Lead Teacher - Early Childhood

**Position Overview** The City Garden Montessori School Lead Guide understands and promotes the school’s mission, vision, objectives, and policies both within and outside the school community. The Lead Guide is responsible for providing an instructional program in a multi-aged (3 to 5 year olds) classroom, delivered with both Montessori and an anti-bias/anti-racist pedagogy. The Lead Guide reports to the School Principal and works in partnership with their assistant guide, other instructional staff, and parents to nurture the comprehensive development of all children in the school grounded in the Montessori method of education. **Responsibilities** The Montessori Guide’s responsibilities include creating lesson plans and curricula focused on developing social, physical, intellectual, and emotional skills, assessing children’s individual needs, and communicating with parents as required. They will lead a classroom team which includes a dedicated Assistant Guide, as well as any additional staff assigned to support students. They should be able to create a nurturing, stimulating classroom where every child feels included. A successful Montessori Guide is a lifelong learner who inspires a love for learning in your students, and is able to accept failure, learn from their mistakes, and embrace creativity and independence. ***Planning, Preparation and Instruction*** - Makes use of the resources such as Montessori Albums, State Standards and current research based instructional practices, to develop lesson plans, independent learning exercises, curricula, and methods that cater to the needs of the individual child - Monitoring and assessing student progress and writing up reports - Responsible for maintaining an on-going dialogue with specialty teachers and coordinating curriculum integration and implementation - Understanding and implementing ABAR principles - Work with students of various abilities assigned to the classroom, including those with learning differences as diagnosed; participating in meetings, training, and planning cooperatives to fully meet each child’s needs - Use various assessment tools/strategies as applicable such as iReady, observations, children’s work samples, continuums of development, portfolios, etc. to help make instructional decisions for individual students - Create and communicate weekly learning plans for all students - Plans and coordinates classroom field trips and classroom supplies budget; ensuring all resources are used in support of educating students and the school’s mission - Assists in the development of and participates in school functions, including but not limited to Open Houses, Transition Nights, Curriculum Nights, Parent Orientations and the Family Field Day ***Classroom Environment/Management*** - Establishing rapport and building relationships with students based on trust - Preparing an environment in which the furnishings and materials are complete, available and in working condition, and correspond to the needs of the group - Creating and maintaining a safe, clean, stimulating classroom where all children feel safe and valued - Maintaining a clear, orderly, and attractive Montessori environment, including the care and maintenance of classroom materials and equipment - Communicating needs for the classroom in accordance with school norms, i.e., maintaining inventory of classroom materials and any additional materials needed - Setting an excellent example for students and instilling good values in them like honesty, accountability, understanding, tolerance, respect, love, and kindness - Observing, guiding, supervising, and assessing children while they learn in the classroom environment - Responsible for the safety of the children left in their charge until dismissed to a responsible adult - Ensures that the physical environment adheres to all health and safety regulations as required by the State of Missouri and City Garden policy ***Communication*** - Updating records on the school…