PreK Teacher

Job Description

Uncommon Pre‑K Teachers cultivate a love for learning in every student from the very start. Teachers and students engage in an environment that fosters curiosity, achievement, respect, and empathy (CARE). Our classrooms are engaging, intentional, and playful, and our educators encourage core values of respect and hard work while celebrating each child’s individuality. Through this work, teachers lay the academic and social‑emotional foundations that carry students to and through college.

Pre‑K classrooms are led by teaching teams that include a lead teacher and an apprentice teacher.

• You’ll co‑teach and build an engaging and joyful classroom environment that encourages mastery and empowers students to learn through exploration and purposeful play.
• You’ll teach literacy (reading comprehension, phonics, language development, vocabulary, and writing), mathematics, and core knowledge (science and social studies).
• You’ll collaborate with the teaching team (lead & apprentice teachers) to facilitate free‑choice centers and small group instruction.

• You’ll meet weekly with your Director to analyze and respond to trends in student work samples and assessments.
• You’ll learn and implement strategies to differentiate instruction for all learners in your classroom.

• You’ll implement Uncommon’s instructional model and collaborate with the instructional coach and Director to ensure students meet academic and performance goals.
• You’ll use multiple data sources, including assessments and classroom quality observations, to make day‑to‑day instructional decisions (reflective).
• You’ll provide early learning experiences that foster positive feelings about school, teachers, and the broader community (nurturing).
• You’ll support student development across social‑emotional, physical, cognitive, and academic domains (balanced).
• You’ll apply a variety of strategies to promote both conceptual understanding and skill development.
• You’ll model and support expressive and receptive language development throughout the school day.
• You’ll support administrative and operational tasks, including document creation, office support, and responding to student send‑outs.
• You’ll assist with behavior interventions, student supervision, and accurate record‑keeping to maintain a safe, structured, and positive learning environment.

• You’ll provide classroom coverage as needed to ensure continuity of instruction and supervision.
• You’ll build strong, positive relationships with students so they feel seen, valued, and supported.
• You’ll partner with families to ensure appropriate resources are in place to support student learning and development.
• You’ll engage in practice‑based professional development, mentorship, and coaching.
• You’ll support daily school operations including morning arrival, lunch duty, student assemblies, transitions, and after‑school dismissal.
• You’ll participate in weekly school‑wide meetings to foster community, model core values, and support student achievement.
• You’ll collaborate with teaching partners and grade‑level teams to set academic goals and strengthen instructional practice.

• A demonstrated commitment to supporting students’ social‑emotional and academic development
• An enthusiasm for working with families in the best interest of students
• A self‑directed learner who solicits and implements feedback to improve outcomes and achieve objectives
• Required Experience:
  • A demonstrated interest in impacting K‑12 students in urban schools and communities (1‑2 years experience preferred)
  • Academic expertise in Elementary Education, Humanities, English, Social Sciences, or other related fields of study
  • Prior to the start of employment, you must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Teacher certification is not a prerequisite for consideration at Uncommon Schools in the state of NJ, but you do need to meet NJ state certification eligibility requirements (a final undergraduate or graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 for graduates on or after 9/1/16, or 2.75 if you graduated prior to 9/1/16).
    
    All instructional…