Upper Elementary Lead Guide Job Description
About Greenspring:
Greenspring Montessori School has been offering a Montessori education to students since 1962. Nestled on a 7-acre property that was originally a dairy farm, students ages 18 months through grade 8 thrive in our newly renovated buildings, state-of-the-art Montessori classrooms, and rich outdoor learning environments.
At Greenspring Montessori School, we value life experiences alongside professional training. We welcome and celebrate people of diverse backgrounds, histories, perspectives, identities, cultures, religions, and races. Our learning environment is strengthened and enriched through a community that reflects the nuances and beauty of an intricate and complex world.
We are searching for self-motivated, collaborative, coachable individuals with a passion for learning and growing within our community. Personal values around a reverence for human dignity and a commitment to social justice, honoring the spirit of each child, and a love of nature and our environment are strong indicators of a potential fit for our school.
Greenspring Montessori School is seeking an Upper Elementary Lead Guide for the 2024-25 school year to start immediately. The Greenspring Montessori School Upper Elementary Lead Guide is a dynamic, experienced, and mature leader with a deep commitment to implementing Cosmic Education.
Upper Elementary Lead Guide
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The Classroom:
- Cultivate a nurturing, respectful, inspiring, empowering and safe learning environment.
- Know and honor each child, cultivating and celebrating his/her strengths, and gracefully supporting areas of struggle and challenge.
- Provide and support deeply engaging learning experiences in accordance with authentic Montessori philosophy and practice.
- Cultivate and generate a completely student-led environment, filled with independence, concentration, wonder, and joy.
- Create a rich culture of grace and courtesy in the classroom.
- Create a beautiful and inspiring Montessori prepared environment.
- Lesson plan weekly to ensure each child’s unique needs are being met in each area of the curriculum with lessons that support and generate curiosity and wonder, a deep love of learning, and strong academic skills.
- Keep accurate records, updated weekly, on individual students’ development and needs.
- Strive to observe for at least 15 minutes a day, and record these observations.
- Following the Student Support Protocol for students that present needs.
- Model and teach appropriate conflict resolution and problem solving strategies.
Student Family and Support:
- Ensure warm and effective connection between home and school, and support ongoing communication among the triad of parents, students, and the teaching team.
- Educate and fully support full parent understanding of the beauty and importance of Montessori Education on the spiritual, academic, emotional, and social development for the young child.
- Provide parent-teacher conferences three times a year to provide feedback on students’ intellectual, emotional, and social development.
- Create well written, educational and insightful conference summaries, progress reports, and newsletters.
- Provide well-written, insightful updates to parents, using the school’s chosen program and adhering to the guidelines and schedule agreed upon by the Direct of Education and Guides.
- Participate in and lead inspiring parent education events.
- Respond to parent inquiries in a timely fashion, and respectfully and effectively.
- Build strong partnerships with your parents.
- Support communication to parents according to school guidelines.
- Ensure successful transition of students into the next level of programming.
Professional and Personal Growth:
- Be deeply committed to constantly deepening your understanding of authentic Montessori practice, and implementing the method rigorously and precisely in your classroom and beyond.
- Model lifelong learning and meet professional development requirements.
- Be a lifelong learner, taking full responsibility for your own self-awareness, spirituality, and growth and development.
- Attend professional development workshops outside of school.
- Create yearly professional goals in partnership with the Educational Director to be supported by your professional development.
- Peer coach, as observer and instructor.
- Observe within the Greenspring community, and a school outside of the Greenspring community.
- Be open-minded and work in collaboration with the Director of Education and outside consultants to best support students.
- Seek resources for those areas of instruction or curriculum that are not your strengths.
Administrative Responsibilities:
- Assist in the efficient and effective management of the school.
- Follow protocols for managing information (i.e., attendance, record keeping) and completing requests (i.e., purchase orders, supplies, personal
- days), etc., as further detailed in the Employee Handbook.
- Observe and meet all school deadlines (i.e. submitting classroom newsletters, preparing progress reports, etc.).
- Attend all required staff meetings and special events.
- Maintain open communication with administration and colleagues and voice concerns to and seek help from administration in a timely and positive manner.
- Continuously and effectively work with and train assistants in Montessori method and child development.
- Offer leadership and mentorship to assistants, including support with and follow up on goal setting and providing insightful and inspiring evaluations.
- Respond to emails within 24 hours – weekends excluded. Copy Head of School and/or Director of Education (as appropriate) on concerning emails.
Community Leadership Responsibilities:
- Support the school community as a model and leader of Montessori principles and professionalism.
- Set and lead weekly team meetings with classroom staff.
- Attend all level meetings, and participate fully, sharing your full intelligence and experience, and offering your full support to the success and well-being of the Greenspring community. Ensure that each meeting has minutes generated that are shared with the Director of Education.
- Support classroom assistants in goal setting, and offer consistent and supportive feedback to support the assistants’ growth and development.
- Train assistants to be fully supportive and aligned with Montessori practice in the classroom, on the playgrounds, and in the GMS community.
- Take full responsibility for creating a beautifully prepared classroom with a fully educated, supportive and prepared classroom team.
- Provide positive and critical feedback (opportunities for growth and development!), support and evaluations for assisting team.
- Be a role model for Montessori to our students, staff and community at all times.
- Be an unwavering stand for GMS, and who we are as a community and school, and our commitment to authentic Montessori practice.
- Communicate openly, compassionately, and proactively.
COMPETENCIES
- Understanding of and commitment to Montessori Philosophy
- Adhere to American Montessori Society guidelines and standards as an accredited school, for the purpose of maintaining quality and excellence.
- Promote professionalism and ethical standards in all relationships in the school.
- Willingness to both receive and offer coaching. Specifically,
- Accepts coaching graciously and with an open mind
- Implements coaching received in a timely fashion and in the manner in which it was intended
- If applicable, offers regular coaching to direct reports and follows up accordingly
- Willingness to work hard and as part of a team for a common goal
- Ability to work collaboratively with faculty to enhance whole school learning environment and community
- Outstanding communication skills – both written and verbal
POSITION DETAILS
This is a 10-month, full-time position (mid-August through mid-June). The hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:45am to 3:45pm and until 5pm on Thursdays. The salary range is $55,000 - $64,000, based on experience. Benefits for full-time employees include health, dental, paid sick days and holidays, and partial tuition remission for qualified dependents. Summer opportunities are also available.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Required:
- BA/BS Degree
- AMI or AMS Montessori Elementary Teaching Credential
- Pass a background check
Preferred:
- Master’s Degree
- Minimum of two years of Montessori Lead Teaching experience