Pre-K Spanish/Music Teacher - Uncommon Schools NYC

Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing, public charter schools providing an outstanding K-12 education in historically under-resourced communities. We have proudly built schools that reflect our student population, with more than 60% of our teachers and staff across our network identifying as a person of color. Uncommon currently manages 52 schools serving more than 19,000 students in five cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark and Rochester. We are proud that Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at five times the rate of their peers nationally. We achieve this by offering strong academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional learning that prepares students for success in college and beyond.

Uncommon Pre-K Teachers cultivate a love for learning in every student from the very start. Our teachers and students engage in a learning environment that fosters curiosity, achievement, respect, and empathy (CARE). Our classrooms are engaging, intentional and playful.  We have built a community where teachers encourage our core values of respect and hard work while celebrating the uniqueness of each student and laying the academic foundations that carry students to and through college. Our classrooms are led by teaching teams that consist of a lead teacher and apprentice teacher.

Instruction

• You will maintain a rotating schedule to teach both performing arts & Spanish to two pre-K cohorts.
• Create a scope & sequence that is aligned with the general education thematic units.
• Work with the director to create a performance calendar.

Intervention & Data Analysis

• You'll meet weekly with your director to analyze and respond to trends in student work samples and assessments.
•  You'll learn and implement strategies to differentiate instruction for all learners in your classroom.

 Classroom Culture

• Implement instructional model and collaborate with instructional coach/director to ensure students are achieving academic and performance goals
• Use multiple data sources (assessments, classroom quality observations, and other data collections) to make day-by-day decisions about instruction (reflective) 
• Provide early-learning experiences that contribute to children’s positive feelings about school, teachers, and their communities (nurturing)
• Support children’s development across social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and academic competencies (balanced)
• Apply a variety of strategies to promote both concept and skill development
• Provide modeling and support for children’s expressive and receptive language throughout the school day.

Support & School Culture

• You will support classroom coverage as needed.
• You’ll build positive relationships with students to ensure they feel seen, loved, and heard.
• You’ll partner with students’ families to ensure appropriate resources are available to support their children’s learning needs.
• You'll engage in practice-based professional development, mentorship, and coaching sessions.
• You’ll support morning arrival, lunch duty, student assemblies, class transitions, and after-school dismissal.
• You'll participate in weekly, school-wide meetings to foster community, model our core values, and encourage student achievement.
• You'll partner with your teaching partner and grade level team to develop academic goals and practice instructional strategies.

• A commitment to the mission of Uncommon Schools and investment in our vision for being an anti-racist organization
• A demonstrated commitment to supporting students’ social emotional and academic development
• An enthusiasm for working with families in the best interest of students
• A self-directed learner who solicits and implements feedback to improve outcomes and achieve objectives

Required Experience

• A demonstrated interest in impacting pre-K-12 students in urban schools and communities (1-2 years experience preferred).
• Academic expertise in early childhood education.
• Music or performing arts background.
• Preferred Spanish speaking or fluent.
•  Prior to the start of employment, you must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Certification is not required to be hired at Uncommon, but you do need to meet NY state certification eligibility requirements. 
  1. To meet these requirements, you must enroll in a teacher preparation program and maintain a GPA of 2.75 or higher during your employment with us if you do not have a degree in education. 
  2. Uncommon Schools teachers are required to become certified in the state of New York within a reasonable period after beginning employment.

Compensation for this position: The starting compensation for this role is between $65,000 to $103,900.  The starting pay will depend on various factors including but not limited to relevant professional experience, education, certifications, and tenure with Uncommon Schools.  Because we value staff tenure in a role, we do not currently cap salary ranges for current staff members. 

We offer competitive compensation  and comprehensive benefits that support the personal health, wellness, and finances of our staff and their families.  

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building an exceptional team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. We also strive to ensure an inclusive community by creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students. As an equal opportunity employer, Uncommon provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We also ensure that individuals with disabilities receive all privileges and benefits associated with employment and are provided reasonable accommodations for the interview process and to perform core job functions. If you would like to request an accommodation, please email recruitment@uncommonschools.org.