What are the responsibilities and job description for the Upper School - Spanish position at MONTVERDE ACADEMY?
The Upper School Spanish teacher develops students to be competent and proficient language and culture learners. They should be equipped to teach all levels of Spanish, from introductory courses to AP Spanish Language and Culture and AP Spanish Literature, as well as courses designed for native and heritage Spanish speakers. Additionally, they will serve as a student advisor for a group of students and assume other related duties as assigned by the Assistant Head of School/Dean of the Upper School. This is position works 10-month position.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Create a student-centered learning atmosphere that fosters critical thinking, inquisitive learning, and a positive classroom environment that encourages student participation and discussion.
- Be capable of teaching Spanish at all levels, from introductory courses to advanced/AP Spanish, and may also be assigned to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.
- Plan weekly and engaging lessons that provide practical and real-life knowledge to learn Spanish language and culture.
- Create and provide a variety of assessments to evaluate and meet the needs of diverse language learning styles.
- Collaborate with colleagues to develop inter-departmental and cross-disciplinary projects and initiatives, including collaborating with the middle and lower school divisions on curriculum and instruction where appropriate.
- Design and implement engaging lesson plans that align with ACTFL standards and prepare students for success in Spanish language proficiency.
- Actively support students, providing mentorship and academic guidance.
- Communicate effectively with students, parents, and colleagues regarding academic progress.
- Commit to professional development to improve teaching and learning, incorporate new and diverse educational technology, and to reflect and improve upon methodologies related to the content area
- Use the assigned Learning Management System (Canvas) to organize lessons, content, provide feedback, and communicate academic expectations and timelines to students.
- Maintain complete and accurate records of student attendance and progress.
- Adhere to MVA’s standards for faculty members as outlined in the MVA Employee Handbooks.
Skills and Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Spanish, Spanish Education, or a related field is required
- Fluency or near-native fluency in Spanish and English.
- Proficiency in Spanish curriculum creation and instruction.
- Experience with technology integration in the classroom to enhance learning
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Outstanding interpersonal skills with proven success of working collaboratively with students, faculty, staff, parents and community leaders
- Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize a multitude of tasks by volume, urgency, etc.
- Strong work ethic and high level of integrity
Preferred Qualifications:
- A master’s degree in Spanish, Spanish Education, or a related field
- 3-5 years of teaching experience
- Training in AP curriculum development and exam preparation.
- Ability to contribute meaningfully to extracurricular programming
- Experience working in an independent boarding / day school
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands, fingers to handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and taste or smell.
- The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
- Must be able to access and navigate each department at the Academy’s facilities.
