The Cottonwood School is seeking energetic and creative classroom teachers to join its faculty. The ideal candidates will be teachers who enjoy taking their students into the field (both natural and urban locations) and a desire to collaborate on curriculum design with staff and community partners. Our middle school classrooms are self-contained and the teacher also serves as the homeroom teacher helping students to build relationships with each other while working on social-emotional skills such as conflict resolution and self-management. In collaboration with the team, all positions help to plan and manage all project work units, whether science or humanities based. A strong candidate will have background knowledge on local ecology and TEK (traditional ecological knowledge), and/or a willingness to learn.
Mission of The Cottonwood School:
To provide a creative learning environment where students develop a sense of place and become stewards of the natural world and active citizens within our community.
Our Philosophy:
The Cottonwood School was founded on the principles of place-based education. We value and implement five supporting strategies to realize our place-based mission:
-We conduct frequent and relevant fieldwork;
-We build project-based learning into much of our central curriculum;
-We create community partnerships with local organizations, businesses and agencies who often serve as authentic audiences for our projects;
-We teach about our environment and train our students to be citizen scientists;
-We teach about civics and our local history and train our students to be active citizens.
The ideal candidate will have experience with both classroom teaching and outdoor or alternative education. It is essential that our teachers have strong classroom management skills and are excited to work with a small, collaborative staff and school community.
Cottonwood is dedicated to to building a culturally diverse and inclusive environment, to that end we are seeking educators with a commitment to:
-Racial equity, with experience in racially diverse settings or working with diverse communities.
-Deep understanding the culture, history and current disparities that certain communities of students may face more broadly in society and within the school.
-Demonstrated success at working effectively in a collaborative team environment, with skills in promoting inclusion and cultural responsiveness.
-Candidates of color are encouraged to apply. The organization is committed to building a culturally diverse and inclusive environment.
-Successful candidates must be committed to working effectively with diverse community populations, and expected to strengthen such capacity if hired.
The Cottonwood School recognizes the diversity and worth of all individuals and groups and their roles in society. It is the policy of the Cottonwood School Board that there will be no discrimination or harassment of individuals or groups on the grounds of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation in any educational programs, activities or employment.
We at the Cottonwood School recognize and offer thanks to the many Indigenous tribes and bands who have lived on and cared for the land we now know as Portland and Oregon. These include the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlemet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
How to apply: Please send a cover letter, resume and 3 references to Amanda McAdoo, Executive Director