Employment Opportunities at Miquon for the 2008- 2009 Academic Year
last update: May 1, 2008People interested in teaching at Miquon should enquire in February and early March about openings for the next school year. Experience with multi-age classrooms and Progressive education is desirable but not essential. Application materials must include a resume with contact information for current references and current-year clearances from the Childline and Abuse Registry and the Pennsylvania State Police, along with any additional documentation of experience or potential that the applicant would like to submit.OPENINGS FOR THE 2008-09 SCHOOL YEAR: We have no openings for the upcoming academic year. SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS Substitute teachers are needed throughout the school year. Some assignments are booked well in advance, but most are single days scheduled in the evening before or on the morning of the day for which coverage is needed. An applicant should have a college degree; a current college student might also be considered for certain kinds of classroom substitute work. Experience working with children ages three through 12 is desirable but not required. Substitutes must have current-year clearances from the Childline and Abuse Registry and the Pennsylvania State Police. Pay: $75 - $95 per day. Substitute candidates are encouraged to arrange a visit the school to gain a better understanding of the school itself and of the kinds of substitute opportunities that may arise.The Miquon School is a stimulating, challenging place in which to work. Our teaching and administrative staff are a close community of people with varied interests that find expression in and out of the classrooms -- bird watchers, writers, artists, musicians, storytellers, athletes, avid readers, and more. The small size of the school makes it possible to know everyone -- children as well as adults. There are no divisions or departments. Teachers are encouraged to seek professional development and have access to financial support for attending conferences and the like. Our child-centered, Progressive philosophy leads to lively classrooms filled with discovery-based, hands-on learning experiences. The school's buildings are spread across our 9-acre campus with one to three classrooms in each. Children travel from home classrooms to specialists by running across our fields, getting a bit of fresh air and exercise on the way. Our children's parents are respected as essential partners in making our school a place in which many kinds of learners can thrive. More detailed information about a typical school year's activities can be found in our curriculum report. For all employment applications, please send your resume and other information to:
Julia Finney, Principal
The Miquon School
2025 Harts Lane
Conshohocken PA 19428
FAX 610-828-6149
e-mail: principal@miquon.orgIf you are interested in working at the Miquon Day Camp during the summer of 2008, please contact the camp director.
Assistant teachers work under the supervision and guidance of the group teacher in the general classroom, in which students develop their understanding of mathematics, social studies, language arts, social skills, and any additional areas in which the teachers choose to enrich the core program. The assistant teacher position is an excellent place from which an inexperienced person with an education degree can develop instructional and management skills beyond those acquired in practice teaching. It is a position in which a teacher with a few years (or many years!) of traditional classroom experience can explore a more exciting and child-centered approach to teaching ~ which can serve as a stepping-stone to taking full responsibility for creating a classroom in the Progressive tradition at Miquon or at another school. This position also offers an opportunity for a person with a BA or BS in some field other than education to acquire teaching experience and to consider making a transition to a career in education. Many of our group teachers began as assistant teachers at Miquon, and many other classroom assistants have gone on to teach in classrooms of their own in other schools.
Group teachers are responsible for the educational and social growth of their students, supported and supervised by the principal . They are part of a full-day program that includes specialist teachers who share that responsibility for children's growth. Group teachers oversee the work of and guide the professional development of the classroom assistant teacher. They develop and implement curriculum in mathematics, social studies, language arts, social skills, and any additional areas through which the teachers choose to enrich their program. (There are full-time specialist teachers in science, art, music, physical education, and library skills, but some of these areas are explored further in the home classroom, as are other topics that teachers may choose in response to personal or student interests.) They confer with parents in the course of making educational decisions about individual children. They assess and report on students' progress to parents in twice-yearly conferences, in written narrative reports at the end of the year, and informally on an as-needed basis throughout the year. They initiate contact and work closely with support people within the school and communicate with tutors and other support people outside of the school program. They work with colleagues to sustain instructional continuity and create cross-grade and cross-group projects. A strong background in hands-on mathematics, a whole-language approach to reading, a process approach to writing, and experience with multicultural studies are desirable qualities, as well as familiarity with using computers as an integrated part of the instructional program.
Specialist teachers work with all of the students in the school. Younger children go to each of the specialist activities once a week and older students twice, usually in half-groups (8 - 12 students) but sometimes as a whole class. Flexibility in scheduling is one of the strengths of our program. Any adjustments are determined by the specialist and classroom teachers together. Our specialist programs are: science, music and dance, library, art, and physical education. Specialists often work with classroom teachers to coordinate projects and complement each other's instructional goals.
Please review the school philosophy and mission statement
for further information about our approach to education.
The Miquon School is an equal opportunity employer.