Upper School Chinese Teacher in Portland, Oregon at Catlin Gabel School

Catlin Gabel School seeks to employ the best qualified individuals from available applicants and to provide them with opportunity for advancement in a manner that does not discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected under local, state, or federal equal employment opportunity laws or regulations.

The School believes that each employee makes a significant contribution to the school’s success. That contribution should not be limited by the assigned responsibilities. Therefore, this position description is designed to outline primary duties, qualifications, and job scope, but not limit the incumbent nor the organization to just the work identified. It is our expectation that each employee will offer their services wherever and whenever necessary to ensure the success of our endeavors.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Upper School Chinese teacher is responsible for teaching one section of Upper School Chinese, co-advising a group of students, and participating in the life and community of the school proportional to their full time equivalency (FTE). In addition to these responsibilities, this teacher is expected to participate in, and lead, activities that include but are not limited to extra-curricular, experiential, and community engagement across grade levels.

The Chinese teacher in this division will have a strong Chinese background, the ability to teach Upper School Chinese levels, use a wide variety of teaching approaches, the desire to teach students who work at the regular level of academic abilities as well as those passionate about the language and culture, and will be excited about helping students learn through discovery and exploration. The person in this position must demonstrate proficiency with educational technology and a willingness to integrate technology into classroom lessons. They also must have demonstrated use of a variety of teaching methods to support different learning styles and have experience teaching the whole spectrum of students. Lastly, they should be excited to help students build self-confidence through successful exploration and discovery.

Exceptional candidates will have a firm grasp of ACTFL standards, effective pedagogical knowledge in language learning, and deep content knowledge to support a range of learners from beginning to native speakers. Finalists will be selected from a pool of candidates that is able to focus on conversational competency as a core learning objective for students learning Chinese.

This position is offered at 0.25 FTE and is NOT benefits eligible.

PAY RANGE:

Based on Faculty Scale according to education and teaching experience

$58,130 - $104,990/ year

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Teach one section of Upper School Chinese (0.25 FTE), with the capacity to teach a second section (up to a total of 0.50 FTE) on an occasional basis in response to enrollment demandsWork collaboratively with fellow faculty and administrators in curriculum design, assessment, and instruction as it pertains to specific grade levels and program, applying a lens of cultural responsivityWork with students to help them develop curiosity, creativity, teamwork, resilience, empathy, independence, time management, and responsible decision makingCommunicate in a clear and timely fashion with parents/guardians, students, and colleaguesHave a high collegial quotient and be a committed and dedicated team playerRegularly attend, actively listen, and contribute to meetingsCoordinate and implement, at the classroom level, appropriate student assessments and utilize assessment results to enhance student learning, including differentiated instructionIntegrate the use of technology to enhance student learningCreate an inclusive classroom environment through regular class meetings, supportive exchanges with students, and clear expectations for classroom behaviorCooperatively work and communicate effectively with parents in conferences and written reports in ways that meet the needs of the students and the schoolSupport and follow the Employee Handbook for Policies and Procedure and US professional expectationsBe a positive and contributing member of the professional communityContribute to all teams by working effectively with individuals of diverse backgroundsAct as Upper School advisor, leading student discussions, providing support, supervision, guidance, and mentorship to adviseesParticipate in divisional activities, inclusive of class trips, experiential days, and student event planning in proportion with their FTE.

OTHER DUTIES

Actively support the school through participation in the variety of activities that make the Catlin Gabel School a vibrant communityParticipate in ongoing professional development and training to support Catlin Gabel missionOther duties as assigned by Upper School Head

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES

Cultural competenceEnthusiasm and excitement to work with upper school studentsAbility to adapt teaching style to multiple learning stylesExcellent communication skills, both oral and written, to interact with adolescents, colleagues and family membersFamiliar with technology used to support classroom learning, including video conferencing programs like Zoom, Canvas, Outlook email, and other technology

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This role supervises students in the classroom and various activities as appropriate. It does not supervise other employees.

INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS

Interactions occur most routinely with students in the classroom and during other activities. Many informal interactions with students for whom the teacher has no direct supervision or responsibility occur. Daily contact ranges from direct teaching of curriculum, student advising, and informal exchanges. Regular contact with Upper School colleagues, particularly those working on the same grade level, discipline or on a joint project is expected.Frequent contact with parents either for scheduled conferences or casual conversation is a community norm.Responsible and active collaboration with colleagues, in all divisions, is expected. Important personal qualities include interest in and demonstrated ability to teach and support pre-adolescents and adolescents, ability to work effectively with a team, a sense of humor, flexibility, organizational ability, energy, and collegiality.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

MA or MS in teaching, education, Chinese or related field requiredAt least two years demonstrated effective Chinese teaching experience is preferredDemonstrated work with upper school aged students is preferredExperience in curriculum development a plusWillingness to sponsor an activity, club, or coach is highly desirableAbility and comfort teaching students of different proficiency levels, from beginner to intermediate levels of ChineseNative or near native fluency in Chinese since classes are predominately conducted in target languageNon-native speakers must have a strong oral proficiencyExtended immersion visit to a Chinese speaking country is preferredExperience with Understanding by Design instructional planning and standards-based or competency-based grading is preferredUse of internet, e-mail, and other appropriate technology applications is essentialUnderstanding and experience with student-centered teaching, project-based learning, and performance-based assessment is preferable

WORKING CONDITIONS

The requirements listed below are representative of physical requirements and may not be all-encompassing. Incumbents must be able to perform job duties with or without accommodations. Work is primarily performed in a classroom setting and includes occasional to frequent work leading students off campus activities.

Moderately sedentary position for lesson preparation, report writing, and collaborative meetings 40%-50% of the timeMay occasionally transport groups of students in school vehicle as driver and/or trip leaderRequires mobility to traverse campus to accompany and assure the safety of childrenThis may include moving up and down stairs/elevator or hill between facilities multiple times throughout the workdayOccasional bending, squatting, stooping and kneelingAbility to occasionally lift up 40 poundsFrequent and consistent operation of a computer and other office machinery (e.g. copier, printer, fax) requiring manual dexterity

SCHEDULE

This is a faculty position with an academic year schedule. Full-Time teachers are expected to be on campus at least between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily and to attend other functions as designated, including regular Wednesday meetings that have a 5:00 pm end time. Faculty teachers are expected to travel to retreats, conferences and workshops as well as accompany students on various experiential activities throughout the year. There are some mandatory evening and weekend commitments.