Assistant Teacher

Peninsula School, a leader in progressive education since 1925, is a Preschool-8th grade school where children thrive and develop to their full promise as confident contributors in the world. At Peninsula, children learn about themselves and others, discover their passions, and grow intellectually in an inclusive community rich with choices, exploration, and play. In addition to intellectual development and social and emotional learning. Peninsula School has an explicit focus on educating for democracy, student choice and voice, and social justice. Peninsula School is celebrating its centennial in 2025.

The role of the Assistant Teacher is to enrich the children’s experience at Peninsula School. The primary responsibility of the classroom assistant at Peninsula School is to help support the Head Teacher to implement the class program. The Assistant Teacher works closely with the Head Teacher, and specific duties in each Preschool – 8th grade classroom may vary. The school views the Assistant Teacher’s contribution in the classroom as a critical component of the child’s experience. Our school program values are based in authentic interactions, community, equity, freedom & responsibility, meaningful academics and play.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Ensure the safety and well-being of the children
• Support an inclusive and equitable classroom environment
• Engage with the philosophy of the school, including fostering a love of learning, promoting the child’s independence, and demonstrating a respect for the children
• Implement the class program as directed by the Head Teacher
• Assist Head Teacher to teach both academic and social-emotional skills
• Actively support children in small group instruction
• Support students with accommodations to fully access the curriculum

Daily Classroom Duties & Logistics:

• This is a school-year position with a 10-week summer break during June – late August.
• School hours are 9am-3pm. Be present on campus from 8:45-3:15 pm daily.
• Attend Tuesday staff meetings (until 5pm), in-service days , and other meetings as appropriate, according to individual classroom and student needs.
• Lead the class program when the Head Teacher is not present
• Assist with classroom set-up and organization
• Build personal relationships with students
  Assist children with improving interpersonal relationships by engaging them in conflict resolution as is age appropriate
• Support students by attending Specialist classes and Activities time
• Perform other duties as directed by the Head Teacher
• Depending upon the needs of the particular classroom, duties may also include attending field trips and camping trips and attending parent-teacher conferences and/or class caregiver/parent meetings
• Attend professional development as directed by the Director of Instruction & Belonging

Competencies: To perform the job successfully at Peninsula School, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging – A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and an ability to work with and support a diverse population of students and families. An ability to remain sensitive to the experiences of students, parents and staff in all situations and integrate feedback into practice.
• Child-Centered: ability to center children, the mission, vision and the values of the school.
• Growth Mindset – Recognizes the importance of learning and adopting and modeling a growth mindset.
• Relational Skills – Ability to relate well to a wide range of people, including building rapport with students, parents, staff, and administrators. Willingness to work to understand the culture of the school. Knowledge of each child’s challenges and strengths.
• Emotional Intelligence, Regulation, and Maturity – Ability to interact with individuals in heightened emotional states and navigate complex and emotionally challenging situations involving children and adults. A high degree of emotional stability, ability to separate one’s own emotions from a situation, and ability to maintain perspective in the midst of emotional situations is essential.
• Communications Skills – Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of constituents. Maintains open communications channels with teaching staff, parents and administrators. Has a strong understanding of the power of word choice and the need for a high level of tact and professional, accurate communication.
• Time &  Management Skills – Ability to manage many tasks and projects simultaneously and to prioritize them appropriately.
• Organizational Skills – Ability to balance many tasks and processes, including keeping track of progress on longer term projects or goals, managing details accurately, and following through in a timely fashion.
• Problem Solving Skills – Ability to consider a broad range of internal and external factors when solving problems. Grasps complexities and perceives relationships among different problems or issues. Uses various solution-focused problem-solving strategies appropriate to the situation, including enlisting and seeking advice from others when appropriate.

Qualifications and Requirements

• B.A. required
• Passionate about working with children
• Experience working with children and/or teaching experience in school settings
• An understanding of child development
• Ability to work with a diverse population
• Embracing progressive education ideals
• Display initiative, internal motivation, growth mindset, flexibility, curiosity, and a commitment to whole-child learning and growth
• Valid California driver’s license
• Initial and continued criminal background clearance by DOJ and FBI
• Current first aid/CPR (to be renewed every 2 years)
• Initial and continued tuberculosis clearance (to be renewed every 4 years)
• Mandated reporter per the State of California and Department of Education

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, the ability to adjust focus, and sound hearing. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands, talk and hear.  The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms.  On occasion, the employee is required to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee is required to operate a computer and office productivity machinery, communicate across a variety of media, and work in close proximity to others. The role may also require the employee to work in inclement weather during special activities and/or work at a desk for extended periods of time.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to listen, physically direct, and speak. The employee is required to sit (sometimes for extended periods); stand; walk on a variety of surfaces; climb stairs, bend and squat when communicating with younger students; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and ability to adjust focus.

Job Title: Assistant Teacher  (School-year, .81 FTE, benefited position)

Hourly rate: $31 per hour

Supervisor: Head Teacher, with additional support from Director of Instruction & Belonging. Placement is at the discretion of the school with consideration of Assistant Teacher and Head Teacher preferences

To Apply:

Peninsula School is an equal opportunity employer and we actively promote the principles and practices of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the school community. We actively support equal opportunity for all people and encourage members of BIPOC communities and LGBTQ+ candidates to apply. Our school is strongly committed to learning about and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all interactions and programs. We offer competitive compensation and a progressive community dedicated to learning and engaged citizenship. We encourage people of under-represented groups to apply.  For more information, please visit https://www.peninsulaschool.org/about-us/diversity-equity-inclusion-belonging

Please fill out an employment application Peninsula Employment Application and send it with a cover letter and resume to HR@peninsulaschool.org.