ELA & Reading ESOL Teacher

Global Village Project was founded in 2009 as a model for innovative, equitable refugee education. As the only school in the U.S. for refugee girls, we aim to remove the barriers to students’ learning and amplify their voices as creative young leaders. Our full-day academic program serves up to 50 refugee young women from Clarkston, Georgia, and is designed specifically for their needs as English language learners, with trauma-informed practices and restorative justice at its center. In the 2026/27 school year, GVP will relocate to a bigger campus in Decatur, with a capacity to reach up to 100 students each school year. We are a team of educators, of lifelong learners, and of people who care deeply about girls’ education, and together we are building a multicultural, multilingual community of students and staff. 

ABOUT THE ROLE

As GVP’s ELA (English Language Arts) & Reading ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Teacher, you will plan and deliver English Language Arts and Reading classes to our Form 2 (intermediate) and Form 3 (advanced) students with attention to English literacy development across four domains: reading (decoding and comprehension), writing, listening, and speaking. You will collaborate with the Education Team to design and deliver classes in support of higher-order thinking, social & emotional learning, and increased academic independence for all students. Our small class sizes and attention to individual student strengths and needs positions us to know and serve our students, and teachers also enjoy a balance of instructional and planning time. As the ELA & Reading ESOL teacher, you will have the opportunity to build strong and impactful relationships with students, to support whole-child development, and to use data to inform instruction and curriculum design.

Your key responsibilities include:

• Teach English Language Arts and Guided Reading classes
• Note that while our students’ academic levels vary each year, our current Form 2 reads in a range from lower- to middle-elementary levels, and our current Form 3 reads in a range from middle- to upper-elementary levels.
• Facilitate Homeroom three mornings a week and serve as Form 3 advisor
• Document curriculum and instruction and create differentiated units of study and lesson plans for students
• Manage volunteers in a classroom setting
• Lead a weekly elective class
• Collaborate with faculty on curriculum development for Guided Reading classes and integrated units of study
• Integrate arts, social and emotional learning, and restorative practices into curriculum and instruction
• Attend meetings and contribute to staff professional development sessions. 
• Maintain state teaching certification
• Collaborate with staff, families, and community partners to provide culturally responsive, real-world learning experiences
• Contribute to a culture that values community, collaboration, and lifelong learning

ABOUT YOU

• You possess valid, current Georgia Teaching Certification (elementary or secondary) with an ESOL endorsement
• You have 3 or more years of classroom experience working with refugees, immigrants, or English-language learners, and/or students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE), with a demonstrated record of success
• Your approach is relational, strengths-based, and trauma-informed; you see yourself not only as a teacher of content but a teacher of young people. You understand that for students, relationships come first–and that care and trust make learning possible
• You plan thoughtful, intentional lessons informed by student data, deliver instruction that is both challenging and accessible, and reflect meaningfully on your teaching practice
• You bring a lens of cultural humility and a dedication to equitable and inclusive practices. We are a team that cares deeply for one another, and that constantly strives to encourage and hold one another accountable to our culture agreements and core values
• You have excellent interpersonal skills, especially in your work with multilingual, multicultural communities and a personal commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice
• You are self-motivated and have proactive commitment to ongoing learning and improvement, both as an individual and as part of a whole staff team

Ideal candidates will also have:

• Experience teaching reading using Fountas & Pinnell and/or Orton-Gillingham approaches and materials (in this role, you will use both)
• Experience using WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessments) and/or SIOP (Sheltered Inclusion Observation Protocol) with English-language learners.
• Experience teaching emergent literacy with teenage students
• Passion for empowering and educating refugee young women who face structural barriers to their education
• Experience with restorative practices in response to behavior and conflict

DETAILS & BENEFITS

Location: This position is onsite at our campus in Decatur, GA.

Job Type: Full-time exempt

Salary: $50,000-52,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

GVP provides the opportunity to work within a vibrant community dedicated to teaching and learning, social justice, and service. We are located in downtown Decatur, across the street from the Decatur MARTA station. The position requires a criminal background check. Primary elements of the benefits package include:

• 10 days of paid time off per year in addition to ~20 paid staff holidays during the school year (late July to late May), with the expectation of 40 hours of remote work to plan and prepare classes over the summer
• Health insurance, including optional dental and vision coverage, combined with an additional Health Reimbursement Arrangement plan
• SIMPLE IRA Retirement Plan with 2% guaranteed employer contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Life insurance
• Support for professional development opportunities

HIRING PROCESS

Interested candidates should upload their resume and cover letter to the ELA & Guided Reading ESOL Teacher Application Form with a priority deadline of April 20, 2025. Note that we are a small nonprofit with limited staff capacity; please do not call or email about this position, and please do not send materials outside of applying through the provided link.

Applications will be reviewed beginning April 21, with interviews planned to begin in late April/early May. Interviews will include a Zoom screening. Finalists for the position will be invited to a 2-part, in-person interview: a demo lesson for current GVP students, followed by questions and conversation with our Director of Education & Programs and members of the Education Team. Our hope is to fill the position by May 23, 2025, with a start date of July 28, 2025.

GVP is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, social class, marital status, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. 

We are committed to creating access for all qualified individuals in the hiring process, including but not limited to those with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the application or interview process, please contact hiring@globalvillageproject.org.