Chicago Free School Elementary Teacher Job Description:

(This position has been filled)

  • Teach in a student-centered, democratic school community. We involve students in making decisions about curriculum and school rules, and students have significant freedom to choose learning activities throughout the day.  
  • Support students in democratic resolution of conflicts using a process similar to restorative justice.
  • Communicate respectfully and non-coercively with students about school rules and learning goals. Balance supporting students in developing independence and autonomy while maintaining a safe learning environment.
  • Serve as primary teacher for a group of 15 students in grades 1 through 3. Develop personal, supportive relationships with families of those students. Teach and supervise a variety of other age groupings at various times throughout the day.
  • Teach literacy and math daily with curriculum tailored to students’ interests, skills, and readiness level. Connect literacy and math to authentic project-based, inquiry-based, and thematic learning experiences.
  • Support students with learning differences.
  • Support students’ completion of independent projects and activities. Support students’ intrinsic motivation. Teach according to a student-centered, student-driven pedagogical approach.
  • Teach elective classes based on teacher expertise and student interest in a variety of areas such as social studies, science, music, art, dance, cooking, technology, writing, etc. Elective classes include mixed aged groups such as K-4th, 3rd-8th, or K-8th, depending on subject matter.
  • Incorporate social justice as a core curricular focus according to an intersectional, anti-oppression lens.
  • Organize and lead frequent field trips approximately two-three times per month based on student input and subject-area connections.
  • Maintain a classroom space that promotes self-directed learning and provides learning resources for students at a variety of levels. 
  • Use formal and informal assessment strategies to track student progress and development. We do not administer standardized tests.
  • Write narrative reports 2 times per year for students in your homeroom group and participate in student-led conferences to share with families about what students have been learning and doing.
  • Participate in a staff collective to make all day-to-day operational decisions in partnership with the board of directors. Decisions are made by consensus. We do not have a principal or director. 
  • Take on an additional administrative role in partnership with the school administrator, such as fundraising, volunteer coordinator, or parent communication.

Strong Candidates Will:

  • Demonstrate strong early literacy pedagogy and an ability to differentiate learning to match students’ readiness. Assess the individual strengths and abilities of each student to ensure that all students experience success. 
  • Demonstrate an ability to create innovative hands-on, inquiry-based, and project-based learning experiences in partnership with students.
  • Demonstrate an ability to respectfully ensure a productive and safe classroom environment where students are working on a variety of activities and choices simultaneously.
  • Have experience leading groups of children in a traditional or non-traditional educational setting. Certification is not required. 
  • Be flexible, adaptable, and willing to take initiative in a startup environment. 
  • Demonstrate a strong commitment to our mission and vision and a willingness to work hard to help realize our vision. Demonstrate a strong commitment to social justice and anti-oppression.
  • Have strong collaborative skills to work closely with a team of peers.  Be open to give and receive honest feedback from peers. 
  • Show professionalism in communicating with parents, students, and staff. Demonstrate an ability to build strong, caring relationships with all members of our school community.

HOW TO APPLY

Please email your resumé and your portfolio as described below to chicagofreeschool@gmail.com by April 16.

Instead of a cover letter, we ask candidates to submit a mini-portfolio that demonstrates your teaching work.

  • Please submit evidence of 2-3 students-centered learning activities you have led or facilitated.
  • For each learning activity, please include a brief description including information about the context of the project or unit of study, what students were doing during the activity, what skills students were developing, and how social/emotional learning and support for learning differences were incorporated.
  • For each activity, please also include 2-3 examples of student work (preferred), and/or photos of students engaged in the learning activity. Please share photos only with permissions.
  • Please submit the portfolio as a PDF document.

Non-discrimination Statement:

  • The Chicago Free School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or family income in the administration of its educational policies, tuition assessments, admissions and other school-administered programs.
  • People of color are especially encouraged to apply.

NOTE: Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, this position will begin remotely. Once the weather allows and the infection rates are low enough, most teachers at the school will be holding classes in one of our outdoor classroom spaces.

 

Chicago Free School Maternity Leave Substitute Teacher, Description of Duties:

(This position has been filled)

This position will tentatively begin February 1, with one week of overlap/orientation with the current teacher before taking over the class Feb 8th. The position will tentatively continue until March 19th. The position may involve teaching solely remotely or in a hybrid online/in person model, depending on virus levels. 

Responsibilities:

  • Serve as primary teacher and advisor to 12 students in grades 4 and 5. School hours are 8:30am to 3:15pm.
  • Teach literacy and math daily to whole and small groups. Make adjustments as needed to curriculum provided by regular teacher in order to support students’ individualized learning and tailor lessons to student interests.
  • Support students with learning differences by providing 1-1 support and modifying lessons as needed.
  • Support students in democratic resolution of conflicts using a process similar to restorative justice.
  • Communicate respectfully and non-coercively with students about school rules and learning goals. Balance supporting students in developing independence and autonomy while maintaining a safe learning environment.
  • Support students’ completion of independent projects and activities. Support students’ intrinsic motivation. Teach according to a student-centered, student-driven pedagogical approach.
  • Teach elective classes based on teacher expertise and student interest in a variety of thematic areas such as social studies, science, music, art, dance, cooking, technology, writing, etc. 
  • If in person, maintain a classroom space that promotes self-directed learning and provides learning resources for students at a variety of levels. 
  • Participate in weekly staff meetings.

Strong Candidates Will:

  • Demonstrate strong literacy and math pedagogy and an ability to differentiate learning to match students’ readiness, strengths, and learning needs.
  • Demonstrate an ability to respectfully ensure a productive and safe classroom environment or online learning environment.
  • Have experience leading groups of children in a traditional or non-traditional educational setting. Certification is not required. 
  • Be flexible, adaptable, and willing to take initiative in a startup environment. 
  • Demonstrate a strong commitment to our mission and vision and a willingness to work hard to help realize our vision. Demonstrate a strong commitment to social justice and anti-oppression.
  • Show professionalism in communicating with parents, students, and staff. Demonstrate an ability to build strong, caring relationships with all members of our school community.

HOW TO APPLY

Please email your resumé to lauren.beitler@chicagofreeschool.org. In place of a cover letter, please answer the questions below in approximately 1 page:

  • Tell about a lesson or activity you have done with students in the past that was highly engaging to students. How did you encourage their engagement?
  • Give example of the language you have used with students to promote self-motivation and encourage them when their work was challenging for them.
  • Conflict between students is an inevitable part of teaching. How do you respond when students are in conflict in order to help them find a resolution?

Non-discrimination Statement:

  • The Chicago Free School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or family income in the administration of its educational policies, tuition assessments, admissions and other school-administered programs.
  • People of color are especially encouraged to apply.

Chicago Free School After-School Program Coordinator and Afternoon Teacher

( This position is on hold)

Chicago Free School is looking for a dedicated, passionate, and creative teacher to lead our after-school program for ages 3-11, and teach two afternoons per week and on Fridays in our regular-day program with ages 5-14.

Responsibilities

Teach After-School Program

  • Lead the Chicago Free School (CFS) After-School Program every school day. The program runs from 3:30pm to 6pm M-Th and 5pm on Friday.
  • Supervise 5-20 students with a team teacher. Attendance varies by day.
  • Build respectful relationships with students and foster a positive, safe environment.
  • Uphold student-led democratic procedures holding students accountable to school rules and resolving conflict.
  • Organize choice activities in coordination with other after-care teachers based on student interest, such as free play, outdoor play, art and craft activities, music, and dance.
  • Supervise children outside except in below-zero weather.
  • Clean after-care classroom daily.
  • Maintain positive relationships with City Elementary after-care staff and students, with whom we share space for our Friday program.
  • Procure and organize materials for after school activities within a budget.
  • Take attendance daily and coordinate billing with the school finance administrator. Maintain an up-to-date student roster with health and emergency contact information.
  • Plan, procure, and prepare healthy snacks within budget.

Teach Afternoon Classes

  • Teach on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 12:30pm to 3:30pm.
  • Supervise student clubs after lunch. Currently, this includes Robot Club and Dungeons and Dragons club, but club offerings change based on student interest.
  • Teach a one-hour elective class that meets twice weekly. Elective classes can cover a variety of themes including science, social studies, arts, languages, or other project-based topics based on student interest. Incorporate hands-on, interdisciplinary, and inquiry-based learning approaches.
  • Build respectful relationships with elective students and foster a safe and productive learning environment in accordance with school rules and conflict resolution practices.

Teach Friday Classes (through June 2020 only)

  • Teach all day Friday with our middle school class, grades 6-8. Work with a group of 14 students.
  • Work with the regular class teacher to plan and carry out field trips and project-based learning activities in conjunction with thematic class activities and student interest.
  • Build respectful relationships with middle school students and foster a safe and productive learning environment in accordance with school rules and conflict resolution practices.

Compensation:

  • This position is paid at a rate of $20 per hour for 27 hours per week. The CFS After-School Program is not in session on CFS holidays.
  • This position qualifies for health benefits and paid sick time.
  • Staff members whose children attend CFS receive a 50% tuition discount.

Requirements:

  • Significant experience working with children required. Experience leading educational programming preferred.
  • Experience teaching project-based learning required.
  • Ideal candidates will be comfortable taking initiative and working with significant autonomy and coordinating with a team of colleagues within the context of a mission-driven, democratic organization.

How to apply: In Place of a Cover Letter, Please Send Your Resume and Responses to the Questions Below to chicagofreeschool@gmail.com

  1. Why are you interested in working at the Chicago Free School? What appeals to you about this position?
  2. What strengths will you bring to our work to build the Chicago Free School?
  3. Describe your vision for our after-school program and how you would implement it as our coordinator.
  4. Describe your approach to working with elementary students with regard to supporting their social, emotional, and intellectual development.
  5. Talk about a lesson or activity you have led as an educator that you feel encapsulates some part of your vision for what education should be.
  •  

Non-discrimination Statement:

  • The Chicago Free School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or family income in the administration of its educational policies, tuition assessments, admissions and other school-administered programs.
  • People of color are especially encouraged to apply.