Lower School Head Teacher

About Town School:
Town School for Boys is a K-8 all-boys independent school located in San Francisco with approximately 427 students, of whom 50% come from self-identified families of color, and a faculty: student ratio of 1:6. Our diverse faculty and staff can be characterized by their warmth, collegiality, and dedication to our mission and values. At Town, learning is prized, love of school is essential, and boyhood is celebrated.

For more information, please visit our Town Facts page, read about "Why a Boys' School," or learn about our community of belonging.

Town School for Boys seeks full-time Lower School Head Teachers for 2 openings, a third-grade position and a fourth-grade position, for the  school year. Each position involves teaching one section of approximately 25 students. There are weekly faculty meetings, lunch, and recess duty obligations. The position also involves conducting daily student morning meetings and supervising daily recess breaks. Parent-teacher conferences are held twice a year.

In addition, this Head Teacher position involves mentoring and partnering with a full-time Resident Teacher who is part of the New Teacher Institute. The position works collaboratively with other grade-level team members, including the Head Teacher and Resident Teacher in the other grade-level classroom, grade-level colleagues, teachers in other grades, the Director of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation, and the Lower School Head.

The Head Teacher will work closely with the Director of Teacher Development and Strategic Initiatives in supporting the Resident Teacher’s professional development. Collaboration with the librarians and educational technologists is also expected.

Faculty should frequently communicate with colleagues and with parents about student progress. Faculty are expected to take an active role in the school by chaperoning field trips, attending student performances, and occasionally attending athletic events.

We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. We would encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of our qualifications described.

• A bachelor’s degree is required; a teaching credential and/or a Master’s degree is preferred.
• The ideal candidate will have at least two years of teaching experience and experience working with elementary-age students.
• The candidate will have deep knowledge of the instruction of reading, writing, grammar, spelling, mathematics, and social studies.
• Ideally, candidates will be familiar with the science of reading and best practices in teaching reading and writing.
• Candidates should demonstrate a passion for working with Lower School students and be knowledgeable about this developmental stage.
• The candidate should have a strong background in social and emotional learning, which is integrally connected to the Town School academic curriculum.
• We ask that candidates be comfortable with the Responsive Classroom approach.
• Candidates should be strong in their use of technology tools for teaching.
• Good communication skills are essential.
• The ideal candidate will demonstrate a commitment to developing and implementing innovative approaches to learning, including project-based learning methodologies, inquiry-focused practices, integration with our Engineering Thinking program, and the use of the Understanding by Design planning framework.
• Ongoing personal cultural competency development is an expectation of all employees, including integration of diverse perspectives and global awareness into the curriculum.

Classrooms are equipped with interactive software that teachers utilize to enhance instruction for students. In addition, all students have access to iPads in third grade and Chromebooks in the fourth-grade classroom, which they use for online resources across the curriculum. Instructional approaches and course content should be differentiated to suit a range of learning levels and styles and reflect a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds.

Non-Discrimination…