What are the responsibilities and job description for the TK/Kinder Teacher - 2026-27 position at Museum School?
The Museum School is seeking a visionary TK (Transitional Kindergarten) or Kindergarten Teacher to serve as the first architect of our students’ educational journey. In these foundational years, our classrooms are fully self-contained, providing a safe, consistent "home base" where the youngest members of our community begin their life-long adventure in discovery.
As an early childhood educator at The Museum School, you won't just teach the basics; you will be a "curator of wonder." You will transform the classroom into a laboratory of play and primary source exploration, helping children transition from home to school through the lens of the Museum Model.
Instructional Focus & Integration
In our self-contained TK/K classrooms, you will weave all developmental and academic domains into a seamless, play-based experience:
- Foundational Literacy & Language: Developing phonemic awareness and a love for storytelling through "living history" and narrative play.
- Early Numeracy: Exploring mathematical concepts like patterns, sorting, and counting using natural artifacts and museum-inspired manipulatives.
- Scientific Inquiry: Encouraging natural curiosity through "Object-Based Learning"—observing, touching, and questioning the world around them.
- Social & Motor Development: Guiding students through the vital work of sharing, collaboration, and fine/gross motor skill building through hands-on "exhibit" creation.
Key Responsibilities
The Museum School Approach: For our youngest learners, every rock is a specimen and every drawing is a masterpiece. We seek teachers who can honor this perspective while building the rigorous academic foundation necessary for future success.
- Inquiry-Based Environment: Design a classroom space that functions as an interactive exhibit, where materials are accessible and provoke student-led questioning.
- Thematic Unit Design: Create "Mini-Expeditions" that integrate art, science, and math into cohesive projects (e.g., studying the life cycle of a garden or the physics of a block tower).
- Bridge to Community: Lead "Walking Field Studies" that introduce students to the school’s surrounding environment as a place of learning and discovery.
- Holistic Assessment: Document student growth through portfolios and "learning stories" that capture the nuance of early childhood development.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development.
- Certification: Valid State Teaching Certification (Multiple Subject or P-3 Credential).
- Disposition: Exceptional patience, a sense of humor, and the ability to see the world through a five-year-old’s eyes.
- Expertise: Deep understanding of the "power of play" and how to scaffold academic standards within a developmentally appropriate framework.