LONG-TERM SUBSTITUTE ESL TEACHER, GRADES 9-12, SALEM HIGH SCHOOL

Long-Term Substitute ESL Teacher, Grades 9-12
School: Salem High School

Salem Public Schools

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history.  Salem Public School leaders are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement.  They respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community.  Salem Public Schools seeks individuals who are able to serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Applicants who have experience working in urban schools and have bilingual skills are strongly encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do:

This is an exciting opportunity for a teacher who has a strong pedagogical knowledge of language acquisition and who is passionate about teaching recent immigrants and long-term language learners.  The successful candidate will be comfortable making connections with children representing a range of needs and maintaining a positive and respectful environment through effective classroom routines.  The successful candidate will also possess an unwavering belief in the power of school communities to make a difference in the lives of children.  This individual will work under the general supervision of the principal and assistant principals of the Collins Middle School as well as the District Director for English Language Learning.  She/he will be evaluated following the professional standards articulated in the Massachusetts Teacher Rubric.

Role Responsibilities

• Teaches ESL classes to ELL students that are aligned to WIDA Can-Do Descriptors, Common Core Standards, and provide students with rigorous opportunities to engage in critical thinking and language learning in all domains
• Plans curricula and daily lesson plans that are accessible, scaffolded, and utilize complex texts
• Promotes a positive classroom environment that celebrates the diversity of the student population and fosters a love of learning
• Demonstrates a commitment to excellence, equity, and high expectations for all students by building on the strengths that students bring to the language learning process
• Leverages extensive knowledge of first and second language acquisition in planning and collaborating with general education teaching colleagues
• Communicates regularly and proactively with parents and families in a culturally proficient manner
• Evaluates each student's formative progress in English skills (listening speaking, reading, and writing) and prepares progress reports
• Serves as an advocate for the needs of the ELL students on grade level and instructional teams
• Works under the general supervision of the building principal, ELL Director, and/or other designated administrator, to review student proficiency levels, appropriate ESL services, and ELL data
• Additional duties may be assigned

What You’ll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change children’s lives through education. You’ll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level.  We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues – You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.
• Build authentic, caring relationships with colleagues, students, and families – You build strong relationships across students, families, and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS. You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.
• Embrace feedback – You are a reflective practitioner who learns from mistakes and challenges and uses them as opportunities for professional development. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree (Required) Masters Degree preferred
• Required Massachusetts teaching certification/licensure in ESL
• The ability to meet the expectations of the Massachusetts Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching Practice 
• Second Language (Spanish, Portuguese) Proficiency strongly preferred
• Bilingual candidates and candidates of color strongly encouraged to apply
• Secondary license in content area or Special Education, also preferred
• Proven track record of raising student achievement scores in an urban/turnaround environment
• Strong desire to work within a turnaround, extended day, urban educational program
• Able and willing to work in-person, remotely, or in a hybrid learning environment, if needed
• Current authorization to work in the United States

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.