Lower School Faculty

Lower School Faculty Position Statement

Reports To: Head of Early Childhood & Lower School

FLSA Status: Exempt

Department: Lower School

Schedule: 10 months

Learn More About The Alexander Dawson School

Position Summary

The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain seeks a Lower School Faculty for the 2026-2027 school year. Working closely with other members of the grade-level team, this educator is responsible for designing a curriculum and creating an environment in which each student feels like an integral part of the school community. This teacher is responsible for implementing programs such as McGraw-Hill Reveal Mathematics, Being a Reader, and Being a Writer. In addition to teaching, the educator will communicate regularly and proactively with students, families, and colleagues, and contribute positively to the overall school culture. The educator will fulfill duties as assigned (recess and lunch supervision, etc.) and serve on school committees as requested or desired. Finally, Dawson is looking for a dynamic Lower School teacher who loves primary and intermediate age groups and can inspire our learners to think critically and creatively, ask questions about the world with deep curiosity, and exude joy for savoring life.

Essential Functions
The essential duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:

Professional Work Habits & Mission Alignment

Professional Standards & Conduct: Consistently upholds professional standards of personal presentation, punctuality, attendance, and engagement at meetings, duty coverage, safety protocols, decision-making, and maintains required credentials.
Commitment to Dawson Culture: Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding and support of Dawson’s mission, vision, core values, and diversity statement; actively participates in school-wide events.
Confidentiality & Ethical Practice: Honors confidentiality of school, student, and family information and demonstrates ethical decision-making in all professional contexts. Talks to people and not about people.
Working Agreements: Upholds Dawson working agreements, such as assuming positive intentions in all interactions, holding self and others accountable for the impact of words and actions, mindfully sharing the air, and proactively looking for solutions before problems escalate.

Instructional Knowledge

Classroom Climate & Management: Establishes a safe, well-organized environment with effective routines that maximize learning time, exhibits student ownership and agency, and reflects the identity of the students.
Instructional Design & Delivery: Designs learning experiences that are meaningful, engaging, and aligned with clear learning objectives. Lessons leverage high-impact strategies that promote deeper learning, critical thinking, and meaningful technology integration; pacing of lessons is appropriate to maximize instructional time.
Assessment, Feedback & Differentiation: Provides timely, specific feedback that supports growth and utilizes multiple assessments and adapts instruction to meet diverse learning needs.
Student Success Skills Integration: Intentionally plans and implements instruction focused on Dawson’s Student Success Skills, and systematically collects evidence of student progress toward mastery of these skills.

Professional Growth & Self-Awareness

Self-Reflection & Growth Mindset: Demonstrates deep self-awareness, consistently seeks feedback, identifies areas for improvement, and implements meaningful changes to practice.
Professional Learning & Adaptation: Creates personal development plans, actively seeks learning opportunities, and demonstrates flexibility in adapting to Dawson’s culture and practices.
Effective Communication & Listening: Demonstrates excellent listening skills, remains alert to diverse perspectives, and communicates effectively with various stakeholders throughout change processes.

Care for Others & Community Investment

Family Communication & Partnership: Establishes reliable, clear communication systems with families, regularly shares student progress, and responds appropriately to concerns with supervisor consultation.
Team Collaboration & Engagement: Actively participates in team meetings and collaborative efforts, contributes positively to grade-level or department teams, and seeks appropriate guidance from colleagues.
Learns From Others: Consistently consults with mentors, supervisors, and colleagues for guidance on student interventions, parent communication, and classroom challenges.
Identity Awareness: Demonstrates a commitment to ongoing cultural competency and exhibits a deep understanding of how identity and lived experiences influence relationships and interactions.

Qualifications, Education & Experience

Minimum three years of teaching experience
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Bachelor’s degree in education or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred
Experience working with elementary-aged students
A strong awareness of current brain research related to the use of technology

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand and walk; use hands to handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.