Lower School (Grades PS-4th Grade) Visual Arts Teacher –2026-2027

Mission Guided by our Quaker principles, Friends Academy educates our students to discover and develop the best of who they are and who they can become.

About the Role

Friends Academy seeks a creative, collaborative, and energetic Lower School Art Teacher to lead our Visual Arts curriculum for students from Playgroup (toddler/early learning) through 4th Grade. The ideal candidate must possess a strong understanding of the developmental continuum from three years old to fourth grade and foster a joyful, inclusive art studio environment where young artists learn to express themselves through a wide variety of media—including tactile exploration, drawing, painting, printmaking, fiber arts, and ceramics. The Lower School Art Teacher must have hands-on experience managing a ceramics studio, including the safe and responsible operation and maintenance of an electric kiln.

Responsibilities

• Plan and facilitate age-appropriate, process-oriented studio art experiences tailored to the developmental spectrum of Playgroup through 4th-grade learners.
• Design activities that prioritize creative process over final product for the youngest learners, encouraging curiosity, experimentation, sensory discovery, and motor-skill development.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and well-organized art studio and ceramics prep area. Ensure all materials, non-toxic glazes, and clays are age-safe and appropriately stored/handled according to school safety protocols.
• Manage art supplies, maintain equipment, order inventory within budget constraints, and prepare materials for daily class activities.
• Align classroom practices with Quaker values (simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, stewardship), nurturing empathy, reflection, and mutual respect.
• Curate and display student artwork throughout the Lower School and organize regular student art showcases/exhibitions in the Art Gallery.
• Participate actively in division and department meetings, professional development, and community events.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Art Education, Fine Arts, Studio Art, or a related field is required; an advanced degree is preferred.
• Minimum of three years of experience teaching visual arts to early childhood or elementary-aged children (Nursery School through 4th Grade).
• Deep understanding of toddler, early childhood, and primary-grade child development, fine/gross motor skill milestones, and sensory learning.
• Excellent classroom management skills rooted in positive, nurturing, and restorative practices.

Benefits

Friends Academy is committed to our guiding principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome candidates representing the diversity of the world as we deepen and elevate our educational program. Friends Academy is an equal employment opportunity employer committed to hiring and retaining exceptional, dedicated people of diverse backgrounds.

Pay

The salary range is expected to be $73,000-$80,000. Actual compensation will be based on the candidate’s relevant and transferable years of service, and other factors, which include internal peer equity, the market, and other organizational considerations.

Schedule

• Full-time, academic school year
• FLSA Status: Full-Time Exempt

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to talk and hear; stand and sit for extended periods of time.
• Use fingers and hands to perform classroom activities and fine motor coordination.
• Possibly exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, or otherwise move objects.
• The ability to move across and around campus grounds.