Part-Time Handwork Teacher

About the role

The Lower Grades Handwork Teacher at Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School leads age-appropriate handwork education for Grades 1-5 students, including lessons in knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, hand sewing, embroidery, and weaving. Through purposeful, hands-on work, the teacher creates a nurturing environment to support the students’ healthy development. Responsible for teaching 9 periods weekly, as well as other Subject Teacher duties and meetings.

About Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School

Far from the interstate highways and the hustle of the city, in a beautiful landscape of dramatic cliffs, winding rivers, and fertile valleys, there’s a lively community of people who share a dream of a simpler, more connected life. A life lived in harmony with nature’s rhythms. A life in which friends live and learn together, sharing their struggles and triumphs. A life with children, family, and community at its very heart.

Forty-five years ago, a few of these families came together to found a school. Their vision was to build a child-centered educational community that reflected the values they held dear: reverence for life, for learning, and for the children themselves. They began by searching for an educational approach that aligned with their vision. When they discovered Waldorf education, Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School was born. From its humble beginnings as a one-room schoolhouse with three students and one teacher, PRWS has grown to serve nearly 150 children in kindergarten through eighth grade. While our school has grown, we remain true to our founders’ vision of providing a balanced educational experience that instills in children a love of learning, a respect for nature, a strong sense of community, and an abiding appreciation for the value of service.

Responsibilities

Curriculum

• Strive to understand the model of child development that underlies the Waldorf curriculum, coupling this with study of the curriculum itself, the PRWS curriculum standards, and an awareness of the class and community attributes, plan lessons for the grade level of their students.
• Prepare written plans each year which include the order of main lesson blocks, goals for the students’ development of academic, artistic, physical, and social skills, and daily and weekly class schedules.
• Work to deepen their understanding of the curriculum through the anthroposophical study of human development and the evolution of human consciousness.

To the Children

• Provide a conscious model of responsible behavior that, together with loving authority and discipline, conveys a sense of respect, reverence, and gratitude.
• Develop the ability to work with the class as a whole, while concurrently being aware of (and tending to) the individual needs.
• Make observations of the class as a whole and of individual children, and through these observations, take the children into the teacher’s meditative life.
• Keep the children’s work in an organized manner, and develop methods of evaluation of the children’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development through record-keeping.

To the Parents

• Interact with parents with honesty, courtesy, warmth, and professionalism.
• Work with parents to promote awareness and understanding of their child’s school experience, as well as to foster the parents’ development as a supporting and protecting calyx around the development of the class as a whole.
• Conduct parent-teacher conferences at least two times during the year according to the school’s schedule.
• Attend Parent Evenings as requested.

To the School and Colleagues

• Work collaboratively with colleagues – sharing observations, questions, and insights – to support each other’s professional and personal development.
• Take active roles in the administration of the school. After the first year, a Subject Teacher is to serve on at least one committee.
• Contribute to public relations aspects of the school’s work by taking part in at least one informational event per year and contributing to the Calyx, the school’s newsletter.
• Be responsible for the physical environment of their classroom – creating a place that is inspiring for learning by giving care to the beauty, artistic aspects, cleanliness, and order of the room – and for the shared school building and grounds.
• Attend weekly faculty meetings, section meetings, in-service days, festivals, and school-wide events as scheduled.

Qualifications and Skills

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree.
• Experience and/or training in teaching children.
• Knowledge and understanding of the subject area being taught.
• Waldorf training and/or a willingness to pursue training within the first few years of employment.
• Understanding of and enthusiasm for Waldorf education, including curriculum and pedagogy.
• Knowledge and understanding of anthroposophy and the picture of child development it presents.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and comfortable working independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to work artistically and creatively with the education in an organized, timely manner.
• Professionalism in speech, manner, and dress (following the school dress code).

Qualities

• Deeply appreciates Waldorf education and is dedicated to the long-term viability of PRWS.
• Flexibility; an ability to adjust to circumstances as they arise.
• Courteous, cooperative, and self-motivated.
• A friendly, welcoming demeanor.
• A good working relationship with colleagues, parents, and the greater community.
• Willing to pursue professional growth.
• Demonstrates discretion, honesty, and integrity.

Pay

Starting salary is $37,960 per year for full-time (prorated based on FTE), with increases based on years of relevant teaching experience.

Benefits

• 401(k) with 3% matching.
• 24-hour accident insurance is available.
• A modest professional development stipend is available as the budget allows.
• Paid Time Off (PTO): 8 days per year (or 64 hours); prorated for part-time.
• Full tuition remission available for full-time positions; prorated for part-time.
• Free hot lunch provided Monday through Thursday.