Teacher - Master's Degree

  POSITION:                TEACHER

   SUPERVISOR:        CENTER MANAGER

   JOB SUMMARY:

This full-time role requires a commitment of eight (8) hours per day, five (5) days per week, and spans nine (9) months each year. The main responsibility of the position is to develop and implement an educational environment for preschool children, following the guidelines established by the Head Start performance standards.

Instructional Responsibilities

The teacher is expected to implement instructional activities that foster a classroom atmosphere in which students are actively engaged in meaningful learning experiences. Creating a positive and productive learning climate is a fundamental part of this role.

Supervision and Evaluation Duties

As part of the position, the teacher is accountable for the direct supervision and evaluation of the teacher aide, as well as any volunteers present in the classroom.

IV.       DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Lesson Planning and Student Activities

The teacher must develop and maintain a comprehensive daily lesson plan for all student activities. This ensures that each day’s learning objectives and activities are clearly outlined and followed.

Language Development and Communication

The teacher is responsible for fostering an understanding of language and its use within an environment that supports open communication between children and adults. This includes providing engaging activities such as games, songs, and stories to introduce and reinforce new and interesting vocabulary.

Promoting Diversity and Ethnic Pride

The teacher should encourage ethnic pride and respect for diversity among children by integrating materials that reflect gender diversity and cultural backgrounds. Examples include using diverse dolls, books, records, posters, pictures, simple foods, and clothing in classroom activities.

Name Recognition and Literacy

The teacher is responsible for helping each child recognize their own name, both by sound and sight. Strategies may include displaying each child’s artwork with their name clearly labeled.

Individual and Group Development

The teacher enhances children’s understanding of themselves as individuals and as part of a group by facilitating individual and group projects and games.

Physical Growth and Motor Skills

The teacher must promote physical growth by providing adequate indoor and outdoor activities. Examples include offering both fine and gross motor skill development activities, such as climbing apparatus, using scissors, solving puzzles, playing with small blocks, using musical instruments, dancing, coloring, and drawing.

Academic Skill Building

The teacher helps children recognize letters and numbers according to their individual developmental levels. Instructional methods include writing, songs, games, and stories.

Cultural and Creative Activities

The teacher is responsible for teaching various cultural activities. These include:

· Art: Painting, coloring, pasting, and drawing

· Dramatic Play: Dress-up, housekeeping, role-playing different occupations

· Creative Movement: Using records and musical instruments for movement activities

· Activity Play: Climbing, balancing, jumping, and other physical activities

· Nutrition: Activities involving groceries and gardening

Safety and Health Education

The teacher is responsible for teaching children essential safety and health practices, such as hand-washing, toothbrushing, grooming, hospital play, fire safety, and drug awareness.

Classroom Supervision and Management

There must be two adults present in the classroom at all times to ensure proper supervision. The teacher supervises the teacher aide and all classroom volunteers, applying disciplinary measures as outlined in the Personnel Policies and Procedures.

Home Visits and Family Engagement

The teacher is expected to visit each child’s home at least twice per year. These visits are designed to meet with parents or guardians and to gain a better understanding of the child’s home environment.

Classroom Supplies and Inventory

The teacher is responsible for safeguarding all classroom supplies and equipment, accounting for any misused, damaged, or missing items. An annual inventory of all classroom supplies and equipment must be prepared.

Professional Development

The teacher attends all relevant training opportunities provided and participates in all staff meetings.

Additional Duties

The teacher performs other tasks as needed to support the classroom and the program. 

A Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education.