Kindergarten Homeroom & Humanities Teacher
Mt. Tamalpais School
Mill Valley, CA
August 15, 2022
Mount Tamalpais School (“MTS”), a K–8 independent school located in Mill Valley, California, seeks a compassionate and nurturing Kindergarten Homeroom & Humanities teacher to begin August 15, 2022.
Reporting to the Head of Lower School, the new Kindergarten Teacher collaborates with dedicated colleagues and a dynamic leadership team to develop academic and social-emotional skills within MTS students. The ideal candidate finds true joy and exuberance in helping kindergartners flourish academically and individually, developing the foundations necessary to positively contribute to their ever-expanding spheres of influence. This person places value on student voice and empowers young learners to take ownership of their learning, which fuels their wonder, big dreams, and academic prowess. The new Kindergarten Teacher teaches academic classes and serves as a homeroom teacher, providing parent communication and support in a complex world.
The ideal candidate is adept in both creating innovative and engaging lessons, and adapting researched-based curricula to best support the whole child within the classroom. This person is focused on integrating project-based learning and technology into their curriculum, and values a wide range of teaching and assessment practices to draw out the joy, creativity, and social development of each student. Importantly, the new Kindergarten Teacher nurtures and cultivates an academic environment where students feel seen, valued, heard, and well-prepared for their ongoing endeavors.
Recognizing the need for justice in our shared local and global communities, MTS actively pursues the work of raising anti-racists by applying a lens of equity and inclusion throughout its Lower School curriculum. The strongest candidate demonstrates an ability to incorporate concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of their work and possesses the cultural competency needed to work and communicate effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
The Position
Primary Responsibilities
In the Lower School, each grade level comprises one section of 24 students. As one of two Kindergarten Homeroom Teachers, the new Kindergarten Homeroom & Humanities Teacher welcomes approximately 12 kindergartners to the MTS community and teaches reading, writing, phonics, and social studies (collectively, the Humanities) to 12 and potentially all kindergartners. Through age-appropriate lessons specific to social-emotional learning (SEL) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the Kindergarten Teacher strives to create an environment where all students feel welcome, safe and valued as their authentic selves. The Teacher partners with other academic teachers and specialist teachers to develop and implement engaging, student-centered, and differentiated lessons that support diverse modalities of learning styles.
The Kindergarten Teacher serves as the primary point person for kindergarten families and students and collaborates with families in a mutually supportive relationship. This educator creates partnerships with parents by encouraging participation, providing communication about students and curriculum, and approaching families with professionalism and respect.
Additional responsibilities include:
Provide ongoing, formative assessment, and evaluate to inform instruction
Attend to the social-emotional needs of Kindergarten students with specific attention to this age group
Differentiate instruction to support group and individual learning, and provide extra support and enrichment as needed
Implement culturally responsive, equitable, and positive classroom management strategies
Demonstrate a commitment to social justice, diversity, equity, and anti-bias education in the curriculum and in the classroom environment
Communicate regularly with families as partners in child’s academic and social-emotional development
Maintain accurate, detailed records of student progress, parent communication, and lessons
Fulfill on-campus duties as assigned to all faculty
Qualifications and personal Attributes
The Kindergarten Homeroom & Humanities Teacher brings heart, dedication, collaboration, passion, and humor to MTS’s vibrant learning community. They must love working with children, possess a nurturing teaching style, and interact productively with parents. This person supports and anticipates the needs of varied learners in the classroom and helps children learn to navigate their ever-changing social worlds with age-appropriate kindness and respect. The teacher cultivates a warm and inviting classroom community that promotes a positive and productive learning environment, bringing genuine warmth and caring to the role, and fostering deep connection and belonging.
Specific qualifications for this position include:
A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is required
At least two years of elementary teaching experience (Lead or Associate)
Training and experience with Responsive Classroom or similar, or interest in obtaining
Commitment to raising anti-racist children and knowledge of anti-bias, identity-safe, and diversity-inclusive practices
Commitment to ongoing professional development and an understanding of diversity and social justice work in schools
Additional highly-valued personal attributes for this position include:
Ability to bring joy and energy to daily interactions with children in this age group
Empathetic and compassionate
Ability to work with a wide range of individuals
Exceptional communication and organizational skills
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
Vibrant, growth-oriented and expansive mindset
Positive outlook and sense of humor welcomed
DIVERSITY VISION STATEMENT
Mount Tamalpais School is dedicated to nourishing and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive school community in which each person can be their truest self, knowing all perspectives, identities, and voices are welcomed and valued. It is our responsibility to create a school community where all members can thrive and where students are encouraged to be engaged and growth-minded citizens.
Diversity and inclusion
In every hiring opportunity, MTS seeks candidates who will contribute to and are committed to diversity and inclusive practices, demonstrate skills that represent multiple perspectives, and enjoy communicating and collaborating effectively with a diverse and broad spectrum of individuals.
At MTS, the work starts with ensuring that all members of the community — students, faculty, staff, and families — feel a strong sense of belonging, while also recognizing and celebrating individuality. Family structure, physical abilities, gender, race, ethnicity, professional backgrounds, geography, sexuality, and religious and socio-economic backgrounds are some of the many avenues through which the diversity within its community is honored. MTS strives to raise culturally conscious students by applying a lens of equity and inclusion to its curriculum, and emphasizing the need for justice in local and global communities.
Beyond the classroom, faculty and staff regularly engage in ongoing professional development to foster dialogue and the school’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through the leadership of the Faculty Diversity & Inclusion Committee, MTS supports and hosts community learning sessions with Courageous Conversations, Blink Consulting: Critically Rethinking Diversity, and monthly SEED sessions with colleagues in local schools. In addition, an annual cohort of faculty and leadership team members attends the NAIS People of Color in Conference. The Community Leadership Group, a steering committee of board, faculty, administration, and parents works to advance program and policy goals for the school’s continued growth in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
For more information about MTS’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, please click here.
The School
MTS, located approximately 10 miles north of San Francisco, California, is an independent, coeducational day school enrolling approximately 240 students in Kindergarten through 8th Grade.
The School provides students with an exceptional academic, artistic, and athletic foundation to foster a lifelong passion for learning.
Rather than a teacher assigned to teach an entire grade level with students glued to their seats all day, instructors teach a single subject, and students move from classroom to classroom. This unique departmentalized curriculum is structured so that teachers specialize in their particular areas of expertise and teach their subject at various grade levels, often in both the lower and middle school. With educators practicing their passion, and students on the move every 40 minutes, energy levels remain high, and everyone—students and teachers alike—feels refreshed and eager to take on the next challenge.
Social emotional learning starts in Morning Meeting and Advisory and continues throughout the day. MTS also strives to preserve the innocence of youth, while instilling in its students the values, morals, and knowledge that make up a mature, well-rounded member of society. For example, at MTS, older students mentor younger ones, everyone has recess at the same time so all ages can mingle, learn, and grow together, and there is a uniform dress code so no one cares about or judges what someone else is wearing.
Situated on the shoulders of Mount Tamalpais, MTS’s five-acre campus is one of its greatest assets. As students move from class to class, they breathe fresh air and enjoy the sun, fog, rain, or whatever the day brings. Whether in physical education classes or at recess, students run across the large grass field with Mount Tamalpais in the background. The Lower School engineering and science classes take their learning into the School’s outdoor learning spaces, garden, and grove. One of the many beloved recess activities for younger students is to play together along the perimeter of the field, creating “mini cities” with sticks, leaves, and “gold” made from acorns.
For more information about the MTS experience, click here.
Lower School (K–5)
The academic experience in Lower School is inspiring and engaging. The MTS Lower School course schedule includes a breadth of disciplines from social-emotional learning, reading, writing, social studies, and math, to Mandarin and Spanish, to engineering and science, and PE, and visual and performing arts.
Social-Emotional Learning is both a dedicated part of each student’s day and woven throughout each subject-area class. Practices of gratitude and mindfulness complement the SEL curriculum which include The Dovetail Toolbox Project, Responsive Classroom, and the Collaborative for Academic, Social-Emotional Learning.
MTS strives to create a safe space where everyone can be themselves and feel like a valued and respected member of the community. In the Lower School, students build an understanding of identity, diversity, justice, and action. Utilizing an age-appropriate, cross-curricular approach, students explore and investigate different topics such as gender, race, ethnicity, immigration, ableism, human rights, and socioeconomics. By celebrating differences and recognizing similarities, students are encouraged to adopt a lens of inclusivity in their daily lives as they explore their own identities and become increasingly aware of diverse perspectives.
Middle School (6–8)
Middle School is a journey of increased independence and support, bookended by signature events that preserve, mature, and celebrate the students’ joy of learning. At MTS, academic growth is cultivated through hard work, perseverance, and challenge. The School is committed to developing conscientious students, who possess an awareness of their responsibility to others, as well as an understanding of and appreciation for diversity in all of its forms.
In Middle School, students start their school day in one of two ways: meeting in their grade-level advisory group or in a mixed grade-level morning club group. In Advisory, each middle school student joins 10 of their classmates and their advisor for small group activities and discussions. The Advisory program at MTS utilizes Developmental Designs and Project Wayfinder to help students feel connected and empowered in their community and beyond. Advisory is designed to foster belonging and create a safe environment for taking academic risks. When not meeting in Advisory, middle school students meet in a mixed grade-level club activity selected by each student every trimester. A different club is chosen for each day from a selection including, ping pong, basketball, chess, volleyball, Mathletes, knitting, board games and art, to name a few. Those students interested in the school’s band program choose that band ensemble for the year.
Procedure to apply
SEARCH CALENDAR*
Applications
April 14, 2022
Semi-finalist Interviews
Late April, 2022
Finalist Interviews
Early May, 2022
Announcement
Mid May, 2022
*Approximate dates subject to change
Interested candidates must submit the following materials confidentially in one PDF attachment that includes in the following order:
Cover letter expressing particular interest in Mount Tamalpais School and the position of Kindergarten Homeroom and Humanities Teacher
Current résumé
Statement of educational philosophy and practice that expresses who you are and how you connect to this work (no more than two pages)
List of three references including name, title, phone number, email address, and professional relationship (references are contacted only with the candidate’s permission)
Mount Tamalpais School is an Equal Opportunity Employer dedicated to promoting equity and inclusion in the workplace and seeking a diverse and broad spectrum of qualified candidates. The School does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, gender or gender identity, age, or sexual orientation.
Please address any questions by email to jobs@strategenius.org or by phone at 415-881-7105.
