Spanish Teacher

As a member of the faculty at Maple Village Waldorf School, the Spanish Teacher is responsible for the Spanish education of elementary and middle school students. Foreign language is integral to the Waldorf curriculum, and the Spanish teachers work to introduce basic Spanish language and culture to all of our grades students, starting with a purely oral form through verses, songs, rhythms, poems, games, fairy tales, and stories.

Vocabulary goals start simply with numbers, colors, and items in the child’s everyday life, along with common verbs and prepositions. Vocabulary will expand throughout the grades with the goal of reading through writing more complex constructions. Grammar is introduced through active exercises, especially all regular and a few irregular verbs in present tense, and the use of prepositions and adjectives.

In the upper grades, the program continues to build on the students’ knowledge of basic sentence structure, vocabulary, and fluency through the use of dialogue. Vocabulary is also expanded by reading poems and stories appropriate to the students’ reading level. The Spanish Teacher is responsible for teaching each grade twice per week. The content of instruction will be determined, in part, by the skill set that the Spanish Teacher currently possesses and develops over time through professional development.

This content should appropriately challenge the students to achieve growth in a scaffolded and incremental way. Particular emphasis will be placed on the following areas: academic excellence, developmentally appropriate curriculum, consideration of individual student differences, development of social skills, thorough lesson preparation, artistic presentation, and classroom management.

Our School:

We are a progressive suburban school housed in a historic church building in the quiet neighborhood of Belmont Heights. Our relationship with Long Beach Parks and Recreation allows us to utilize four parks within walking distance for partial school days. In 2018, our school was one of six private schools in the country to be named a U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School for environmental sustainability, health and wellness, and STEM.

We are located minutes from the beach, 1.5 hours to the desert, 2 hours to the mountains, and 30 minutes from a Waldorf high school. We have a diverse population, and we are focused on equitability and inclusion for people of all religions, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities/expressions. Our Village has a lot of heart, strong parent participation, and is centered on families, community, parent education, collaboration, and mutual respect.

MVWS is an Associate Member of AWSNA and a Developing Member of WECAN.

Teaching Culture:

Our school is entering its 18th year, and programs include Parent/Baby, Parent/Toddler, 3 Preschools, 2 Kindergartens, and Grades 1 – 8. We have an experienced faculty, strong peer mentoring program, and together we study, listen, counsel, laugh, eat, and celebrate. Our specialty subjects include Handwork, Woodwork, Spanish, Japanese, Games, Strings, Chorus, and Gardening. We also have a strong Early Childhood and Grades Extended Care program.

Essential Job Functions:

● Planning lessons and teaching classes in accordance with the Spanish mentor.

● Working with students with a variety of learning styles and different levels of skill and ability.

● Attending Specialty Teacher meetings once per month and as scheduled for In-Service days.

● Attending Parent Orientation Evening for 1 hour and Class Teacher/Specialty Teacher Info Meeting for 1.5 hours.

● Attending evening parent meetings a few times per year to present aspects of the Spanish program as coordinated with the appropriate class teacher.

● Writing student mid-year progress reports and end-of-year reports. Skills, Knowledge, and/or Abilities

Required:

Skills:

● Exemplary classroom management and discipline.

● Strong fiscal and administrative responsibilities, including listening, verbal, written, and interpersonal communication.

Knowledge:

● Knowledge of Spanish instruction for elementary and middle school students.

● Knowledge of Waldorf…