Position: Extended Term Substitute, Grade 4 Teacher

Available September 2024 through no later than January 2025

Cambridgeport School

Cambridgeport School Community:

At the Cambridgeport School, we believe that learning unfolds when we provide conditions in which children can explore, inquire, and shape their own understandings. Cambridgeport teachers and families work as a community toward assuring success for every child. The school values the culture and beliefs that each child brings to the classroom, and teachers believe that children must engage with their world in order to make sense of it and build their knowledge. Each student is expected to take responsibility for his/her own learning, while collaborating, supporting, and respecting others.

Teachers provide learning experiences that guide and capture our student’s interests while at the same time helping them to develop literacy and math skills, think critically, problem solve, and engage in rich scientific and historical inquiry.

Learning expeditions allow students to investigate a topic and produce work that has a specific purpose and an authentic audience. Examples might include exploring the life cycle and importance of butterflies or the role of fables within a culture or society.

The structure of looped classrooms supports the Cambridgeport philosophy. Beginning in 1st grade, teachers stay with their class through the end of 2nd Grade. Students have a new teacher for 3rd and 4th grade, and spend one year with their 5th grade teacher. The strong bonds that form between teacher and students support a deeper level of understanding, learning, and engagement.

­The Role:

The Cambridgeport Elementary school seeks a reflective practitioner to join our community as an extended term substitute (ETS) Grade 4 Teacher. In cooperation with faculty colleagues, the ETS teacher is responsible for the planning, implementation and ongoing adaptation of a curriculum that integrates multicultural values and experiences, informed by Cambridge, state, and national curriculum guidelines. They will provide a creative, well-organized physical environment that is activity-centered, rich in many forms of expression, and in which students are encouraged to make progress towards becoming increasingly responsible for their own learning. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strong language and literacy learning experiences, implementing project based learning activities that connect across academic disciplines.
• Partner with families to include them in each student’s learning and development, guided by a profound understanding of the importance of this connection.
• Incorporate a variety of assessment strategies in order to inform and modify instruction, as well as target intervention and enrichment needs.
• Identify unique student needs and collaborate with team members to effectively address those needs and improve instructional practices throughout the school.
• Draw on a well- developed knowledge of early childhood in order to provide opportunities for encouraging the personal, social, and academic growth of each student. 
• Maintain portfolios for each student alongside other longitudinal documentation to record each student’s growth and development.
• Prepare biannual narrative reports of student progress. 
• Other related duties as assigned.

Your Skill Set:

As the incoming ETS Grade 4 Teacher you will possess many, though perhaps not all, of the following characteristics and qualifications:

• 2 years of successful classroom experience leading instruction for children in grades 1-6; experience serving in an urban multicultural environment preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Collaborative disposition, eager to partner with colleagues and parents to enhance the school environment.
• Demonstrated success elevating the achievement levels of a diverse student body.
• Massachusetts State teacher certification in Elementary, 1-6 preferred. 
• A strong work ethic, alongside a commitment to doing whatever it takes for students to excel.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, alongside the ability to establish and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships with a diverse staff and student body.

Cambridge Public Schools is committed to slowing and/or stopping the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, as a condition of employment with Cambridge Public Schools, all new hires will be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 no later than their first day of work. Written requests for either a religious exemption from this requirement based on sincerely held religious beliefs, or for a medical exemption based upon clear documentation from a medical provider should be submitted to the attention of the Chief Talent Officer.

How to Join Our Team:

Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills, experience, and commitment to equity in education meet the qualifications of the position as well as stating how you heard about this opportunity. 

At the Cambridge Public Schools, we are committed to cultivating an environment where diverse perspectives and backgrounds are embraced, acknowledging that a team reflecting diversity of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, and veteran status allows us to serve our communities better. To that end, we welcome and encourage applicants to bring their authentic selves when considering employment opportunities within our school district.