Lower Elementary Lead Teacher

Title:
Lower Elementary Lead Teacher

Start Date:
August 6, 2026

Reports to:
Head of School

Employee Classification:
Salaried exempt, full-time; 10-month employee

Schedule: 7:30 am - 4 pm Mondays - Fridays in-person; occasional evenings/weekends

Founded in 1965, Montessori Center School of Santa Barbara (MCS) is an independent school and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The school boasts sixty years rich in a history of nurturing a lifelong love for learning among children ages 18 months through 6th grade – grounded in the Montessori method. An American Montessori Society Member School, MCS fosters independent, self‑motivated, confident, life‑long learners, who will become positive forces to care for and transform our world.

The school is located on a beautiful garden campus in Goleta, California.

MCS seeks an experienced and certificated Montessori Lower Elementary Lead Teacher. This is an opportunity to work with our talented and committed staffulty and wonderful students and families as you lead a classroom of approximately 24 students through the Lower Elementary years of their Montessori learning journeys – grades 1 through 3.

Overseeing an assistant teacher, and working in a highly collaborative manner with the whole elementary team, you will carefully curate a welcoming, orderly, beautiful and resource‑rich environment and will deliver a high‑fidelity Montessori learning experience for our students each day, developing their independence, curiosity and love for learning.

A Lower Elementary Lead Teacher at MCS performs the following duties:

Classroom Environment & Curriculum

• Design and maintain a beautiful, orderly and resource‑rich Montessori Lower Elementary environment that nurtures a high quality, developmentally appropriate academic program.
• Meticulously plan the daily work cycle, and deliver a daily mix of lessons grounded in the Montessori curriculum and aligned to the school’s curriculum map and pacing guides.
• Build strong relationships with each of your students and help nurture a keen sense of equity, agency, confidence, community and belonging for every student in your classroom.
• Blend robust opportunities for age‑appropriate social‑emotional learning into daily lessons and activities ensuring that students are building the social‑emotional and executive functioning skills necessary to navigate and thrive throughout their day to day lives – both in and beyond the classroom.
• Support students in developing executive functioning skills, conflict resolution strategies, and independence consistent with Montessori practices.
• Maintain a classroom environment that ensures safety and stability for all students; uphold school-wide behavioral expectations and implement progressive discipline.
• Partner effectively with our Student Support Services team to ensure that neurodivergent students and those with learning disabilities in the class successfully access the curriculum and thrive in the environment.
• Participate in required supervision duties (e.g. recess, arrival/dismissal, lunch) in compliance with California labor regulations regarding rest and meal breaks.
• Partner effectively with the Director of Operations to procure classroom supplies and equipment using classroom budgets and operating within school procurement and purchasing guidelines.

Observation & Record‑keeping

• Oversee students’ progression through the curriculum, ensuring that each child is pursuing a well‑designed program that best reflects their unique learning style.
• Conduct child observations regularly, documenting these through the school’s shared online learning management system (Transparent Classroom).
• Utilize child observations, standardized assessment data (NWEA MAP Growth, etc.) and your data and records to lesson‑plan and inform daily choices regarding each child’s support and program.
• Lead conference report cycles 2‑3 times per year for the families of children in your class.

Family Engagement

• Be an excellent proactive communicator with parents and caregivers; work to engage parents and caregivers as great partners in each student’s educational process.
• Utilizing…