Middle School Special Educator

Special Education Teacher

Thurston Middle School seeks a special education teacher to join our caring and innovative community as the lead teacher in the school's Therapeutic Learning Center (TLC) program for the  school year. The TLC teacher partners with mental health providers and instructional assistants throughout the school to support students in their engagement within the school environment in a clinical, trauma-informed setting woven across academic content areas integrated into grade level general education classes and activities.

A key focus is on identifying and applying effective coping strategies to achieve better academic results. Students receive both individual and group behavioral and therapeutic interventions as an integral part of their daily instruction. You will be part of our Student Services team as we create inspiring and inclusive teaching and learning experiences for all students.

Thurston Middle School is a thriving community of curious, kind students supported by engaged families and dedicated staff. With approximately 650 students in grades 6-8, Thurston welcomes students from the district's four elementary schools. Our teachers model and encourage a deep investment in learning. Thurston is a proud METCO school, with strong program leadership and an unwavering commitment to supporting the values of the nation's oldest and most successful public school racial integration program.

Westwood is a welcoming suburban community with an exceptional track record of supporting and celebrating its public schools. As a district, we are committed to creating an environment where diverse perspectives and backgrounds are embraced, and we understand that a diverse team allows us to serve our community better. We welcome and encourage individuals of every race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, and veteran status to seek opportunities within our school district.

You will join the strong professional learning community of the Westwood Public Schools. In our mission to prepare students for college, career, and civic life, we work collaboratively to provide rich and rigorous curriculum, high-quality instruction, trusting relationships, and authentic educational experiences. We hold true to our core district values of academic excellence and a commitment to improvement; curiosity and tenacity;

and respectful relationships in a caring, collaborative community.

The teacher plans, delivers, and implements effective instruction and assesses student learning in accordance with state curriculum frameworks and district goals. The teacher creates an educational environment in which all students are safe and achieve. The teacher collaborates with other professionals and students' families to help students succeed.

Essential functions/responsibilities:

• Plan engaging lessons with clear and measurable objectives that are relevant to the appropriate curriculum and the students in the class.
• Manage class operation by enforcing high academic and behavioral expectations, implementing routines, anticipating potential problems and taking appropriate preventative measures, and treating all students with respect.
• Create a positive class environment by building a relationship with each student, encouraging students to build relationships with one another, treating all students fairly, promoting students' self-discipline and responsibility for learning, and not tolerating dangerous or destructive behaviors.
• Deliver instruction effectively by establishing high expectations for all students, presenting new material explicitly and in a developmentally appropriate manner, connecting new learning to students' prior knowledge, helping students understand the relevance of what they are learning, differentiating based on students' needs, and using a variety of pedagogic approaches.
• Assess student understanding of learning objectives with student self-assessments, frequent formative measures, and periodic summative measures.
• Collaborate with other professionals to analyze student work, draw conclusions, develop interventions and extensions, and implement new teaching strategies based on assessment data.
• Understand the Individual Education Programs and 504 Accommodation Plans of students in the class, participate in team meetings, and collaborate with specials education and support staff members.
• Communicate the students' academic, social, and behavioral progress to their parents or guardians in a respectful and responsive manner.
• Fulfill professional responsibilities by collaborating with other professionals and students' parents or guardians, using good judgment, participating in professional development, reflecting on performance and making positive changes to improve student learning, being receptive to feedback, and completing assigned duties.
• Assuming other responsibilities assigned by the building principal in accordance with…