High School English Teacher

POSITION: English Teacher

JOIN OUR TEAM for 2025-26!!

At Charter Arts, creativity and community abound!

Help us ensure that ALL of our students have access to a rigorous and engaging learning environment in a creative, inclusive, and collaborative arts high school.

VISION: To develop the next generation of collaborative artists and innovative thinkers who will impact the world with their unique vision and voice.

MISSION: Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts provides a unique environment that fosters a creative, academic approach to learning and a development of talent in the arts. Built upon passion, discipline and a commitment to excellence this integrated educational experience inspires all students to believe in themselves and what they can accomplish.

APPLY: Copy and paste this link into your web browser to apply online, https://www.applitrack.com/charterarts/onlineapp or send resume and supporting documents to jobs@charterarts.org.

Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts (Charter Arts) is a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt corporation founded in 1998. Charter Arts is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.

Job/Position Specific Requirements:

• Bachelors in Secondary English (Master’s Preferred) with PA English 7-12 certification required
• FBI Criminal and PA State Police Background checks required
• Strong classroom management skills required
• Experience engaging students in creative classroom lessons and projects that are aligned to students artistic backgrounds, strengths, and varied learning styles
• Background in teaching Advanced Placement (AP) courses preferred
• Ability to develop a balanced instructional program and lead a discussion or Socratic Seminar preferred
• Other appropriate activities designed to encourage pupils to develop skills, draw conclusions, achieve improved interpersonal relationships, and make value judgments based on inquiry and critical thinking
• Understands and embraces teaching, learning, and assessment through the lens of equity, inclusion, and social justice

Reporting Relationship(s): English Department Chair, Principal

JOB PURPOSE

At Charter Arts, we know that relationships come before content, and students are more likely to learn when they are positively engaged in class with a teacher and peers with whom they have positive relationships. Teachers are expected to create safe spaces where students feel comfortable sharing their voices as equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility are organizational imperatives. Therefore, it is a teacher's purpose and responsibility to plan for and facilitate community-building within their classrooms, create collaborative and arts-integrated curriculum and learning experiences, and challenge student thinking in new and innovative ways while aligning instruction to state core and artistic standards. Further, a teacher’s job is to ensure that learning is occurring by assessing, monitoring, intervening, and supporting students' individual growth and mastery. Teachers must meet their students’ needs academically, socially, and emotionally and are expected to be reflective practitioners always striving to improve their instruction, classroom experience, and contribute to Charter Arts’ vision and mission.

Essential functions of the job may include but are not limited to the following:

Domain 1: Planning and Preparation

• Develops plans, lessons, and instructional materials that facilitate active learning; maintains up-to-date lesson plans, unit plans, and scope and sequence documents for all courses taught; shares this information with department and school leadership as requested
• Aligns curriculum and instruction with the PA Core Standards and, when applicable, artistic-specific standards
• Provides a course syllabus to all students at the beginning of the year to outline each course taught, which includes an overview of learning standards, objectives, and content covered, grading expectations, etc.
• Demonstrates knowledge of students by conducting interest inventories and preparing lessons that tap into these student interests
• Provides a variety of learning materials and resources for use in various educational activities
• Ensures that all planned instructional lessons, activities, and assessments are rigorous and challenging for all students, differentiating when necessary to meet the needs of individuals or groups of students
• Collects and analyzes data (formative and summative) to reflect on past instruction and uses this information as the basis for future instructional decision-making as appropriate, including student mid/end of year course surveys

Domain 2: Classroom Environment

• Develops and maintains a positive rapport with students from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and ability groups
• Demonstrates passion for learning, content area, and artistic collaboration that inspires a rigorous culture of learning for all students
• Prepares the classroom and physical space for activities that are conducive to actively engaging learners
• Collaborates with students on the development of classroom procedures, norms, and expectations to ensure student behavior in the classroom is supportive of a quality learning environment
• Manage and maintain student behavior by enforcing and reinforcing school and classroom rules and procedures that are in alignment with those of the mission and vision of the school
• Communicates necessary information regularly to students, colleagues, parents, and school administration regarding student progress and needs
• Establishes and communicates clear learning objectives for all learning activities
• Holds students accountable for their words and actions in clear and appropriate ways
• Communicates expectations with students in a supportive way, and keeps lines of communication open at all times in order to model appropriate, mature communication to our students
• Maintains a safe classroom environment that complies with current CDC recommendations and communicates classroom safety needs to the school safety coordinator, safety team, or direct supervisor
• Create and manage a caring, supportive, purposeful, and stimulating environment for ALL students

Domain 3: Instruction

• Ensures that students are active participants in their own education
• Encourages and monitors the progress of individual students and use of information to adjust teaching plans and strategies according to students needs
• Uses relevant technology to support and differentiate instruction
• Approaches both lesson planning and instruction with flexibility and responsiveness during in person instruction and/or remote instruction
• Provides appropriate critique and feedback to students on their work and/or performance
• Observes and evaluates student’s tasks, performances, and assessments and development and provides support and coaching as necessary
• Utilizes the full instructional period and paces instruction to ensure students have the time, space and attention to engage with content and learn from and with one another
• Provides substitute plans, class rosters, and seating charts for all absences
• Alerts the necessary stakeholders when students are not meeting academic expectations through the established procedures within the school.

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

• Enhance the attainment of the district’s mission, vision, expectations, and goals
• Maintains accurate and complete records of students’ progress and development; assigns and grades class work, homework, projects, and performances weekly as identified in the employee manual and updates PowerSchool weekly to reflect this information to all stakeholders
• Updates all necessary records, contact logs, etc. accurately and completely as required by laws and school policies and regulations
• Continually reflects on instructional practices to better improve on both instruction and the classroom environment for students; receptive to feedback and critique from colleagues, department leadership, and school administration
• Maintains a positive, can do attitude and problem-solving mentality as problems arise
• Communicates creative ideas and solutions to their department director/chair or a member of the administrative team as applicable to promote continuous improvement at all levels of the organization
• Participates in appropriate professional development activities
• Completes evaluation materials in a through and timely manner to the best of their ability using the chosen evaluation system
• Promptly responds to administrative emails, communications, and requests
• Proactively encourages parent and community involvement in the classroom and promptly returns and documents parent/guardian phone calls and emails
• Collaborates with department personnel, colleagues, and school administration to ensure that students with IEPs and 504s have access to an inclusive education and that their needs are being met as outlined; work with outside educational agencies when appropriate
• Participates in department, school, district, and parent meetings
• Seeks out and participates in professional development opportunities to support their professional interests and to maintain active and valid PA certification
• Other as assigned based upon the needs of the students and school

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• BA/BS or advanced degree from an accredited institution and/or related field
• For all teaching positions, candidates must hold a valid and active PA certification or be willing to attain a certification through alternative means, including an intern certification program, or with an emergency certification and maintenance of required credits
• Candidates from diverse backgrounds are welcomed and encouraged to apply
• Ability to establish and maintain positive, cooperative, and effective working relationships with others
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing
• Ability to follow written and verbal directions using correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling. Ability to interpret, analyze and problem solve both written and verbal communications.
• Perform all other related work delegated or required to accomplish the objectives of the total school program.
• Must have and maintain high expectations for self and all students and team members
• Ability to work in an artistic high school environment
• Demonstrates creativity and leadership.
• All employees are expected to be active change agents with an equity based, innovative mindset, for advancing the future of their students and departments.
• Knowledge and implementation of relevant technology.
• Schedule: This position is a full-time 10 month position with a generous benefits package.
• The Charter Arts school day requires full-time employees to be present from 8:15 am - 3:30 pm; hours may need to adjust or flex depending on the needs of the specific position as outlined by the direct supervisor.
• All employees must be willing and able to work outside of regular school hours, including nights and weekends, when necessary and/or when outlined by the supervisor to help support the mission and vision of the school.

PHYSICAL QUALIFICATIONS:

This list covers the most significant essential and marginal functions but does not exclude other occasional responsibilities and accountabilities, the inclusion of which would be in conformity with the major purpose of this job.

• Ability to operate office/classroom equipment
• Ability to use computer technology and other technology as appropriate for the specified position
• Must appropriately handle confidential information; ability to use computers and other AV equipment for group meetings, presentations, projectors, and video equipment
• Physical ability to: Sit 40%; Walk/Stand: 55%; Drive 5%
• Manual dexterity for repetitive movement of fingers and hands for keyboarding
• Ability to lift objects of moderate weight from 15 to 30 pounds

Notes:

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

Once your application is reviewed, you may be contacted for a phone interview. Final interview candidates are required to submit up-to-date Act 168, I9, state and federal criminal background checks, and a child abuse clearance to be considered for employment at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. If an applicant is unable to provide these documents upon request, the candidate will not be offered a position. All application materials will be saved for a period of up to three years.

Since we are hiring for various positions, it may take us some time to review your application materials and begin the interview process for the position for which you applied.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Physical Setting:

• Charter school

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person