The Opportunity:
Carolina Friends Chapel Hill Early School seeks a 75% full-time classroom support teacher for a ten-month position beginning mid-August, 2023. The hours of this position will be 11:15 am - 5:15 pm, five days per week. Job responsibilities will include working with four other in-house teachers, 25 children and their families, and the entire CFS school community. This floating teaching position will be responsible for children ages 3-6 in our multi-age unit during both the school day and extended day. This position is benefits-eligible.
In our early childhood unit of Carolina Friends School, we are first and foremost driven by our school’s Quaker mission and philosophy. Staff members are co-collaborators in the development and implementation of an integrated, emergent curriculum. Our curriculum is driven by a project-based approach. Teachers understand the value of a strong partnership with families and work daily to enhance these partnerships with frequent communication and a visible presence. As a strong teaching team, we are committed to creating a low-stress, nurturing, joyful, safe, and healthy learning environment for our youngest students.
In our early childhood unit of Carolina Friends School, we are first and foremost driven by our school’s Quaker mission and philosophy. Staff members are co-collaborators in the development and implementation of an integrated, emergent curriculum. Our curriculum is driven by a project-based approach. Teachers understand the value of a strong partnership with families and work daily to enhance these partnerships with frequent communication and a visible presence. As a strong teaching team, we are committed to creating a low-stress, nurturing, joyful, safe, and healthy learning environment for our youngest students.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Supporting an integrated, emergent curriculum, including indoor and outdoor classroom environments
- Helping to build and nurture community among parents, teachers, and the wider CFS community
- Assisting the children and their work and play
- Maintaining a professional relationship and effectively communicating with parents and other teachers
- Working collaboratively with teaching staff and the Head Teacher
- Attending continuing education opportunities as they arise
- Participate in the Early School weekly meetings as requested and all other all-school professional development days
Traits, Skills and Requirements:
- Degree in Early Childhood Education/Child Development or a combination of relevant education/experience
- In-depth experience as an early childhood educator with both preschool and kindergarten-aged children
- A respect and love of young children, with a view of children as being competent and capable
- A commitment to helping create and support an early childhood program that embraces a culturally responsive, anti-bias curriculum that is developmentally appropriate for young children
- Keen observational skills and experience in supporting an integrated, emergent curriculum
- A deep commitment and understanding of a variety of early childhood educational theories, practices, and approaches, especially the investigative/project-based along with current best practices in early childhood education
- An understanding of and a strong affinity for Quaker philosophy, the School’s mission and a strong connection with the spirituality of life
- Willingness to understand how power and inequality, influenced by race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, ability, etc. impact our students and families
- An understanding of the role that stillness, silence, solitude, and living mindfully holds in oneself and all members of our community
- A deep commitment and understanding of a team approach to teaching and learning
- An effective spoken and written communicator
- Strong intra/interpersonal skills which include the desire for continual professional growth, possessing the ability to give and receive constructive feedback within an atmosphere of trust, support and transparency with one’s colleagues, leaning on a team approach
- Strong organizational and time management skills and a working knowledge of technology
- At home with the outdoors and all that nature provides in a learning environment
- Must be energetic, creative, and flexible, with a sense of humor, and must view one’s work as joyful
- Certification in Infant/Child CPR, Basic First Aid
Carolina Friends School’s Early School
As early childhood educators, we strive to align our thinking and teaching with a research-based understanding of how children learn and grow. We foster social-emotional development and healthy relationships by knowing each student well and attending carefully to their needs and interests: we enable meaningful inquiry through class projects and experiences in the natural world; we build community through collaborative work and shared decision-making; and we empower student autonomy through structured and unstructured play to enable the development of self-esteem, creativity, problem-solving, and cognitive development. Ours is a pedagogy of joy, in a culture of belonging and perpetual learning.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit, when possible in one complete PDF file, the following:
- Cover Letter
- Resume
- Statement of Educational Philosophy
- List of professional references and their contact information
Please compile all these documents into one complete packet and submit to jobopenings@cfsnc.org. Please indicate Chapel Hill Early School - SupportTeacher in the email subject line.
Review of resumes will begin immediately. CFS reserves the right to close the recruitment at any time. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as all materials can be compiled.
APPLICANTS: Please review the Who We Are, Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity, and Important Information for All Applicants sections on the CFS job opportunities page.
CFS is an equal opportunity employer in both policy and practice.