Resident Teacher - Job Description

The School

Nashville Classical East opened in July 2013 with one grade, Kindergarten. Since then, the school has grown to enroll 550 scholars in Grades K-8 and become the city’s most popular elementary school, enrolling families from 26 unique Zip Codes.

In 2023, the organization grew with the opening of Nashville Classical West. In 23-24, NC West served one grade, kindergarten, and will grow to also serve grades K-8 in the years ahead.

In the past five years, Nashville Classical Charter Schools has been:

• Named the city’s best nonprofit by the Nashville Business Journal 
• Named a Tennessee Reward School by the TN Department of Education
• Achieved top 5% growth in the state in both Math and ELA
• Awarded 3 Blue Ribbon Awards for Teaching Excellence: Most in the city! 
• Profiled inThe Tennessean, Newsweek, and in Doug Lemov’s recent books,Teach Like A Champion 3.0 and Reconnect.

Read more in our annual report, here. 

Nashville Classical’s Resident Teacher Position 

Nashville Classical’s Teaching Residency provides a strategic on-ramp to certified teaching by offering a paid resident year, the guidance of a lead mentor teacher, reimbursed teacher certification and the opportunity to work hard, have fun and make history with the Nashville Classical team. 

Who could be a resident teacher? Do you already work with kids, but didn’t major in education? Maybe you studied education, but never earned your teaching license? Or you are ready for a career change, and want to have an impact on your community as an educator. If so, the resident teacher role could be ideal for you. 

In Year 1, Resident Teachers: 

• Work under the guidance of a Lead Mentor Teacher 
• Assume a scaffolded increase in teaching responsibilities - gradually taking on teaching mini-lessons, small groups, full lessons and coverage duties
• Enroll in a teacher licensure program at either Relay Graduate School of Education or Lipscomb University and progress toward earning a teaching license 
• Internalize and execute common curricula, including unit plans, lesson plans and materials 
• Implement school-wide systems for scholar culture 
• Communicate regularly with families and attend quarterly family eventsin the evenings, such as Report Card Conferences, Cultural Heritage Nights, etc.
• Commit to a daily schedule of 7:17am-3:37pm
• Commit to ongoing professional development, including until 4:30pm once weekly 
• Commit to attending 3 weeks of summer professional development starting July 15th, 2024.
• Do whatever it takes to achieve the mission of Nashville Classical

The Qualifications

The ideal resident teacher candidate possesses:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Commitment to obtain a Tennessee teaching license through graduate coursework
• A 2.75 undergraduate GPA to meet the eligibility requirements for enrollment in the teacher residency programs at Relay Graduate School of Education or Lipscomb University
• Passed Criminal Background Check 
• Experience working with elementary or middle school aged students in a culturally and socioeconomically diverse community (highly preferred)

The Competencies 

The ideal candidate is:

• Adaptable
• Attentive to Detail
• Enthusiastic
• Proactive
• An eager listener
• Open to feedback
• Committed to building a diverse community

Program Overview

See the NCCS Resident Teacher Program Overview linked here for more details about the program. 
(Note: It is highly encouraged for applicants to read this document thoroughly before applying to the program and beginning the interview process).

Teacher Licensure and Reimbursement

The NCCS teacher residency is offered in partnership with programs at Relay Graduate School of Education or Lipscomb University. NCCS also offers $14,000 in total tuition reimbursement over 3 years for residents enrolled and in good academic standing with Relay or Lipscomb. By the end of 3 years, residents have the opportunity to earn their Tennessee Practitioner Teaching License. Further details can be found in the Program Overview linked above.  

Compensation and Benefits 

Resident teachers earn a base salary of $46,500 in addition to the tuition reimbursement for 24-25. 

Residents can select from three generous medical plans and are eligible for full state retirement benefits. Please see our current23-24 Teacher Salary Scale and Benefits Summary for details, including benefits available to residents and salary scale for licensed lead teachers to which residents can progress in year 2 of the program. The position will follow a 10-month schedule.

Nashville Classical also offers all employees a Macbook computer, all necessary classroom supplies, and a $500 discretionary budget for classroom purchases.