SAD Alternative Education Teacher

Alternative Education Teacher

About The Upper St. John Valley Recovery High School:
At the Upper St. John Valley Recovery High School, we work with teens in recovery. We use a goal-oriented approach to support their recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) and/or co-occurring disorders. We help them identify and establish healthy, constructive habits so they grow personally, behaviorally and socially while also making progress toward a high school diploma. We offer an academic pathway to these teens while placing a clear focus on their recovery and ability to maintain sobriety.

We use an approach that blends substance misuse and mental health supports into their entire educational experience on a daily, weekly and ongoing basis. Our supportive process is tailored to the individual needs of each participant. We also emphasize the development of a recovery community built on the critical elements of self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, social awareness and trusting relationships.

Maine School Administrative District #27 is seeking applicants for a certified Grades 9-12 Teacher with (an) endorsement(s) and teaching experience in English/Language Arts, Social Studies, Math and/or Science to work with students at our Upper St. John Valley Recovery High School – a specialized alternative high school program that serves teens recovering from substance use disorder and/or co-occurring disorders. Our mission is to create a safe, supportive, and structured environment where our students can progress from the vulnerable initial stage of recovery to the point of stable recovery and leave our program with the knowledge and skills necessary to maintain sobriety, wellness and well‑being.

We are seeking a passionate and compassionate Alternative Education Teacher to join our professional team.

The Recovery High School Alternative Education Teacher will be supported by an Education Technician III, will work closely with and receive consultation from our Recovery Counselor (licensed clinical substance misuse counselor), will communicate regularly with Dorm Parents, will be supervised by the Alternative Education Coordinator, and will interface with parents, family members and community-based service providers as we provide students an academic pathway to a High School diploma while also placing a clear focus on their recovery and their ability to maintain sobriety, wellness and well‑being.

The ideal candidate will have experience in education, lived or living experience with substance misuse and/or co-occurring disorder recovery, a commitment to supporting teens in recovery, and the ability to foster a supportive and engaging learning/recovery environment built on self‑awareness, social awareness and trusting relationships within our student cohort and between our students and staff.

• Develop and manage engaging, standards-based lessons in all core subject areas.
• Together with the Education Technician III, provide a mixture of active, face-to-face, individual and small‑group support to nurture students' ability to make progress through self-paced, independent learning while also nudging and supporting them to remain on pace with their daily and weekly assignments.
• Facilitate blended learning experiences through which students access on‑line learning content through custom‑designed core and elective courses available on Edmentum PLE and other web-based teaching/learning platforms.
• Support students' academic, social, and emotional needs within the context of recovery by working with other team members to blend substance misuse and mental health supports into their learning experiences on a daily, weekly and ongoing basis.
• Collaborate with the Recovery Counselor, program coordinator, families, community-based service providers and other staff to ensure student success in the classroom and in their recovery journey.
• Foster a classroom environment that promotes respect, resilience, and trust.
• Adapt teaching methods to meet diverse learning needs and styles.
• Participate in on-going professional development related to education and recovery support (i.e.,…