Casa Esperanza Montessori

a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit charter school community

P.O.nt-f 7, Cary, NC 27512

Tel: 919.852.0075

Job Description: Montessori Classroom Director/Directress

The Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School does not discriminate on the basis of race,

color, religion, age, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual preference or disability.

The Montessori classroom Director/Directress (teacher) guides and helps direct the children's activities academically, emotionally, ethically, and physically in a prepared Montessori classroom environment, in accordance with Montessori philosophy and CEMCS policies.

Basic Qualifications

1. CEMCS teachers meet minimum North Carolina Department of Public Instruction teacher requirements for the grade level at which they teach. At a minimum, these requirements include:

§ hold a temporary, provisional, or current license for the subject or grade level they teach or for the professional assignment they hold.

§ complete an approved education program at a regionally accredited college or university. Most out-of-state applicants may qualify through reciprocity plans that allow educators from outside North Carolina to obtain a North Carolina license.

2. CEMCS teachers hold an AMS or AMI Montessori credential for the level they teach or the professional assignment they hold, or commit to completing such a credential within 18 months of their date of employment

3. All faculty members meet school and state health requirements, including TB test, immunizations and physical exam requirements prior to their first day of employment.

4. All faculty members must submit necessary documents to complete personnel file, including complete application, three references, copies of diplomas, official transcripts, proof of legal residency and work status, and state and federal criminal background check results.

5. All faculty members will willingly work towards written and spoken fluency in both Spanish and English.

Professional Duties to CHILDREN and FAMILIES

1. Safety: A teacher is responsible for the safety and physical well-being of the children placed in his or her charge until each child has been dismissed to a responsible adult.

§ No child should ever be left unsupervised either inside or outside the classroom. Classroom ratios should be maintained at all times, both indoors and out.

Each faculty member's chief responsibility is to his or her students. He or she is expected to place the students’ interests first above other personal and professional considerations.

• Employees refer children who need to take medication to the school administrative assistant, who must verify that the school has received the parent's written permission to administer medication.
• A teacher shall maintain current, accurate attendance records. Teachers shall also maintain an environment that meets or exceeds State health, fire, and childcare requirements, when applicable.
• Teachers shall train and supervise children in the execution of fire, severe weather, crisis and general safety drills. Emergency response routines are to be clearly established and practiced with children when appropriate.
• Faculty shall prepare a detailed accident, incident, or discipline report in the event of an accident, incident, or disciplinary matter, documenting the details of what took place. Faculty shall take responsibility for providing copies of initial report to school office and parent on the date of the original event. After parent has signed and returned original copy, signed original copy shall be forwarded to the school office.

2. Discipline: A teacher is responsible for the conduct of students in his or her own Montessori classroom, including the maintenance of discipline.

· Community Discipline: Teachers model for conduct for all students within the CEMCS community, including the maintenance of discipline.

· All children, parents and faculty members must always be treated with respect. Corporal punishment, the threat of corporal punishment, sarcasm, intimidation, and/or humiliation may never be used at CEMCS Montessori. Teachers should report the existence of any disciplinary problems promptly to the Head of School and arrange a meeting with the head and parents, if necessary.

3. Student Evaluation: A teacher shall review and comment in writing on student’s weekly class work and maintain current, accurate academic records.

· Following CEMCS's policies and procedures for student evaluation and record keeping, a teacher shall meet all due dates as required. This responsibility includes the administration of standardized tests. Teachers prepare written, end-of-year progress reports for all children leaving the environment before the end of the last workday.

· During the year, teachers shall submit accurate students records as requested by the Head of School.

4. Parent Communication: Regular classroom teachers hold two conferences yearly with the parents and update written progress reports quarterly. All adults respond to parent questions and concerns in a timely way characterized by mutual respect and good will.

• Teachers communicate with all parents in writing on a weekly basis.
• Each teacher prepares and sends home a weekly communication folder which includes school office communications, student work, and the classroom teacher’s weekly communication newsletter.

5. Plan for Parent Relations: CEMCS educators consciously work to develop close, trusting, and effective relationships with parents, encouraging them to bond with both the class and the larger school community.

· The teachers of each level shall by August 31, in conjunction with school-wide established calendar dates, cooperatively develop in writing for review and approval by the Head of School, a coordinated program offering their classroom families opportunities to discuss and understand their child's individual progress through regularly scheduled parent-teacher-student conferences.

· Teachers shall also present a group overview of the objectives and nature of Montessori education and curriculum for children of the age range found within the class.

• There shall be included a plan for opportunities to develop and nurture a close bond with both the class and the overall school. Once approved by the Head, the faculty will implement their plans for parent relations over the school year.

§ Faculty assists in developing and implementing adult-orientation courses and parent information nights, as requested.

6. Teachers maintain a mature, professional, respectful parent-teacher-child relationship which recognizes the different roles of adult and child.

Professional Duties to INSTITUTION and PROFESSION

Teacher report directly to the Head of School and work directly with the Head on all classroom and school related matters, including annual classroom and staff evaluations. Teachers shall also adhere to AMI / AMS guidelines and professional standards

1. Teachers shall collaborate with faculty members in the design and implementation of curriculum within the context of the school's overall program and Mission.

2. Faculty members are self-aware, self-evaluating, and self-monitoring in identifying and solving student, curricular, and school issues. Adults will notify the Head of School immediately of personal or professional difficulties with children, parents, or staff.

3. Professionals complete the self-evaluation form on time and follow through on meeting annual objectives.

4. The professional school day shall begin at 8:00 a.m. The day shall end at 4:00 p.m. when the last child under the teacher's care has been dismissed to another responsible adult, and upon completion of other professional responsibilities, which may include, but not be limited to, professional development time; faculty, level, or classroom planning meetings; or after-school conferences with parents and/or administrators.

5. Professional days: Faculty members shall be in attendance at school on all professional days from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm and shall participate in professional activities designated by the Head, which may include workshops, curriculum development, retreats, meetings, grade reporting, planning, and other professional pursuits.

6. Professional meetings: Faculty members are expected to attend all pre-announced faculty meetings and professional sessions, including:

· Full Faculty meetings

· Level meetings

· Department meetings

· Committee meetings

· Evening parent meetings, up to one per month, Sept-June

7. Teachers attend and assist with scheduled school and CEMCS's Parent Teacher Faculty Association (PTFA) sponsored social functions held occasionally at night or on weekends, with a maximum of one event a trimester.

8. Faculty assist with extra-curricular activities held during the school day.

9. Faculty shall participate in the admissions process, speaking from time to time with prospective families--at the request of the Head of School--and assisting with the screening of visiting students.

10. Faculty members initiate her/his own professional development, seeking out conferences, courses, and other opportunities to learn. This includes meeting state licensure requirements and maintaining current state licensure in the area of one’s specific teaching assignment.

11. Policy on Paid Leave: The School will allow the Teacher ten (10) days of personal or sick leave with pay per academic year, which may be carried forward if unused in part or whole by year's end. A limit of twenty (20) leave days may be used in any one school year. Personal leave must be scheduled with and approved in writing by the teacher's supervising Division Leader and the Head. These days of leave are not convertible to salary upon separation from the school.

12. Faculty members arrange for substitutes according to school policy and procedure when they take sick leave or personal leave.

13. All faculty maintain a mature professional relationship with the faculty, administration and staff, voicing concerns directly to the parties involved in a responsible manner and treating one another with respect at all times.

Professional Duties to COLLEAGUES

Adults will consciously work to develop close, trusting, and effective relationships with colleagues, encouraging them to bond with the larger school community. All professionals shall maintain a mature, professional relationship with the faculty and support staff at CEMCS.

1. Teachers may assist in interviewing teacher assistants for own classroom when a Staff vacancy occurs in his/her environment.

2. Classroom professionals set aside time daily to share questions and observations with daily classroom colleagues

3. Teachers shall work closely with Special classroom instructors (i.e., Spanish, Music, LEP, SLD, and PE) who deal with children in the group, and participate and assist in curriculum development and implementation.

Professional Duties to ENVIRONMENT

1. Teachers maintain a neat, well organized, and attractive learning environment and keeps materials in good condition. In keeping with Montessori philosophy and practice, children assist in maintaining the environment.

2. Classroom professionals assess the needs of the class and prepare timely requests for materials, furnishings, and supplies within the framework of CEMCS’s budgeting process.

3. Directress/or shall update a copy of the class inventory of all equipment, furnishings, and consumable supplies assigned to his or her learning environment. The inventory will be given to the teacher in August to verify and sign, kept in the school office, returned to the teacher in May to be updated, and resubmitted to the Head one week before the last day children are in regular attendance at school.

4. Before leaving school at year's end, classroom teachers and assistants completely pack up and prepare the learning environment for summer storage. The School will provide such packing materials as are necessary to accomplish this task by the start of the last week of school, at which point the classroom faculty may begin to pack up the classroom.

"The real preparation for education is the study of one's self. The training of the Directress/Director who is to help life is something far more than the learning of

ideas. It includes the training of character; it is a preparation of the spirit."

--Dr. Maria Montessori