Website Julia Morgan School for Girls
Title: Language Arts Teacher
Date Modified: April 2023
FLSA Classification: Exempt
Supervisor: Dir of Curriculum and Teaching
Job Objectives:
-To inspire and support students to become the confident, capable, creative, and compassionate women of tomorrow
-To inspire students to see the scholar within each of them
Job Functions:
-Teach the full range of Language Arts including literature studies and writing projects across the different genres of writing (persuasive, expository, narrative)
-Include a diverse range of authors, including women, for each grade level
-Provide frequent written feedback to students on their writing
-Teach 2 sections of 7th and 2 sections of 8th-grade language arts
-Write narrative comments for each student at each grade level for grade reports
-Serve as a grade-level advisor
-Work collaboratively with members of the grade level advising team to monitor the academic and the social/emotional well being of the students
-Prepare students for and attend parent-advisor-student conferences
-Work collaboratively with members of each grade level team to integrate humanities across disciplines
-Organize and lead WORD Day – a full school day devoted to the appreciation of the written word with author visits and writing workshops
-Support student clubs
-Write high school letters of recommendation for 8th-grade students requiring them
-Fulfill Teacher/Staff responsibilities as defined in the JMSG Employee Handbook and Employment Agreement
-Attend school events including Gift of Giving, Spring Concert, Grade Level trip, STEAM Night, Graduation
-Perform additional duties as needed
Job Requirements:
-Bachelor’s degree or higher in the subject area
-Demonstrated expertise in the subject area
-Successful experience teaching middle or high school students
-Excellent verbal and written communication skills
-A strong understanding of girls’ education, the relational model, and adolescent development
-An understanding of the unique needs of middle school girls
-A collaborative spirit and strong interest in interdisciplinary teaching
-Experience in curriculum development and project-based learning
-Excitement about working specifically with middle school girls and non-binary students
-A student-centered orientation
-Flexible and collaborative team player
-Partnership and good communication with parents that supports students
-A sense of humor is essential when working with middle school girls
Physical Requirements and Work Environment:
-Works in a stressful environment dealing with a wide variety of challenges, deadlines, and a varied and diverse array of contacts
-May work at a desk and computer for extended periods of time
-Ability to occasionally lift up to 30 lbs
-Work primarily in a traditional climate-controlled office environment
-Work intermittently in outside weather conditions, including extreme heat and cold
More about Julia Morgan School for Girls:
The Mission of Julia Morgan School for Girls is to prepare our students to be the confident, capable, creative, and compassionate women of tomorrow.
Julia Morgan School for Girls is committed to a challenging and inspiring academic program that encourages each student to recognize and meet their potential through individualized attention, cooperative learning, and the guidance of expert teachers. We are dedicated to the intellectual, creative, social, and emotional growth of girls during their critical middle school years. Our goal is to provide educational opportunities and positive role models not fully afforded to girls in coeducational institutions.
Julia Morgan School faculty have developed a rich and engaging curriculum in every subject area, with classes taught using a collaborative, project-based approach, designed when possible to integrate disciplines that have traditionally been separated. The relational model is core to what we do at Julia Morgan School and therefore cooperative learning, creative expression, and valuing each girl are emphasized. In academic classes, students are engaged in explorations of culture, as well as environmental, economic, and ethical issues.
JMSG believes students should graduate with a deep sense of social responsibility. The JMSG program nurtures each girl’s compassion and sense of social justice in every area of school life. We also take time to intentionally develop interpersonal connections and a positive school culture during Community Time every day. Weekly advising check-ins and activities, cross-grade groupings called Families, all-school meetings, along with social-emotional learning classes, develop students’ personal and social awareness, teaching them to empathize, give support within a community, and tackle the complex moral issues that arise during adolescence.
Central to the JMSG Mission is the commitment of every member of the Julia Morgan School for Girls community, including students, parents, guardians, faculty, and staff, to do her/his part in creating a positive, respectful, and supportive community.
The Advisor Role at Julia Morgan School for Girls
Advisory places an emphasis on supporting students academically, socially, and emotionally through their three years of middle school. Advisory complements the academic and RISE (Resilience, Identity, Self-awareness, Empathy) programs by providing an opportunity for students to take ownership of their personal growth in a more intimate setting. Students meet weekly in small groups, composed of an adult advisor and grade-level peers. Advisory groups explore topics such as community, tolerance, and respect. In addition, the groups plan and discuss upcoming school events and participate in a number of team-building activities throughout the year.
A student’s advisor acts as her academic and social advocate, offers advice and support, and encourages each student to advocate for herself. Advisors communicate purposefully with teachers and parents/guardians and help their advisees prepare for student-led conferences twice a year. Advisory is a core element defining how students and teachers relate at JMSG, creating an atmosphere in which girls respect and feel close to their teachers and peers.
As such, advisors:
-Facilitate group advising sessions that are meaningful and support students’ social-emotional development;
-Establish a one-on-one relationship between Advisor and advisee that fosters a sense of trust and belonging;
-Act as a liaison between parent/guardian and school, where consistent and timely communication is valued; Advisors communicate purposefully with students’ teachers and parents/guardians to create a network of support for each student;
-Ensure that each student is encouraged, supported, and valued for her individual strength and areas of growth. A student’s Advisor offers support and coaching for her academic and social growth and encourages each student to advocate for herself. Advisory is a core element at JMSG, defining how students and teachers relate, and creating an atmosphere in which students respect and connect with their teachers and peers.
