Elementary Assistant Teacher --West Alex

Guidepost Montessori; Alexandria (VA); On-site; USD 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative educational organization is seeking passionate educators to join their team as full-time elementary teachers. In this role, you will lead a Montessori classroom, fostering a collaborative and engaging learning environment for students in grades 1-6. You will work closely with experts to develop lesson plans and support individualized learning experiences. This position offers a unique opportunity for personal and professional growth, with access to a comprehensive teacher training program. If you are eager to make a lasting impact in education and support student agency, this role is perfect for you.

Benefits

75% tuition discount for two children

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible spending accounts

401(k) retirement plan

Flexible time off

100% tuition discount for Montessori training

Qualifications

• Passion for education and personal growth is essential.
• Experience with elementary-aged children is highly valued.

Responsibilities

• Lead a Montessori elementary classroom for grades 1-6.
• Develop lesson plans and support a collaborative classroom culture.

Skills

Montessori teaching methods

Communication skills

Collaboration

Curriculum development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Education or related field

Montessori credential

Tools

Educational materials and resources

Job description

Teachers who want to change the world come to Guidepost.

We are seeking an idealistic, ambitious individual for a combined role (1) teaching in an elementary classroom, and (2) working with world-class experts to pilot innovations and implement advancements in our program for an immediate start. You’ll receive intensive, on-the-job training; work in collaboration with incredible colleagues across the country; and support your students to transform the arc of their lives.

Guidepost represents a different way of educating the human potential. Imagine an elementary classroom that is designed for students. Instead of rows of desks, imagine mixed seating designed to support collaboration, Socratic discussion, and individual focused work. Imagine beautiful materials, green plants, and artwork. Imagine a makerspace. Imagine an intentional curriculum that spans from birth through adulthood, grounded in developmental theory and designed to support student agency. Imagine working with people who are as passionate as you are about teaching, supporting individual students, and the life-changing power of education.

What you’ll do:

1. Lead an intimate Montessori elementary classroom (we work with grades 1-6) as a full-time classroom teacher
   • Support a mixed-age class of students with small group and individual lessons, follow-up work, and real-world extensions in all content areas
   • Work with our program experts to create lesson plans that provide customized rigor for every student
   • Work with our program experts to create and support a classroom culture that reveres effortful choices and truth-seeking inquiry
   • Communicate frequently with parents to ensure they have a clear understanding of their child’s academic, social, and emotional progress
   • Work closely with a team of people, including your co-teacher, head of school, and program support coach, to constantly evaluate and improve your classroom
2. Participate in a network of educators and developers creating and improving a radically innovative national program
   • Join a fully-paid two-year accredited teacher training program to earn your Montessori elementary credential, with personalized coaching and support
   • Partner with our local middle school, as well as our online school and homeschool staff, to experiment with ways to provide our students with a truly differentiated, optimized experience that serves their capacities and interests
   • Engage with our research and development team regularly to assess what is working, what needs improvement, and how we can work decisively to continually improve the experience we are offering our students

We would love to talk to you if:

• You crave personal and professional growth, and are ready for a career that will challenge you, demand immensely from you, surprise you, amaze you, and delight you in ways you never thought possible
• You have deep expertise and joy in some activity or domain. Elementary children love to learn: they love dinosaurs, and space, and finger knitting, and so much more. Do you have a subject you love, and want to communicate that passion?
• You deeply value history. The Montessori curriculum is rooted in an understanding of, and reverence for, history. You don’t need to be a historian, but you should care about the history, want to learn more, and want to share this value with your students
• You have some meaningful experience with elementary-aged children, and appreciate this amazing age group!
• You see a close partnership with parents as essential for student success, and are as eager to partner with parents as you are to serve their children
• You are ready to learn a new approach to education that is grounded in supporting individual student agency and deep intellectual study

Benefits:

• 75% tuition discount for two children at any school in the network
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible tax-advantaged spending accounts (medical, transit, dependent care)
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Flexible time off: options for 10- or 12-month schedule, with spring and winter holiday breaks
• 100% tuition discount for enrollment in any Montessori training program through the Prepared Montessorian Institute

About Guidepost Montessori

Changing the world is in our DNA. Our organization was founded to do just that- a group of educators and like-minded individuals had a glimpse of what was possible in education, and wanted to bring it to the world. Education today is filled with false alternatives. We disrupt them all. Our vision is a classroom where children plumb the depths of human knowledge and aspire to the height of intellectualism – and do it all at their own self-direction. Do you believe that there is critical, life-shaping knowledge that children desperately need- but also believe that they need to be in the driver’s seat when they pursue it? Then Guidepost is the place for you.

We’re rooted in the Montessori tradition, which means we believe in an open-ended, free work period, where children choose what to work on and work at their own pace. We bring structure that through a coaching-based approach of helping children plan their own goals for the week and use us as adults as their guides and accountability partners. We also recognize that when approaches like that go wrong, children don’t learn. So we’ve invested years in extensive curriculum development to ensure rich and comprehensive curriculum across mathematics, geometry, literature, grammar, biology, chemistry, physics, art appreciation, handwork, and more. And we have an accredited teacher training program to teach that curriculum to our “guides” along with the skill of running a classroom in a way that is at once fully individualized and fully engaged and productive. That training program will earn you a diploma that is recognized world-wide.

Guidepost represents a network of more than 130 schools around the world, serving students from infancy through high school. Because we are a network, we have access to resources beyond that of any individual small school. Our guides collaborate across the country, sharing resources and stories. Trainers and coaches work with each new team member to give them the individualized training they need to succeed. Our students travel between campuses, sign into virtual coursework, and make friends in classrooms thousands of miles away.

If this sounds like you, complete the application below!