Special Educator

JOB SUMMARY

St. Johnsbury Academy seeks a skilled Special Education Teacher to join our team. Responsibilities with a full‑time position include teaching three to four sections each semester. The qualified candidate will have a strong background in math and science and differentiated instruction and a certification in Special Education in the State of Vermont or be eligible for a provisional license. Training in the Orton Gillingham approach is preferred.

We are seeking a candidate to join our creative and collaborative atmosphere and who will engage in and embrace the active lifestyle and responsibilities of boarding school life.

In addition to teaching responsibilities, full‑time faculty members are expected to serve as an advisor to a group of 8–12 students and to participate in the campus and residential life programs as assigned. The successful candidate will have the ability to engage in and embrace the active lifestyle and responsibilities of boarding school life.

• Create and execute individual education plans for each of the students in your care.
• Communicate with other staff and family members about each student’s progress and struggles.
• Design and implement course curriculum with guidance from the Director of Special Services.
• Prepare syllabi and daily lesson plans for the above.
• Assess and provide evaluation information back to students in a timely manner according to the school calendar.
• Participate in IEP meetings as scheduled by the school, and as needed for the best outcomes for students in the program.
• Use individualized reinforcement techniques to encourage continuous improvement in each student.
• Provide case management to a caseload of 13–17 students.
• Teach a specialized content class (math, science).
• Teach small‑group targeted interventions.
• Review and analyze student data, making recommendations for individual and group interventions.
• Communicate with families and districts regarding students’ needs and progress.
• Be available daily during the conference period at the end of the school day and require students to attend if they need to make up work or need extra assistance.
• Maintain communication with parents/guardians as needed throughout the school year, including up to four parents’ afternoons/nights during the school year, and for one resident parents’ weekend in the fall semester.
• Maintain classroom decorum to Academy standards, including recognizing dress code violations, with support from department chairs and deans.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues within the department and throughout the school.

• Serve as an advisor to a group of 8–12 students during their four‑year tenure at the Academy, including morning attendance and weekly advisory periods.
• Participate in the resident life program as assigned. Resident Life duties may include additional compensation or benefits, depending on the position. Specific assignments take into account faculty interests and lifestyle constraints as well as current school needs, and may include a position on regular dorm staff, after‑school supervision of academic, athletic, or recreational activities, and serving as chaperones for student trips or events approximately three times per academic year.
• Attend assigned monthly meetings for all faculty, department, advisory class, and ad hoc committees. Time for department, advisory class, and ad hoc committees is generally allocated during the regular school day.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Be committed to the idea of diversity in the classroom, and the acknowledgment and acceptance of our students’ diversity of culture, gender, sexuality, as well as their varied economic and educational backgrounds.
• Be collaborative and open to the idea of team‑teaching and/or working regularly with peers.
• Have a high degree of competence with contemporary educational technologies such as electronic grade books and the Google Education Suite, or be willing to learn.
• Teach critical thinking skills and original idea generation.
• Be creative and encourage the creative process.
• Be excited to work one‑on‑one with our students outside of the classroom.
• Have flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends for campus life events.
• Demonstrate character and ability to serve as a mentor and role model for young people.