Teachers who want to change the world come to Guidepost. Come join a middle school program that emphasizes history, humanism, and heroism in all things: come be part of a school that is changing the face of education.
We are seeking an idealistic, ambitious individual for a combined role (1) teaching in a middle school classroom, and (2) working with world-class experts to innovate and advance a one-of-a-kind program in New York City. You’ll receive intensive, on-the-job training; work in collaboration with incredible colleagues across the country; and support your students to transform the arc of their lives.
Guidepost represents a different way of educating the human potential. Imagine a middle school classroom that is designed for students. Instead of rows of desks, imagine mixed seating designed to support collaboration, Socratic discussion, and individual focused work. Imagine beautiful materials, green plants, and artwork. Imagine a makerspace. Imagine an intentional curriculum that spans from birth through adulthood, grounded in developmental theory and designed to support student agency. Imagine working with people who are as passionate as you are about teaching, supporting individual students, and the life-changing power of education.
What you’ll do:
1. Lead an intimate Montessori classroom for students in grades 5-7 as a full-time classroom teacher
- Support a mixed-age class of students with small group and individual lessons, follow-up work, and real-world extensions in all content areas
- Work with our program experts to create lesson plans that provide customized rigor for every student
- Work with our program experts to create and support a classroom culture that reveres effortful choices and truth-seeking inquiry
- Communicate frequently with parents to ensure they have a clear understanding of their child’s academic, social, and emotional progress
- Support students to connect with virtual instructors around the world as they access individualized academic plans in a unique hybrid program
- Work closely with a team of people, including your Head of School and program support coach, to grow your classroom by supporting enrollment and community events
2. Participate in a network of educators and developers creating and improving a radically innovative national program
- Join a fully-paid two-year accredited teacher training program to earn your Montessori elementary and/or adolescent credential, with personalized coaching and support
- Work with our program team and your Head of School to actively engage students in the world outside the classroom, whether on exchange programs with our sister schools around the world or thoughtful adventures to the wonders the city has to offer
- Engage with our research and development team regularly to assess what is working, what needs improvement, and how we can work decisively to continually improve the experience we are offering our students
This is a unique opportunity to craft a truly special program in a small, close-knit middle school community. We would love to talk to you if:
- You crave personal and professional growth, and are ready for a career that will challenge you, demand immensely from you, surprise you, amaze you, and delight you in ways you never thought possible
- You have deep expertise and joy in some activity or domain. Do you have a subject you love, and want to communicate that passion?
- You deeply value history. The Montessori curriculum is rooted in an understanding of, and reverence for, history. You don’t need to be a historian, but you should care about the history, want to learn more, and want to share this value with your students
- You like and appreciate elementary and middle school students, and all the amazing things they can do!
- You see a close partnership with parents as essential for student success, and are as eager to partner with parents as you are to serve their children
- You are ready to learn a new approach to education that is grounded in supporting individual student agency and deep intellectual study
Benefits:
- 75% tuition discount for two children at any school in the network (Austin has classrooms serving infants from 2 months of age through high school!)
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Flexible tax-advantaged spending accounts (medical, transit, dependent care)
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Flexible time off: options for 10- or 12-month schedule, with spring and winter holiday breaks - 100% tuition discount for enrollment in any Montessori training program through the Prepared Montessorian Institute
- Competitive salary: 70-75k
About Guidepost
Changing the world is in our DNA. Our organization was founded to do just that- a group of educators and like-minded individuals had a glimpse of what was possible in education, and wanted to bring it to the world. Education today is filled with false alternatives. We disrupt them all. Our vision is a classroom where children plumb the depths of human knowledge and aspire to the height of intellectualism – and do it all at their own self-direction. Do you believe that there is critical, life-shaping knowledge that children desperately need- but also believe that they need to be in the driver’s seat when they pursue it? Then Guidepost is the place for you.
We’re rooted in the Montessori tradition, which means we believe in an open-ended, free work period, where children choose what to work on and work at their own pace. We bring structure that through a coaching-based approach of helping children plan their own goals for the week and use us as adults as their guides and accountability partners. We also recognize that when approaches like that go wrong, children don’t learn. So we’ve invested years in extensive curriculum development to ensure rich and comprehensive curriculum across mathematics, geometry, literature, grammar, biology, chemistry, physics, art appreciation, handwork, and more. And we have an accredited teacher training program to teach that curriculum to our “guides” along with the skill of running a classroom in a way that is at once fully individualized and fully engaged and productive. That training program will earn you a diploma that is recognized world-wide.
Guidepost represents a network of more than 150 schools around the world, serving students from infancy through high school. Because we are a network, we have access to resources beyond that of any individual small school. Our guides collaborate across the country, sharing resources and stories. Trainers and coaches work with each new team member to give them the individualized training they need to succeed. Our students travel between campuses, sign into virtual coursework, and make friends in classrooms thousands of miles away.
Learn More:
Interested in learning more about who we are? Here are some resources:
- The Academy of Thought and Industry website and blog, with recommended articles:
- Montessorium, our organization’s academic think-tank, with recommended articles:
- Articles on agency and identity, including our approach to diversity and inclusion, and how we separate education from advocacy in The Persona of an Educator
- Montessori and the study of progress
Higher Ground Education, Guidepost Montessori, and Academy of Thought and Industry are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). We will not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances. Our leadership is dedicated to ensuring the fulfillment of this policy. When requested, we are committed to reasonably accommodate employees and applicants with disabilities or special needs that may require an accommodation.
