What are the responsibilities and job description for the Early Childhood Teacher position at Wild Oak Independent School?
Seedling Lead Teacher (Ages 3-5)
2026-27 School Year
ABOUT WILD OAK educating children in preschool to 5th grade during the 2026-7 school year. We maintain mixed-grade, intentionally small classes ranging from 8 to 14 students. Our teaching model requires a collaborative approach; our faculty have different backgrounds, areas of expertise, and subject interests to both complement each other and to be able to specialize in an area for students across all grades. We aim to actively foster trust and belonging within the classroom. This approach is based on Wild Oak’s mission, vision, and tenets.
Core Responsibilities
1. Fostering play and natural curiosity
- Adopting a sense of wonder, curiosity, and playfulness that is infectious to the children.
- Engaging children in a variety of structured and unstructured with a heavy emphasis on the outdoors and nature
- Knowledge of the NC Foundations to promote growth and development in the 5 domains Approaches to Play and Learning; Emotional and Social Development; Health and Physical Development; Language Development and Communication; and Cognitive Development.
- Spending a large portion of the day guiding, facilitating, and supporting child-led play
2. Developing age-appropriate activities and inspiring delight in learning
- Creating lessons utilizing a wide range of materials and approaches to engage different learning styles.
- Employing a multi-sensory, child led, and inquiry-based approach to lessons
- Teachers must be able to implement activities and lessons according to the cognitive, social, emotional and physical levels and proclivities of each child
- Preparing the classroom environment and materials in advance to visually reflect the lessons for the week
3. Building a culture of trust and belonging
- Leading a morning circle focused on mindfulness, movement, expression, community responsibility, and song
- Fostering an atmosphere of independence by allowing and encouraging children to “do it themselves,” including setting and cleaning up, leading activities, and assisting their friends.
- Employ classroom and communication practices that align with Wild Oak’s mission, vision, and tenets.
4. Develop meaningful goals and assessments with families for their children
- Utilize the 5 domains and work with student’s families to develop personalized goals, assess progress, and address needs and keep up to date records including portfolio development.
Qualifications
- At least High School Diploma with at least 1 year experience in the Early Education Field. They must have or be willing to obtain their ECE Teaching Certification, pass a background check, and health screening prior to employment.
- Enjoyment in active engagement of outdoor activities and the natural world including walking on uneven trails, bending, stooping, squatting, and being physically active with young children.
Why Join Our Faculty
At Wild Oak, we believe that for children to thrive, our teachers must thrive too. We are committed to staff mental health and professional autonomy, fostering a collaborative, burnout-free culture where every voice is valued. Our model prioritizes meaningful relationships and collective care, ensuring you have the space to teach with purpose and passion.
Salary, Schedule & Benefits
Salary starting at $33,000/year (DOE). Our comprehensive benefits package includes health insurance, 6 weeks of paid school breaks and holidays, 6 additional days of PTO, annual professional development, and a 50% tuition discount for teacher parents.
Interested candidates please send a Resume and Cover Letter to lindsay@wildoakschool.org
Pay: From $33,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Tuition reimbursement
Work Location: In person