teachers is the recognition that teachers matter first: research overwhelmingly indicates teachers are the single biggest in-school factor of student growth.  

Position Available.

Looking for part-time (first year only; full-time possibility after first year) philosopher to teach Introduction to Applied Logic (Critical Thinking). The second year will offer in addition an Introduction to Philosphy course; third year an Introduction to Ethics course.  

Reports to: Director of Curriculum and Instruction, or Founding Director

Responsibilities Include (but not limited to):

Instructional Responsibilities

• Assess, evaluate and monitor students’ progress towards school’s academic and non-academic goals
• Receive instruction in, support, and systematically implement the Academy’s innovative, intellectual virtues-based educational model
• Provide differentiated instruction designed to meet the needs of each student
• Be involved in creating the Academy and individual’s professional development plan
• Collaborate with instructional team to revise, edit, and improve lessons
• Continuously use assessment data to refine curriculum and instructional practices
• Assist in intervention support
• Monitor and promote the social-emotional and physical safety and security of students
• Use the Academy’s scope and sequence, aligned with Common Core, to develop unit plans and daily lesson plans when applicable.
• Submit lesson overviews to the Director of Curriculum and Instruction (or Founding Director) on a weekly basis

Whole School Responsibilities

• Actively participate in the development and ongoing refinement of the school’s instructional program
• Provide after/before hours tutoring
• Assist the development and implementation of a network of student support systems
• Support after school/evening activities, including extracurricular activities, overnight trips, parent conferences
• Participate in school-wide cultural events (e.g., assemblies, dances, intramural tournaments)
• Lead one 12-17 student weekly advisory
• Other duties as directed

 Intellectual Virtues Model Responsibilities

• Develop a firm understanding of the Academy’s nine “master virtues”
• Develop a firm understanding of, and systematically implement, the core principles and practices involved with an intellectual virtues educational model, including using inquiry- and dialogue-based instructional methodologies
• Participate in ongoing professional development aimed at better understanding and practicing an intellectual virtues approach to education.
• Engage in ongoing self-reflection and self-assessment aimed at his/her own growth in intellectual virtues
• Model the nine “master virtues” in all interactions with students and other Academy stakeholders
• For more information on this model, see http://intellectualvirtues.org. 

Teacher Qualifications.

• Bachelor’s Degree from accredited, four-year university.
• Interest, and experience, in extracurriculars (arts, sports, clubs, etc.), desirable
• Evidence of successful track record

Work Environment.

This position works in a variety of settings including office, classrooms, outside establishments (such as coffee shops) and outdoors and may experience heat or cold extremes as well as fumes, odors, dust, noise level is moderate to loud.

Right to Revise.

This job description is not meant to be all inclusive and the Founding Director (or other directors) reserves the right to revise this job description as necessary without advance notice.  The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees, and are not to be construed, as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.  Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer without notice.