Music Teacher - Voice Charter School (New York, NY)

VOICE Charter School is looking to identify and interview extraordinary educators committed to urban education, who wish to join a dynamic professional learning community. We want to work with teachers with exemplary communicative skills, who hold themselves to the highest standards, and who push and support both their students and their colleagues. Teachers in our community understand that the performance and progress of our students, ourselves, and our colleagues, are directly under our control; and they take personal responsibility to ensure that all achieve and grow. VOICE teachers know that students and teachers need to enjoy school in order to be successful, and they work to bring joy to their classrooms and their teaching.

Mission of VOICE Charter School

The mission of VOICE Charter School is to create a safe and healthy learning environment that will nurture, motivate and challenge all of our children to achieve the highest level of academic excellence and to develop into mindful, responsible, contributing participants in their education, their community and the diverse society in which we live.

Qualities of a VOICE Teacher

VOICE teachers work collaboratively to raise the academic performance of all students. Committed to unending self-reflection, growth, and improvement, VOICE teachers actively seek feedback to make their teaching better. They love and nurture all of our students, as they become deeply caring and responsible individuals.

Duties of a VOICE Teacher

The duties of a VOICE teacher include, but are not limited to:

A. Classroom Responsibilities

• Create rigorous and engaging lesson plans in both detailed long-term and daily lesson plans that follow curriculum maps.
• Set clear short-term and long-term goals to drive instruction.
• Access resources of the VOICE community; pro-actively seek assistance or advice when faced with challenging teaching situations.
• Infuse school values into daily lessons.
• Coordinate all instructional planning and activities with grade-level teachers, coaches, and push-in and pull-out teachers.
• Uphold all school policies within the classroom.
• Maintain a productive, safe, focused and disciplined learning environment.
• Create, administer, and analyze meaningful and frequent assessments from which re-teaching is then planned.
• Provide necessary differentiation, accommodations and modifications for growth and success of all students.
• Effectively teach English (as a content area including grammar, literature, phonics, reading comprehension, spelling, and oral and written communication skills), mathematics, science, physical education, health, social studies, and art.
• Maintain a rich classroom environment including classroom library, teaching points, process charts, and publication of student work.
• Go above and beyond to ensure all students are meeting appropriate standards.
• Keep parents well-informed of student performance and progress.
• Model strong written and verbal skills.

B. Team & Grade Level Responsibilities

• Work as part of interdisciplinary team planning and aligning curricula in the form of curriculum maps and lesson plans that will be continually assessed and revised.
• Attend all school and grade level meetings.
• Create and implement student intervention plans when necessary.
• Work with grade level to address and resolve student issues.
• Support the learning of all staff members.

C. School Responsibilities

• Participate in school-wide and individual professional development.
• Make oneself available to parents.
• Attend designated school functions outside of school hours.
• Attend and participate in all staff meetings.
• Perform necessary tasks including but not limited to bus, morning, lunch, and afternoon duties.
• Rigorously plan and chaperone field trips.
• Communicate responsibly and pro-actively with all staff.
• Arrive punctually for all activities throughout the day.
• Report to appropriate administrators.
• Abide by all state and federal mandates in reporting sexual or physical abuse and neglect. Complete all required paperwork for school, administration of grants, and ordering of materials and writing small grants for needed materials.
• Uphold the code of conduct and all school policies contained in all school documents including but not limited to parent handbook, HR manual, faculty handbook, and weekly circulars.
• Collaborate with teaching and office assistants.

D. Evaluation

• Appropriately receive and give feedback to students, parents, faculty, staff and administration.
• Use evaluation as a tool to improve and grow in all teacher responsibilities.

E. Special Education Compliance responsibilities

• Review and comply with the guidelines of students I.E.P's.
• Follow IDEA reporting requirements, including providing information about student performance and services received.
• Maintain records and ensure their confidentiality.

Teacher Applicant Qualifications

The following is required of all applicants:

• A Bachelor's degree
• NYS teaching certification valid through August 2012 and qualify as "highly qualified" under No Child Left Behind
• Strong singing voice
• Pass criminal background check
• Computer literate, able to use Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel, and access and load documents onto the VOICE shared drive; prompt with e-mail communication

Though not required, the following experience will enhance applications:

• Master's degree
• Piano skills
• Experience with Orff, Kodaly, or Dalcroze and/or Gordon
• At least two years of full-time teaching experience in an urban school
• Experience in upper elementary or middle school grades
• Experience with choral education
• Experience with leading an ensemble
• Leadership experience
• Ability to teach enrichment classes (e.g. music, dance, sports, art)
• Counseling or social work experience in a work or volunteer capacity
• Multilingual
• Experience in working with high needs students

Compensation

The school offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

Source: http://www.idealist.org/view/job/BFD6bpPT6bfP/