Lower School Teacher (K-4)

POSITION: Lower Elementary Grade Teacher. Peabody School seeks an experienced, creative, energetic, collaborative educator to serve as a Lower School (K-4) teacher beginning in August 2025.

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND: Peabody School was founded in 1994 to “serve the needs of academically advanced children of all backgrounds by promoting cognitive, social, and emotional development for each child at a rate commensurate with his or her ability, while providing a foundation for students to become lifelong learners.” This mission is best embodied in our motto: Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

Peabody enrolls 235 students in grades PreK - 8th grade and embraces the whole child using a rigorous academic program, including extensive instruction in fine and performing arts, world languages, technology, and physical education.  The School celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019 by completing the new North Wing, which includes early childhood classrooms (PreK and K), a new engineering classroom, and a new music room.

In 2024-2025, Peabody employs 53 full-time and full-time equivalent staff members, with an annual budget of approximately $4.3 million.  The School is located just minutes from downtown Charlottesville, off Avon St. Extended, near the Mill Creek and Foxcroft neighborhoods.

BASIC FUNCTION: The ideal candidate will have at least three years of experience teaching at the elementary level, a strong academic background, a passion and talent for teaching elementary school students, the ability to develop student interest and enthusiasm for the subject matter, and the acumen to provide challenging and skillfully differentiated instruction for gifted and academically advanced students. 

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Understands the academic, social, and emotional needs of academically advanced/gifted learners, and creates a learning environment that allows them the opportunity to activate their creativity and ingenuity
• Develops lesson plans, instructional objectives, and instructional materials, and provides individualized and small group instruction to adapt the curriculum to the needs of the students
• Creates and maintains a learning environment in which all students are actively engaged and are contributing members
• Facilitates, monitors, and assesses student learning appropriately and effectively
• Uses a broad repertoire of teaching skills and techniques
• Establishes and maintains standards of student behavior to achieve an effective learning atmosphere
• Works with peer teachers to ensure continuity of subject matter
• Collaborates with faculty members and administration on a wide variety of projects
• Communicates regularly and professionally with parents, colleagues, and leadership

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS: Qualified candidates should have an understanding and the ability to respond to the distinct needs of gifted students as well as:

• A bachelor’s degree. Advanced degree preferred
• At least three years of elementary-grade teaching experience
• Experience working with academically advanced/gifted children and/or a desire to work with gifted and academically advanced students
• Superior written and verbal communication skills
• An understanding of best practices for teaching content area skills: reading, writing, social studies, math, and science
• Appreciation for presenting issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion as appropriate in the classroom
• Competence and understanding of Google Suite products (Gmail, docs, drive, etc.). Depending on grade level, additional technologies are also used.
• Ability to manage a classroom while pulling small groups to differentiate instruction
• Familiarity with independent school culture
• Knowledge of and desire to utilize authentic, age-appropriate technology integration
• Creative, energetic, and positive approach to teaching
• Ability and willingness to customize instruction within an established curricular framework
• Enthusiastic and dynamic team player
• Intellectual curiosity and an innate desire to continually reflect on and revise one’s teaching process

START DATE: August 2025 (Anticipated)

Peabody School is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.