23-24 High School Spanish Teacher.docx

Math, Engineering, and Science Academy (MESA) Charter High School

Expired
Job Category
Academic-Teaching
Overview
Description

Math, Engineering, and Science Academy (MESA)
Charter High School

231 Palmetto Street
Brooklyn, NY 11221
(p) (718) 282-7426
(f) (718) 919-1479
www.mesacharter.org

High School Spanish Teacher

  • Are you a passionate and talented teacher?
  • Do you constantly strive to improve your teaching through coaching, feedback,
incorporation of data, and whatever other resources you can find?
  • Do you seek to be in a diverse and inclusive environment dedicated to equity
and anti-racist practices in and outside of the classroom?
  • Do you want to work in a public charter school that serves almost exclusively

students of color and encourages enrollment of students with disabilities and ELL
students?

  • Are you looking for a high school culture that strikes the perfect balance of
structure and freedom, where academic rigor drives all aspects of student life,
and where constant recognition for hard work and effort is the norm?

If your answer is YES to all of the above, MESA Charter High School might be the right
place for you!

Math, Engineering, and Science Academy (MESA) Charter High School is a community
high school in Bushwick, Brooklyn. We opened our doors in August 2013 and we now
have 496 students in grades 9-12. We graduated our first class of seniors in June 2017
and our cumulative graduation rate is 94%. Our students come from more than forty
different middle schools, including traditional public, parochial, and charter schools.
Some are advanced students coming from magnet schools; others are beginning
English Language Learners. What they all have in common is a desire to succeed.
MESA students come to school every day, ready to work—we have a 93% attendance
rate and a 93% punctuality rate, both significantly higher than other high schools in our
district! When it comes to NYS Regents pass rates, MESA outperforms its peers by a rate
of 20-30%!

Some key aspects of MESA’s school model are:

  • Intentional Teaching—MESA uses a standards-based grading system, which makes
data understandable and accessible. This enables teachers to create targeted,
focused instruction, and helps students understand and track their own progress.
MESA teachers love data or at the very least, aren’t afraid of it!
  • Intentional Support—MESA teachers have a minimum of rote administrative duties
in order to better focus on planning, instruction, and assessment. Dedicated time
for co-teaching, department and grade team planning is built into the school
schedule.
  • Intentional PD—MESA has a comprehensive professional development calendar
that includes sessions on instructional practices, school culture and diversity,
equity, and inclusion initiatives. Teachers are also encouraged to seek out PD
opportunities outside of the school building.
  • Intentional Culture—MESA’s advisory model connects small groups of entering
freshmen with a teacher-advisor for all 4 years of high school. Advisors provide
guidance on academic progress and are mentors, facilitators and positive
influencers. Students are recognized by their teachers regularly for academic
achievement and effort. Students are incentivized to meet school expectations
around attendance, punctuality and preparedness. MESA uses the Love and
Logic mode l to address disciplinary concerns.
  • Intentional Relationships—MESA knows that all caregivers want their children to
succeed. MESA enlists families as partners in their childrens’ education through
regular communication, meetings, workshops, and access to student
attendance information and grades. More than 85% of MESA caregivers attend
the initial parent-teacher conference of the school year.
  • Intentional Scheduling—MESA’s school day starts later than most DOE schools, as
research indicates that a late start helps high-school students succeed. Our
Block Schedule allows teachers to delve deeper into content and help develop
critical thinking skills. The calendar and earlier start allows for “Intersession,”
during Spring Break where students receive enrichment, skill remediation, or
Regents preparation.

Specific Responsibilities:

  • Design and teach five periods of Spanish each day (two periods daily of prep
time). Utilize Universal Design for Learning method of planning and instruction to
reach all learners.
  • Build relationships with all students. MESA teachers believe that strong rapport is
key to student engagement and motivation.
  • Attend, participate in, and facilitate team meetings and professional development
opportunities, as well as common planning times. MESA believes that good professional
development is interactive, practical, and teacher-driven.
  • Communicate regularly with caregivers about both positive and negative interactions
with students, making a minimum of two positive contacts (phone, email, or text
message) with families per week.
  • Hold office hours before or after school, at least once per week, to provide extra
help and opportunities for reassessment.
  • Teach one week of Intersession enrichment program based on teacher interest
(additional stipend provided).
  • Maintain duties as Advisor.
  • Other duties, as assigned by the Principal.

Qualifications:

(1) Minimum Bachelor’s degree in subject area to be taught, Master’s Degree
preferred; (2) Preferred minimum of three years teaching experience in an urban
public or charter school setting, or similar background; (3) Proven track-record of high
achievement in the classroom and commitment to accountability; (4) Belief in and
alignment with MESA’s core values, educational philosophy and commitment to
diversity, equity and inclusion; (5) Valid New York State Certification strongly preferred;
(6) Fluent in Spanish is required.

Salary: $60,000 - $100,000, based on experience.

To apply: Please email your resume and cover letter to Arthur Samuels,
Co-Executive Director, at info@mesacharter.org with the subject heading “High
School Spanish Teacher.” Cover letter should specifically indicate why you want
to work at MESA.
APPLY BY EMAIL ONLY. Due to the nature of the position and the volume of
applications received, MESA will not be able to reply to all submissions. MESA will
contact candidates with next steps.

MESA is committed to attracting, hiring and retaining a diverse and inclusive staff.
It is MESA’s policy to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination

or harassment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth,
or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,
age, disability, national origin, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, genetic
information, citizenship status, uniformed service member or veteran status, or any
other characteristic protected by law.

Job Location
Brooklyn, New York, United States
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