Humanities Teacher and Advisor

HUMANITIES TEACHER & ADVISOR JOB DESCRIPTION

Updated: January 2025

Community Prep School is a free, public high school for students at risk of dropping out of school. We are located at 332 E. Willamette Ave, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903 and serve approximately 160 high school students. The school is authorized by Colorado Springs District 11 and opened in 1995 as the first charter school in Colorado Springs.

We offer students a rigorous, relevant, and engaging education so they are empowered with the skills needed to graduate prepared for success in college and careers. Our vision is the realization of successful engagement in life, career, and community. Our school mission is to respect each individual, cultivate authentic passions, and activate purposeful plans for life.

I. QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must have a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in a humanities related field of study.
• Must be willing to work towards a Colorado teaching license with support from school administration.

II. EMPLOYMENT STATUS:

This is a full-time, exempt, at-will position. The Humanities Teacher/Advisor reports directly to the High School Principal.

III. JOB GOALS:

1.) Humanities Teacher: Teaching Reading, Writing and Communicating with a focus on increasing literacy. Teaching Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and Civics course, based on Colorado Department of Education requirements for graduation.

Three to six, 45 min periods per day M-Th (no school on Friday): Use project-based learning (PBL) to facilitate literacy, collaborative thinking and inquiry. Assist students in developing individualized projects that make use of the reading, writing, and communicating competencies and connect to their career goals and/or interests. Community Prep School is transitioning to a competency-based learning/assessment system, and the focus of this class should be to leverage English, Social Studies, and Civics (and PBL) as a vehicle for teaching students how to become better readers, writers, researchers, communicators, and thinkers. A student-centered approach is requisite.

2.) Advisor: Managing and implementing personal learning plans for students based on their career interests or goals. Overseeing student internships, meeting with mentors, and following Advisory curriculum (used school wide) to help prepare students for graduation and beyond.

Four periods a day on M/Th, one period on T/W: Develop deep relationships with students and a very personal understanding of their strengths, needs, interests, career goals, etc. Assist students in finding an internship (and mentors), and then oversee that process from beginning to end. Serve as your advisees’ ambassador and guide to success both inside and outside the

building.

IV. POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Humanities
• Reinforce positive student behaviors and manage/redirect those not conducive to a safe, engaging, or productive learning environment
• Develop competency-based grading system and implement authentic assessments–formative and summative–effectively and routinely, and provide timely feedback to students to drive their learning forward
• Engage students in rigorous and relevant learning tasks that promote daily reading, writing, thinking, and speaking
• Allow students regular opportunities to collaborate and engage in academic conversation, even in a highly individualized learning environment
• Utilize the workshop model of instruction: start each class with a “hook”/do now and skill-based mini lesson, provide time for students to collaborate and/or engage independently, and then end with a meaningful debrief of learning
• Help transition to a curriculum-free environment in which students themselves ARE the curriculum; assist them in choosing/developing personal projects and self-evaluating process and product
• Collaborate with instructional leadership and other teaching staff to maximize efficacy and demonstrate continual growth
• Manage and keep current the grading system so advisors can have regular check-ins with their advisees
• Advisory:
• Develop caring and supportive relationships with individual advisees and their families
• Foster group cohesion through discussion circles and engaging team-building activities
• Expose advisees to new ideas, places, and people to expand interests
• Conduct frequent & intentional 1:1 meetings with advisees
• Support advisees in identifying/pursuing post-high school pathways
• Work to connect each advisee to a mentor in their interest area(s), and then manage the internship process by supporting them both throughout
• Instruct advisees on quarterly exhibition preparation and presentation
• Guide advisees through the process of creating an ongoing portfolio of learning
• Manage advisees’ competency-based transcripts diligently and update them regularly

V. OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Selecting books, software, videos, online activities and gathering outside materials/resources relevant to student needs or interests
• Taking attendance, documenting student progress, and participating in meetings with high school staff to discuss students, reports and data
• Providing timely written or verbal communication to all stakeholders, including students, parents/guardians, administration, other staff members, and the community
• Participating in at least one high school committee
• Ensuring compliance with board and school policies
• Maintaining an overall safe and clean classroom environment
• Compiling, preparing, and maintaining accurate records and data for grant reporting (with support from Principal and Executive Director)
• Handling multiple responsibilities simultaneously
• Employing current technology skills that includes but is not limited to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Suite, etc.
• Performing additional duties as assigned. This may include, but is not limited to, lunch duty, supervision of students, participation in after-school activities, and leadership conferences/trainings

VI. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Tasks will require frequent sitting, standing or walking, and may include extended periods of time sitting at a keyboard or standing in a classroom or business setting.
• Tasks require dexterity in the use of fingers, limbs, or body in the operation of all equipment related to nurse aide skills or office equipment.
• Tasks may require participation in virtual meetings, interviews, or conferences for extended periods of time.
• Tasks may require driving a personal vehicle to community events, business meetings, stores (for purchasing items), or evaluating a student internship location.
• Tasks may require occasional overnight travel for conferences or visiting other schools in the network for professional development.

VII. MISSION ALIGNMENT:

Mission-aligned members of the CPS community:

• Dedicate themselves to the school’s mission and vision, adopting a “whatever-it-takes” attitude in helping our students succeed.
• Understand that relationships are essential to working with students who have been disengaged from their education and are at-risk of dropping out of school. Staff members pursue appropriate and healthy relationships with students, including advocating for them and their success.
• Believe our students have strengths and assets, and build on these strengths in their work.
• Oversee open and consistent communication with students and their families about their academic progress, health success and needs, parenting success and needs, individual graduation plans, and college planning. Also communicate proactively with colleagues about student needs to ensure integrated support.
• Maintain a positive attitude and a solution-based approach to challenges in the workplace.
• Are committed to restorative justice as a means of addressing conflicts or challenges in the community, whether between students, staff members, or students and staff members.
• Are committed to inclusive excellence. This means they are willing to engage in conversations about privilege, power, equality, and diversity, and are willing to invest time in community-building and professional development based on inclusive excellence.
• Are active participants in a supportive and demanding professional community that fosters respect, trust, honesty, risk-taking, open-mindedness, flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

VIII. APPLICATION PROCESS:

To apply for the position of Humanities Teacher/Advisor, submit a cover letter and resume (with references) to Gabrielle Gaye. Salary range is $45,000-$55,000 with benefits (health, dental, vision, retirement and paid time off). Salary is commensurate with experience. In the cover letter (no more than 2 pages), applicants should address the following questions:

1. Why are you interested in working at Community Prep School?2. What role do you think the community can play in educating and preparing students for their future?3. How can schools best find a balance between setting high academic expectations for individual students and supporting these students by “meeting them wherever they are at” in life?

Gabrielle Gaye |

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $45,000.00 - $55,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Physical Setting:

• Charter school

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Ability to Relocate:

• Colorado Springs, CO 80903: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $45,000 - $55,000