Position Description: 

Position Title: Middle School Teacher

FLSA Classification: Exempt, academic-year (10-month) position 

Reports To: Middle School Director

Hours: 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. 

Position: 

The Post Oak School is seeking a passionate and innovative middle school teacher who is familiar with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and inquiry-based teaching and learning. The ideal candidate will be comfortable teaching multiple scientific disciplines including physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences. The ability to integrate learning objectives in an interdisciplinary fashion by collaborating closely with colleagues in other subject areas is preferred. In our mixed-age setting, teachers’ mentor and coach students in an environment fostering independence and self-direction. Post Oak teachers create curriculum as they work directly within the community and understand the interests and needs of their students. 

We are deeply committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) and are particularly interested in applicants who: 

• come from diverse backgrounds
• can participate within a diverse community of faculty and staff
• can contribute to the development of a culturally responsive and culturally sustaining curriculum
• can support a diverse body of students

We are looking for faculty members who are willing to share their experience with students, teach elective courses, travel, and lead extra-curricular activities aligned with their personal interests. 

Responsibilities: 

The middle school teacher is a full-time position responsible for curriculum development and teaching through a project-based format in middle school for grades 7 and 8. This role includes: 

Advisor 

• Serve as a learning coach and mentor for 7 to 10 students
• Model a positive regard for adolescents, their work, and their personal dignity 
• Support students through goal setting, the creation and implementation of their own learning plans, and ongoing reflection 
• Build and cultivate positive and strong relationships with students’ families

Content Expert and Curriculum Developer

• Design and implement several units of Integrated Science over the course of the year, bringing in global and historical perspectives on diverse human experiences 
• Design and create a classroom environment where all students feel seen, welcome, and appreciated 
• Collaborate with all middle school colleagues to plan and implement a thematic, interdisciplinary curriculum that prioritizes an active learning experience where students can develop key skills rather than just breadth of content
• Teach content-specific lessons 
• Co-plan and co-teach with colleagues as necessary 
• Differentiate lessons and tasks to support and challenge a diverse range of skills and knowledge 

Reflective Practitioner

• Actively engage in ongoing professional development 
• Demonstrate a growth mindset concerning new strategies and the consideration of feedback from students, colleagues, and administration
• Regularly analyze and adjust curriculum based on community needs and student and colleague feedback
• Regularly reflect on the impact that our biases may be having on students and their experiences

Collaborator

• Work with adolescent Montessori students in small classes
• Embrace a student-directed classroom where adults and adolescents work side-by-side 
• Work with colleagues closely and actively pursue opportunities for interdisciplinary integration of knowledge for their students (this often requires working outside of one’s primary subject area) 

Traveler

• Collaborate with all middle school colleagues to plan and implement thematically aligned travel experiences 
• Travel with the middle school community for our:
  • Team Building Trip
  • Multiple educational-themed trips
  • End-of-the-Year Retreat 

Experience with and enthusiasm for participating in curricular travel opportunities and teaching outside of science is a plus. 

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated support of and commitment to the principles and goals of Montessori education 
• Desire to collaborate, co-plan, and co-teach
• Ability to respond positively to coaching and feedback
• Openness towards innovation in instructional strategies, alternative assessment methods, and cooperative learning 
• Demonstrated commitment to the capacities and potential of all teenagers to succeed as productive members of their communities 
• Willingness to enroll in a program to engage in deep training and earn a Montessori diploma
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required; master’s degree preferred

Montessori experience or expertise is not required, but applicants should be motivated by The Post Oak School’s mission to honor and guide lifelong learners as they create their own bold pathways in leading purposeful lives.

Teachers must be able to work in a fast-paced, highly fluid, and innovative environment. The Post Oak School’s middle and high school programs are situated in the Houston Museum District. Our academic program depends on extending the classroom work through connections and partnerships with local cultural institutions that the teaching faculty is expected to cultivate and maintain. 

Physical Requirements and Work Environment 

Regularly sit, talk, and listen 

Regularly uses close and distance vision 

Travel, possibly internationally 

The Post Oak School is an equal-opportunity employer.