Job Title: Junior School Associate
Reports to: Head of Junior School
Division: Junior School
Status: Exempt
Position Supervises: N/A
Work Schedule: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., school days plus other required meeting days during the school year
St. Bernard’s School is a K-9 independent boys’ school founded in 1904. The school, located on the Upper East Side, serves a diverse community of approximately 380 students and 100 employees.
St. Bernard’s offers young boys of diverse backgrounds an exceptionally thorough, rigorous, and enjoyable introduction to learning and community life. We wish to inspire boys to value hard work and fair play, develop confidence, consideration for others, and a sense of citizenship, and have fun while doing these things. We believe that young boys enjoy many benefits from an elementary school designed just for them. It is a long-held belief at St. Bernard’s that it is important both to challenge boys and to show them great affection.
The St. Bernard’s Junior School comprises grades K-3, and Junior School Associate is a suitable position for someone who is in the early stages of his or her career as an educator. Associates work alongside homeroom teachers to assist with the day-to-day operations of the classroom and support students in the grade for the entire year. Associates work most often with small groups of students and, throughout the year, have the opportunity to lead full group lessons. As full-time faculty members, associates are a valuable part of grade-level teams, who engage in frequent collaboration related to planning and teaching. With our model, associate teachers are assigned to a grade level rather than to one specific classroom.
The ideal candidate will have a keen interest in developing teaching skills alongside the guidance of experienced teachers and will have a strong commitment to assuming increasing responsibility within the grade level’s classroom communities. Junior School associate teachers remain at St. Bernard’s for two years before applying for lead teacher positions; in exceptional circumstances, associate teachers may be invited to stay at St. Bernard’s beyond their second year.
Responsibilities:
Learn on the job about classroom management strategies, curriculum design, learning differences, report writing, differentiated instruction, and other best practices for Junior School education
Assist the mentor teachers with parent/guardian communication and participate in parent-teacher conferences
Work collaboratively with the homeroom teachers and the Head of the Junior School
Assist with clerical tasks
Participate in evening events and other aspects of community life
Supervise lunch, recess, morning duties, or other assignments (pick up, drop off, etc.)
Attend associate teacher meetings, divisional meetings, and all faculty/staff meetings
Complete tasks as part of the role and development of the associate teacher (e.g., observations, reflections, goal setting, lesson preparation)
Potentially substitute for the homeroom teachers, and occasionally other Junior School faculty, when they are temporarily absent
Other duties as assigned by the Head of Junior School or Head of School
Ideal Candidate will have:
- A passion for working with young children
- A commitment to helping students develop confidence in their abilities
- The ability to collaborate, compromise, and be flexible
- The ability to listen and communicate effectively with colleagues
- A good sense of humor
- Knowledge of child development and best practices
- An appreciation and desire to work with all types of learners
- Enthusiasm for pursuing a teaching career
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required
- For all St. Bernard’s positions, the ability to play the piano is always considered a plus (music is a part of everyone’s day).
- Training, experience, or education in early childhood education is desirable
- Proficiency in using technology to teach
- Experience working with lower school-age children in some capacity (teaching, tutoring, coaching, camps)
St. Bernard’s welcomes and seeks a diverse community of students, faculty, staff, and parents. We’re an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.
In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $55,000 to $65,000. St. Bernard’s School considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.