Middle School Special Educator

Middle School Special Educator

Westwood Public Schools, EW Thurston Middle School – Westwood, Massachusetts. Open in Google Maps.

Job : 5811846
Final date to receive applications: Aug 31, 2026 11:59 PM (Eastern Standard Time)
Posted: Jul 01, 2026 4:00 AM (UTC)
Starting Date: Aug 24, 2026

THE ROLE:

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.

OUR SCHOOL:

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.

OUR DISTRICT:

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.

NATURE AND SCOPE: 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.

• 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…