Teacher, Youth Development

Description of school

Arthur Morgan School is a small, alternative boarding and day school for 27 students in grades 7-9. Our 100 acre campus, surrounded by National Forest in the shadow of the Black Mountains of North Carolina, consists mainly of woods and meadows, with creeks and a pond. The school fosters a loving, energetic living and learning community dedicated to supporting individual exploration while teaching group cooperation.

Guided by an emphasis on experiential learning and responsible participation in community, we seek a balance between academics, outdoor activities, artistic exploration, and meaningful work. Boarding students live in homes with two or three staff members, and the entire community actively shares work, study, play, and decision-making.

It takes a lot of time to work here. We have intense work schedules--usually 60 plus hours per week. Our work calendar generally follows a conventional school year calendar, with some additional work required during students' breaks. AMS is staff-run by consensus; we have no director or headmaster. All staff are expected to attend our two weekly staff meetings, two of our four Board Meetings, and to participate in running the school cooperatively.

Everyone is also expected to attend our weekly student-run All School Meeting and to participate in work projects with the kids.

Teaching duties can include: teaching academic classes (Math, Science, English, Art, Spanish or Social Studies) or electives (performing or visual arts, outdoor skills, woodworking, sports and games, etc.); educating students about and participating with them in ongoing maintenance of the school grounds and buildings; leading sports, games, cooking, and chore supervision. All AMS staff are people with a variety of skills, talents, and interests, and our jobs cover a wide array of responsibilities at the school.

All staff are also involved in planning and leading outdoor education through backpacking and other outdoor trips, as well as our 18 day academic field trips. We welcome teaching experience from a broad range of disciplines and specific topics. We are particularly interested in applicants able to teach Math, Social Studies, Art, and Spanish, but people with other teaching backgrounds/interests are encouraged to apply.

House parenting is a time-intensive position that involves living in a boarding house with 4 to 5 students and a co-houseparent. Both couples and individuals are considered for house parenting positions. A healthy, respectful working relationship is key to all house parent pairs. Responsibilities of house parents include: running the household (facilitating student's chores, cooking meals and housework projects), identifying and working on general care of the house and grounds (including yard work, the maintenance of the appearance of the boarding house etc.),

managing a house budget with a monthly house allowance, helping students with homework, and having fun with the kids in daily life as well as in special house activities. House parents act in loco parentis--in the place of parents--and fill the role of limit setter and authority figure as well as mentor and confidant. The position requires the sharing of one's personal space (one's home) and one's self (being "real'').

This usually results in very strong and rewarding relationships between house parents and the students in their homes.

You must be committed to alternative education; be interested in learning; enjoy being around teenagers; be able to work cooperatively with other adults; and enjoy a simple lifestyle that includes physical work and outdoor activities. Experience in the…