Early Childhood and Lower School Assistant Teachers

Our Mission

High Meadow School is a nursery through 8th-grade independent school that celebrates childhood, the joy of learning and play, and the power of community in a student-centered environment. We honor and welcome each child’s unique voice, identity, and approach to constructing knowledge. Drawing on current pedagogical research, we center diversity, equity, civic engagement, nature, and the arts in the school’s dynamic curriculum and culture.

High Meadow students graduate with a strong academic foundation and a developed sense of self, ready to contribute their passions and values to building thriving, sustainable, and equitable communities.

The assistant teacher plays a critical role in upholding the culture and educational program at High Meadow School. The principal role of the assistant teacher is to support the successful operation of the classroom environment in partnership with the classroom’s lead teacher. The assistant teacher provides a range of support to the classroom, including fostering the development of a positive learning environment, preparing materials for lessons, offering one‑on‑one or small group supervision and instruction, supervising students during recess and lunch times, and providing modifications to enhance students' learning processes.

The assistant teacher builds warm and trusting relationships with students, helping them navigate academic and social tasks, problem‑solve, resolve conflicts with peers, and pursue their interests related to learning. While the lead teacher is the primary point of contact for families to communicate with, the assistant teacher also fosters positive partnerships with families surrounding their child’s learning and growth. The assistant teacher collaborates with other staff members and participates in professional development and learning opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements below represent the required knowledge, skill, and/or ability. High Meadow School complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended by the ADA Amendments Act, and all applicable New York State or local laws. Consistent with those requirements, High Meadow School will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability if such accommodation would allow the individual to satisfactorily perform the job's essential functions unless doing so would create an undue hardship.

• Foster loving, trusting, and supportive relationships with children
• Inspire learners to find joy and meaning in their learning and their relationships with others
• Support the lead teacher in building a warm, inviting, and student-centered classroom environment that is reflective of the school’s progressive mission and honors students’ identities, personal voices, and interests
• Support the building of a supportive classroom culture that is calm and predictable, involves student input, sets logical and developmentally appropriate boundaries, and allows students to learn and practice expected behaviors to promote a positive learning environment without fear of punitive measures
• Form a positive and collaborative working relationship with lead teacher
• Model and support children using restorative practices to reflect on their actions, resolve intrapersonal issues and conflicts, and repair intentional or unintentional harm that their actions may have caused
• Perform various tasks to support the efficient running of the classroom environment, including but not limited to materials preparation and classroom setup, snack preparation, assisting or supervising small groups of children in learning activities, and reinforcing classroom expectations.
• Help differentiate instruction and provide modifications to students with Early Childhood Intervention Services, 504 plans, or Individualized Education Plans to help them meet their academic or behavioral goals
• Supervise students during arrival, dismissal, lunch, and recess
• Attend Arts and Recreation classes with children and provide assistance to Arts and Recreation…