Middle School Language Arts Teacher

Description

MONTCLAIR COOPERATIVE SCHOOL (MCS)

Job Description

JOB TITLE:  Middle School Language Arts Teacher

FUNCTIONAL AREA:  Instructional Faculty   

REPORTS TO:  Head of School 

The Montclair Cooperative School is seeking a progressive, energetic Middle School Language Arts Teacher  to join our dynamic team for the 2025-2026 school year.

Founded in 1963, the Montclair Cooperative School (the Co-op) is an independent, progressive, co-educational school, serving approximately 135 students from Early Ages through eighth grade. We are a community of students, teachers and parents dedicated to creating a diverse and nurturing environment where children flourish intellectually, creatively and emotionally while developing exceptional social skills and a deep sense of community responsibility. The Co-op’s whole-child curriculum is interdisciplinary, emphasizing inquiry, diversity, critical thinking and deep understanding, while supporting individualized social and emotional growth.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Plan and design developmentally appropriate educational language arts curriculum and differentiated instruction for students in grades 6-8;
• Support students with their social-emotional development;
• Work closely with learning specialists to create and implement both learning support and enrichment activities;
• Provide opportunities that encourage curiosity, exploration, problem-solving, and the use of technology;
• Create and provide a supportive and caring classroom environment in which students can learn and interact positively with one another;
• Conduct informal and formal learning assessments to be responsive to an individualized approach for student growth;
• Assess students’ academic and social growth, keep accurate records and prepare progress reports;
• Communicate with families about students’ learning through frequent updates, parent-teacher conferences, and student progress reports;
• Continue to develop professionally by actively participating in professional development opportunities within the independent school community;
• Develop lesson plans and instructional materials that support individualized and small group instruction in order to adapt the curriculum to the needs of each student;
• Use a variety of instructional strategies;
• Participate in faculty and curriculum development meetings and committees as requested;
• Assess students’ academic and social growth, keep accurate records and prepare progress reports;
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Qualifications 

• Master’s Degree (preferred) , in education with a specialization in English, or equivalent. At least 5 years of successful experience as a classroom teacher with middle school students
• A deep understanding of effective Language Arts instruction and content
• Effective organizational skills including but not limited to lesson planning, implementing units of study, differentiating instruction, designing and implementing assessments
• A working knowledge of and an embracing of a progressive educational approach
• An understanding of child/adolescent development and how social emotional factors impact learning
• A clear commitment to the mission of the Montclair Cooperative School
• Excellent time management skills and be detail and goal oriented
• Excellent interpersonal skills; must be a strong team player and have some experience working collaboratively with peers to implement an academically robust, engaging, and integrated curriculum
• Solid organizational and problem solving skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Highly resourceful and motivated – a “self-starter” with initiative, energy and enthusiasm and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced and changing environment
• Ability to interact well with people from a wide diversity of backgrounds and cultures