VISUAL ARTS TEACHER - SENOIR SCHOOL

Shady Side Academy’s Senior School is seeking a full-time Art Teacher for the 2026-27 academic year. The Art Teacher will instruct students in grades 9-12 through a variety of art classes. Some of these courses include but are not limited to digital art, dark room photography, and introductory art. There is interest in finding a candidate with a capacity to teach architecture; however, that is not a requirement. The Art Teacher would join another colleague as part of the visual arts department. A successful Art Teacher engages students in meaningful learning experiences that meet their needs and gives them the confidence to take artistic risks. 

Primary Responsibilities

• Keeps students at the center of their decision-making and instructional practice
• Collaborates with colleagues and supports endeavors that benefit the larger community
• Cultivates positive partnerships with parents through consistent and transparent communication about their child’s progress
• Plans, prepares, and implements developmentally appropriate arts lessons using varied methods of instruction to meet students’ needs as learners. 
• Engages in interdisciplinary instruction with other colleagues during a three week immersive learning experience.
• Supports the creation of art related campus displays. 
• Organizes field trips and coordinates visiting artists. 
• Implements assessments and uses the data to guide instructional decisions
• Creates and maintains a welcoming, safe, and engaging classroom environment
• Implements successful classroom management strategies and creates a classroom culture that is consistent with Shady Side Academy’s Guiding Principles of safety, kindness, respect, responsibility, and honesty. 
• Possesses a passion for teaching and a continued desire to grow professionally
• Attends all faculty and school-wide community meetings and events
• Coaches two seasons of a sport or fulfills an equivalent responsibility. 
• Leads an advisory of 8-12 students to build relationships and reinforce social emotional skill development. 
• Participates in other assigned duties as determined by the Head of the Senior School, including proctoring exams, chaperoning dances, or serving on committees.

A bachelor’s degree in art or related field is required and a master’s degree in art or related field is strongly preferred. 

Ideal candidate will have:

• Prior secondary school experience as an art teacher

• A demonstrated commitment to a high level of artistic expression

• Ability to work as a team with the visual arts faculty

• An interest in interdisciplinary work between departments

• Interest in showcasing student work in school exhibitions and through art competitions, eg. Scholastic Art Awards

• Experience working with local, regional, national, and/or international art organizations

• Ability to run a thoughtful and intentional advisory group

• Openness to being an integral part of a caring community of learners