Position: SEI Teacher, ESL & Reading/Humanities, Grades 6-8

ELL Department/Vassal Lane Upper School

Overview of Cambridge Public Schools

The Cambridge Public Schools (CPS), in partnership with our families and community, provides all students with rigorous, joyful, and culturally responsive learning as well as the social, emotional, and academic supports each student needs to achieve their goals and post-secondary success as engaged community members. CPS students and staff, as members of a learning organization engaged in continuous improvement, will demonstrate a growth mindset and embrace risk taking and innovation.

About 8,000 students choose CPS each year, and our diverse student enrollment continues to rise. Over 30% of CPS students speak a language other than English at home, and over 70 languages are spoken by our families. Among the most common are Spanish, Haitian Creole, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, and Portuguese. Our schools proudly embrace this diversity.

The Role:

The teacher will be responsible for teaching ESL and Humanities to Grades 6-8 English Learners (ELs) in the Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) program at Vassal Lane Upper School. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with their grade level colleagues in general education and with the SEI team on instructional initiatives such as planning instruction with the use of the WIDA ELL Standards, the Massachusetts State Frameworks, and the Next Generation ESL Curriculum. They will set high expectations for all students and utilize the SIOP framework to plan instruction that includes scaffolding and differentiation to support students. The successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning, improving, reflecting, and working together to ensure all students learn at high levels. To this end, the ideal candidate will demonstrate a commitment to partnering with diverse families and creating a classroom environment that fosters mutual respect and cultural sensitivity.

Your Skill Set:

As the incoming SEI ESL Teacher you will possess many, though perhaps not all, of the following characteristics and qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree in Education from an accredited college or university, with courses in second language acquisition and/or applied linguistics 
• Massachusetts teacher licensure in ESL 6-12 required
• At least 1 year experience working in a linguistically diverse or urban setting preferred 
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills 
• A passion for education
• Familiarity with or willingness to learn to access data in educational systems such as Google Suite for Education, Aspen, ELLevation, and SchoolCity
• A willingness to engage in further training and coursework to build instructional capacity to meet the needs of all learners 
• Culturally responsive and attentive the needs of diverse families and educators
• Proficiency in English and fluency in a language other than English (Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin, Haitian Creole, Somali, Arabic, or other language) preferred, but not required

Cambridge Public Schools is committed to slowing and/or stopping the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, as a condition of employment with Cambridge Public Schools, all new hires will be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 no later than their first day of work.

How to Join Our Team:

Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills, experience, and commitment to equity in education meet the qualifications of the position as well as stating how you heard about this opportunity.

At the Cambridge Public Schools, we are committed to cultivating an environment where diverse perspectives and backgrounds are embraced, acknowledging that a team reflecting diversity of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, and veteran status allows us to serve our communities better. To that end, we welcome and encourage applicants to bring their authentic selves when considering employment opportunities within our school district.