Curtis is seeking a Spanish Language Associate Teacher to join a team-oriented, inclusive, and professional learning community. Curtis School is a DK-6 co-ed elementary school whose mission is to “develop, in every child, a sound mind in a sound body, governed by a compassionate heart.” 

We place an equal emphasis on academic, physical, social-emotional, and character education and instill a growth mindset modeled by faculty and staff who are the best in their craft. The Spanish Language Associate Teacher will be responsible for supporting the Lead Teacher in maintaining a positive learning environment for students in the Spanish language classrooms.

A successful candidate will work closely with the World Languages Department and other colleagues, under the supervision of the Director of Lower Elementary, to build an engaging curriculum that fulfills Curtis’s mission and values. The Spanish Language Associate Teacher will spend a portion of their time lead teaching with guidance and support from the Spanish Language Lead Teachers. In addition, the Spanish Language Associate Teacher will enhance the instruction provided by the Spanish Language Lead Teachers by monitoring for understanding in whole-group situations, working with students in small groups, or conferencing one-on-one with students. The candidate must have excellent time-management, organizational, and communication skills, be dynamic and adaptable to shifting work conditions, and open to feedback. A collegial personality and responsiveness to direction are essential traits, as is a love of working with early-childhood-aged children.

Curtis School is fully committed to a diverse faculty and student body. The candidate should possess an abundance of respect and sensitivity around racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and all differences. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Include, but are not limited to: 

• Embracing Curtis School’s Mission, Vision, Purpose, Values, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement
• Supporting the Spanish Language Lead Teachers to plan and implement an engaging and appropriately challenging curriculum in Spanish
• Collaborating with the World Languages Department to maintain Lower and Upper Elementary Spanish language classrooms (e.g., organizing materials, designing bulletin boards, setting up learning centers and work areas, and photocopying materials)
• Promoting academic, social-emotional, and physical development of young children in individual, small group, and whole class settings
• Helping to assess students using current strategies and tools to inform instruction
• Supporting the Spanish Language Lead Teachers to provide student feedback in checklists and narrative reports 
• Supervising children during morning break, lunch, recess, and afternoon dismissal/pickup
• Substituting for Spanish Language Lead Teachers, when necessary 
• Helping to integrate meaningful and appropriate use of technology within the curriculum and as a communication tool
• Collaborating and communicating openly with Spanish Language Lead Teachers regarding classroom responsibilities, delivery of curriculum, and individual student and parent needs
• Attending Back-to-School Night, Open House, faculty workshop days, grade-level and division meetings, relevant all-school events, and all mandatory professional development 

A successful candidate will:

• Have a bachelor's degree (applicants with a master's degree or who are enrolled in a master’s program and those who have completed a teacher credentialing program are strongly encouraged to apply)
• Have experience working with elementary-school-aged children
• Have native or near-native fluency in Spanish
• Continually seek professional growth and development 
• Possess excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate with students, colleagues, and parents
• Have excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively communicate with students, parents, the Spanish Language Lead Teachers, and the supervisor
• Participate actively in student and community life inside and outside the classroom
• Understand and believe in the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in education and act in accordance with those values
• Provide a portfolio of teaching with examples of innovative lessons or projects that demonstrate creative and critical thinking and/or teach a demo lesson 
• Be flexible about working in outdoor weather conditions and able to regularly sit, stand, walk, use hands, reach with arms, talk and hear, occasionally lift chairs, and carry student lunches during field trips

About Curtis School

Curtis School is an independent, DK-6 coeducational day school, located on a spacious 27-acre campus in the Mulholland Corridor of the Santa Monica Mountains. Curtis has 492 students and 68 faculty members. Curtis is a family school of happy children, enthusiastic teachers, supportive administrators, and active parent volunteers. Working together in a warm, nurturing environment, we pursue our educational goal of "a sound mind in a sound body governed by a compassionate heart". The School just celebrated its 90th anniversary and appointed its Head of School, Meera Ratnesar.

Connections working at Curtis School