Lead Teacher - Horizons Savannah

Organization Background:

An affiliate of Horizons National, Horizons Savannah is a public/private partnership offering a summer program that addresses the achievement and opportunity gaps of under-resourced students in the Savannah area throughout their school careers from K-12. The heart of Horizons is an exemplary summer academic program that supports a cohort of students in reading, writing, math, and science, paired with swimming lessons, field trips, sports, and enrichment activities in the performing and visual arts. The program also includes a year-round component featuring family events, and enrichment activities. Our mission is to partner with youth, their families and the community to enrich the lives of students with the joy of learning, the skills for success and the inspiration to realize their dreams.

For more information about Horizons Savannah, please visit http://www.horizonssavannah.org.

Position Overview:

Horizons is seeking a dedicated and effective Lead Teacher with a dynamic talent for creating and nurturing a lifelong love of learning in youth. We are looking for a talented, passionate, caring professional who will work as a team player to fulfill the Horizons mission, and create a joyous, inclusive, inspiring and educational culture. The Lead Teacher will work with a teaching assistant and other program specialists, and will be supported by the Site Supervisor. It is our hope that Horizons summer staff members will return to the program for more than one summer as we continue to work together, support our students, and build the program and the community.

Essential Job Functions:

The Lead Teacher will

• Design and teach high quality, culturally competent, project-based curriculum and engage students in learning.
• Plan and lead fun, community-building games and enriching experiential learning opportunities, and accompany students to swimming lessons and field trips.
• Lead the Horizons staff in identifying individual students' learning profiles, building on each youth's academic strengths and coordinating resources and activities to best address his/her areas of need.
• Participate in daily meals with the students, attend Family Night and Faculty Meetings, and other duties that may be required.
• Attend paid pre-planning sessions prior to the start of the program.
• Mentor, supervise and support any assistant teacher(s) and/or student volunteers working in your classroom.
• Develop and nurture a safe, respectful, challenging and fun learning environment.
• Assist in evaluating program effectiveness.

Qualifications:

In addition to a strong commitment to Horizon's mission, this position requires a balance of knowledge of best practices and practical experience with and proficiency in the skills of instruction. The ideal candidate for the Lead Teacher position must be flexible, well organized, capable of taking initiative, and full of enthusiasm for both teaching and learning.

• Proven ability to relate well to diverse children and families.
• Knowledge and skill in classroom management, social emotional learning and specific strategies for developing children's noncognitive skills such as focus, determination, empathy and self-discipline.
• A strong passion for working with youth.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, organizational and time management skills.
• Elementary or Secondary or out-of-school-time teaching experience.
• Georgia State Teaching certification or the equivalent credential or teacher experience preferred.

Physical Aspects of the position:

Additional physical requirements of this position could be endurance, including prolonged standing, some bending, stooping, walking, hiking, climbing, and stretching; requires eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity to manipulate outdoor equipment and summer program activities; requires the ability to lift up to 50 lbs; and daily exposure to the sun, heat, and bugs.

The position is seasonal employment.

A background check and reference check is required for this position.