Marin Primary & Middle School

Position Opening

Middle School Spanish Teacher

Starting August 2021 

About Us

At Marin Primary & Middle School, we believe that it's deep connections–between students, with teachers, and with ideas–that help kids know themselves and push through boundaries in school and in life. Every day we strengthen these connections so our students are able to tackle new ideas and challenges, pursue their goals with optimism and courage, and apply all they learn to the world they'll inherit. 

Serving 320 students in preschool through grade 8, Marin Primary & Middle School’s vibrant learning community is located in the town of Larkspur, just 4.5 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Taking advantage of both the beautiful outdoor environment of Marin County and the cultural offerings of metropolitan San Francisco, MP&MS asks its students to Be Connected, Be Curious, and Be Courageous.

Our Mission

At Marin Primary & Middle School we make education meaningful, while encouraging pride in self, respect for others, and enthusiasm for learning.

We treasure childhood. We honor and enjoy children’s natural curiosity, competence, and exuberance.

We teach to reach children. Using teams of teachers and educational methods tailored to how children learn best, we connect with our students, build trusting relationships, and make learning relevant, memorable, and fun.

We teach children to reach. Asking not “how smart is the child” but “how is the child smart,” we guide our students to see their full potential, and we equip them to pursue it with passion and purpose.    

We inspire children to make a difference. We value academic excellence, personal integrity, and community action and encourage our students to become informed, engaged, and ethical global citizens.

Teachers at MP&MS work as members of subject area and grade level teams, sharing the responsibility of creating a strong sense of community and planning an integrated curriculum by blending the skills, passions, and talents of the specialist and classroom teachers. Teachers build meaningful bonds with students, maintain high academic standards, teach children to engage in respectful and kind behavior, and promote a love of learning.

MP&MS seeks a dynamic, talented, and creative individual who loves teaching and understands how to engage middle school students in the acquisition of a world language. The ideal candidate will embrace the existing Spanish curriculum as well as adapt and design materials to meet students’ needs. This position includes teaching classes in seventh and eighth grades.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Provide for the safety and well-being of all students at all times; create a learning environment in which students grow in autonomy as they learn together
• Serve as lead teacher for the Spanish program in grades seven and eight, utilizing the existing curriculum and an interactive, integrated approach while bringing new ideas to strengthen the program and enhance student engagement 
• Create an inviting, organized and developmentally appropriate learning environment that reflects the objectives of the Spanish class
• Build relationships with students in which each child feels understood, nurtured and challenged, and within which each child’s emerging identity is respected
• Adapt curriculum to reach the range of individual learning styles, experiences, and abilities within the classroom and meet the needs of students
• Assess, evaluate and document student progress in aural comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing the Spanish language in a systematic manner 
• Prepare report cards (including narrative descriptions), and participate with other teachers in collaborative student study team meetings 
• Share information with parents about the content of the program and their child’s progress using verbal and written communication, parent conferences (when appropriate) and the Spanish and grade level sections of the school’s website 
• Create opportunities for children to understand and become increasingly responsible for the many communities in which they live and in the wider world
• Defend the dignity and worth of each member of the community and create an environment that fosters respect, understanding and acceptance of differences; always model appropriate and ethical behavior 
• Participate in the life of the grade levels and overall school through such activities and responsibilities as recess, lunch, assemblies, overnight field trips, student performances and school wide events
• Participate actively in faculty meetings and work collaboratively with colleagues on committees and other efforts to further the development of the school’s program
• Pursue professional growth opportunities on an ongoing basis.

Qualifications include but are not limited to:

• Bachelor’s degree (in Spanish or other language preferred)
• Three years experience teaching a foreign language, preferably at the middle school level
• Solid classroom management skills
• Native speaker of Spanish preferred
• Strong communication skills in English
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, including patience, discretion and good judgment.

To Apply

Please submit a resume and cover letter in one combined pdf to jobs@mpms.org no later than March 15, 2021. The cover letter should indicate and elaborate upon why the candidate’s experience and teaching approach is a good match for the position and for MP&MS. No phone calls please.

ADA Requirements

Marin Primary & Middle School is in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and does not discriminate with regard to applicants or employees with disabilities, and will make reasonable accommodation when necessary.

• For the purposes of the ADA, the “Duties & Responsibilities” listed are essential job functions
• Work is normally performed in a typical interior/classroom work environment, with typical classroom noise and other disruptions
• Both sitting and standing are required during a regular workday
• Normal vision and hearing abilities are required to interact with students, parents, faculty, and staff, and with school equipment
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs
• Ability to work at a desk and computer screen for extended periods of time
• Ability to turn, bend and reach
• Ability to move oneself around the campus
• Ability to drive to other locations for meetings, conferences, etc.
• Position requires adaptability, analyzing, assessing, calculating, decision making, dependability, good judgment, reading, memorizing, social skills, speaking, multitasking, and writing

MP&MS is an equal opportunity employer. All individuals have an equal opportunity for employment based on qualifications and merit, regardless of religion, race, sex, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, military service status, or any other factor prohibited by state or federal law. This policy applies to all areas of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, benefits, and other conditions of employment. MP&MS also makes reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities and for employees who request an accommodation for pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.