Humanities Teacher

Middle and High School Humanities Teacher Job Description

New Mexico Academy for Media Arts is a free, public charter school located at located at 4401 Central Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 serving 150 middle and high school students. Our school offers secondary students a comprehensive, project-based, cross-curricular education centered in the media arts. We prepare our graduates for positions in the media industries and for the rigor of post-secondary education.

Employment Status

One Opening is available: One Full Time Middle and High School Humanities Teacher. This is a full-time, exempt, at-will position. The Middle and High School Humanities Teacher reports directly to the Principal. Anticipated Start Date is Immediately Upon Hire.

Position Overview: The Humanities Teacher is responsible for teaching a double-block Humanities class five days a week using Project-Based Learning. Humanities at New Mexico Academy of Media Arts integrates social studies and English Language Arts; all Humanities classes include a heavy focus on basic reading and writing skills.

Specific job responsibilities are as follows:

• Develop nine-week and/or semester thematic units for Humanities classes using the backwards design model in which planning follows these three steps: 1) identifying standards-aligned desired results (in terms of acquisition, meaning, and transfer); 2) designing performance tasks/assessments that provide evidence of learning; and 3) creating a learning plan. Humanities units must integrate Language Arts and Social Studies standards.
• Deliver daily Humanities lessons that are engaging, relevant, and rigorous.
• Understand and apply effective strategies for intervention and differentiation in the classroom, including serving English language learners and students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).
• Embed opportunities for student critical-thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity, as well as use of technology and digital media, into all lesson and unit plans.
• Integrate reading and writing into every class taught, every day.
• Maintain strong classroom management and hold students accountable for upholding school rules, student-developed norms, and classroom expectations.
• Serve as an advisor to a group of multi-age students who you meet with daily and to whom you provide support. Develop a sense of community within the advisory group and implement any advisory curriculum. Mentor and support these students’ development of academic and social and emotional skills to ensure they stay on track to graduation. Provide education and coaching for students around goal-setting and development of non-cognitive skills such as perseverance, courage, and more. Celebrate student success at least weekly.

Mission-Aligned Members of Our Community:

• Understand that relationships are the key to success in working with students. Staff members pursue appropriate and healthy relationships with students, including advocating for them and their success.
• Believe our students have strengths and assets and work to build on these strengths in their work.
• Maintain a positive attitude and a solution-based approach to challenges in the work place.
• Maintain open and consistent communication with students and their families about their academic progress, health, success, and needs, individual graduation plans, and college planning.
• Also communicate proactively with colleagues about student needs to ensure integrated support.
• Believe all students deserve an opportunity and are capable of pursuing post-secondary education and careers of their choice.
• Are committed to restorative justice as a mean of addressing conflicts or challenges in the community, whether between students, staff members, or students and staff members.
• Are committed to inclusive excellence.
• Are active participants in a supportive professional community that fosters respect, trust, honesty, risk-taking, open-mindedness, flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Operate in a demanding but rewarding environment that requires staff to be flexible problem solvers who manage ambiguity and challenges well.
• Dedicate themselves to the school’s mission and vision, adopting a “whatever-it-takes” attitude in helping our students succeed.
• Engage in rigorous professional development to build on both personal and school wide strengths and areas of growth to promote the school’s mission and vision.

Qualifications

The humanities teacher is expected to:

• Have three to five years of experience successfully teaching in a public school or public charter school, including a track record of dramatically improving student achievement.
• Have a Bachelor’s degree in English/Language Arts and/or History.
• Possess a Level II Teaching License with Endorsements in English Language Arts and Social Studies.
• Pass a background check as a requisite to employment.
• Be a highly collaborative, results-oriented, adaptable, problem-solving self-starter.
• Embrace using data to inform instructional planning and practice. Comfortable using Google Docs, Google Classroom, Microsoft Excel, sharing and analyzing student performance results, and humility in constantly working to improve instructional practices.
• Experience in standards-based, backwards planning.
• Experience working in a dynamic school or related demanding environment.
• Be positive, thoughtful, passionate, motivating, and empowering with students.
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Be computer savvy, with proficiency in email, word processing, spreadsheets, etc.
• Ideally have experience using PowerSchool.

Application Process

To apply for the Middle and High School Humanities Teacher position, submit a cover letter and resume. In the cover letter, applicants are expected to address why they are interested in working at New Mexico Academy for the Media Arts. Strong applicants will be invited to interview. School will accept applications until positions are filled.