ART TEACHER

THE POSITION

Saint Ann's School is a non-sectarian K-12 independent school in Brooklyn, NY, looking for a part-time/full-time art teacher. A school that exists to serve talented, creative, and intellectually curious students, we seek faculty who are passionate about their subject and able to inspire artistic expression, and to convey knowledge and a love of learning to children of all ages. A mix of traditional and innovative teaching methods is encouraged. 

The aim of the Art Department is to enable every student to become confident in their ability to produce the most powerful and expressive work possible. This requires profound thought, an enlarging sensibility, and a broad understanding of experience. As art teachers, we help students invent pictorial and plastic activity to carry this wealth of feeling and thought into fully realized visual form. Students enter the art studio to become fluent in the language of image and object making, to understand the instinctive nature of the artistic process, and to discover the nature of their own unique vision. Ultimately, we focus on helping our students develop a personal relationship to art through hands-on experience with a wide range of materials, techniques, pictorial concepts, and theme-based projects.

Saint Ann’s teachers can count on many resources, including a generally accepted curriculum, collaborative colleagues across disciplines, and supportive administrators. However, every art teacher is expected to tailor their courses according to their own, unique passions; the exciting work of owning the class demands urgent engagement that is in turn passed on to students. Our teachers are committed to working with students from different backgrounds and must be invested in the school’s ongoing DEI work. At Saint Ann’s School, we do not give grades or use any other form of comparative metric to evaluate students. Instead, twice a year, teachers write a detailed, full-page report on each student’s artistic journey.

Extensive knowledge and professional experience in the disciplines of visual art are required. Significant self-study and accomplishment are taken as seriously as advanced degrees. While some experience working with children is helpful, teaching experience is not a requirement.

ABOUT SAINT ANN’S SCHOOL

Since its founding in 1965, Saint Ann’s has embraced a commitment to education for its own sake, oriented to the capacities of each individual student, free of the encumbrances of formal grading, prizes, and rankings. At the same time, we are unabashedly committed to excellence in all that we do. The lives of our graduates speak powerfully to the potential of an education based on these principles to ignite a passion for learning and to sustain creative energy in every field of endeavor. We accomplish this by offering talented students instruction shaped by creative and dedicated faculty, forming a true community of learners from pre-Kindergarten through high school. With a faculty and staff numbering more than 300, and 1090 students, and occupying space in seven separate buildings clustered in Brooklyn Heights, Saint Ann’s draws most of its students from nearby Brooklyn neighborhoods as well as Manhattan. Known for its commitment to an education that brings together passionate and talented teachers with gifted and motivated students, Saint Ann’s has earned an outstanding reputation in academic disciplines and the arts. Our accomplished teachers bring to the classroom experience as published authors and scholars, working artists, composers, performers and filmmakers.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Building on existing curricula, prepare and implement effective and inspiring Middle School and High School courses to develop each student’s visual thinking and artistic skills through hands-on learning.
• Collaborate with other teachers in the department to design curriculum, share resources, and evaluate the effectiveness of approaches.
• Write comprehensive narrative reports for each child twice a year.
• Communicate professionally and compassionately with every member of the community: students, families, and colleagues alike. Attend and participate in parent conferences and school events.
• Communicate regularly and effectively with Division Heads and Grade Deans about student progress.
• Participate in regular reflective meetings with the Department Chair.
• Participate in grade-level and school-wide meetings as needed.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree.
• A professional visual arts background, or strong familiarity with teaching subject areas.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Strong planning and organizational skills.
• Ability to thrive with a great deal of independence and autonomy.
• A playful, positive attitude and sense of humor.

TO APPLY

Interested applicants should send a cover letter that speaks directly to the school’s mission (you can learn more about us at www.saintannsny.org) and a résumé to artposition@saintannsny.org. Candidates who identify as members of historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY

The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, age, marital status, disability, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in carrying on its educational activities or in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, employment policies, financial aid programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.