Lower School Associate Spanish Teacher

The Spence School

LOWER SCHOOL SPANISH ASSOCIATE TEACHER

Full-time position to begin August 2026

Overview

The Associate Teacher Program at the Spence Lower School provides the foundation for beginning teachers to prepare to ultimately become lead teachers of their own classroom. The Spanish Associate teacher typically remains at Spence for two years and participates fully in the life of the school.

Candidates will develop skills in the following areas:

• The craft of teaching and the development of an immersive Spanish curriculum
• Strategies for teaching, including differentiation of instruction
• Classroom management
• Professionalism
• Development of personal teaching style
• Communication with parents
• Active observation of students
• Weekly planning
• Student assessment

Responsibilities

In addition to learning the craft of teaching by supporting the Spanish Lead Teachers and assisting with classroom practices K-4, the Spanish Associate Teacher has additional responsibilities which include:

• Attending all faculty and grade-level meetings
• Participating in our Associate Teacher Program
• Attending curriculum and admission events
• Leading reading groups for heritage learners and fluent speakers
• Participating in school-wide professional development
• Applying their creativity and technical skills to create instructional course materials that bring the curricula to life
• Substituting for the absent Spanish lead teacher

Qualifications

• Fluent in Spanish. Native speaker preferred
• Has a BA, BS, plus MA (or working towards it). We are particularly interested in candidates with FLES or Dual Language backgrounds
• Has one or more years of elementary classroom teaching experience
• Finds joy in working with children and in school life
• Approaches work with optimism, energy, flexibility, kindness, and a sense of humor
• Demonstrates cultural competency and skills by engaging with and learning from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences
• Regards collaboration as an essential component of professional growth and values working on a team
• Has a disposition toward learning from and with colleagues about the practice of teaching

Salary range: $58,000 - $63,000
Spence is committed to an equitable program and a diverse faculty and student body. We therefore actively seek candidates from diverse backgrounds.