Status: Full Time-Exempt. (Full Time and/or 2 Half-time) 

Reports to: Academic Dean 

Department: Teaching Faculty – Visual Art Teacher

Summary 

Beacon Academy seeks to hire a dynamic and entrepreneurial upper school visual art teacher to join our experienced and innovative faculty for the 2021-2022 school year.  Beacon’s Visual Arts Program is student-centered and places student exploration at the heart of a holistic learning experience that celebrates and honors both self-expression and creativity.  The visual arts connect our imagination visually with our world and they are a part of our daily life.  In experiencing the creative process we provide students with the skills and knowledge to interpret what they see and how they feel. The candidate for this position will be expected to balance International Baccalaureate Art requirements with a Montessorian, student-centered approach to teaching art. This visual art teacher will teach and explore art across a number of different mediums, both two and three-dimensional: drawing, painting, sculpture, computer-generated, and more, with additional interest in developing new skills and techniques. This teacher has experience setting standards and evaluating student artwork as well as growth in a student-centered manner. In addition to an understanding and affinity for the developmental stages, passions, and energies inherent in the high school student age group, acceptance of the value of diversity of ideas and approaches is fundamental for this position. Finally, coachability, flexibility, and a sense of humor are integral attributes sought for this position.

Duties

• To develop and encourage critical thinkers who are able to communicate their ideas through artwork and the written word.
• To actively support our school’s Equity and Inclusion Initiatives through curriculum and implementation.
• To encourage students to feel confident in exploration, observation, intention, reflection, and free choice.
• To develop descriptive vocabulary when referring to art, artists, and cultures.
• To participate in local and state exhibition opportunities for Beacon students.
• To have the knowledge and ability to incorporate the history of art and its cultures into the curriculum.
• To acquire materials needed by the students.  
• To support student learning through an innovative and interdisciplinary curriculum. 
• To be aware of and coordinate teaching objectives, materials, methods, and means of assessment used within the department. 
• To be present and accessible to students and colleagues during school hours. 
• To communicate regularly with parents regarding student progress. 
• To provide ideas for agenda items for possible inclusion in faculty and department meetings. 
• To articulate the department's strategies in achieving the mission and goals of the school and work with colleagues to set departmental objectives, assessments, and policies accordingly. 
• To contribute to the preparation of the annual departmental budget for the purchase of additional texts, supplies, and equipment, and to administer the budget in cooperation with the department and the CFO. 
• To participate in ongoing professional development. 
• Openness to interdisciplinary collaboration with colleagues and outside institutions. 
• Willingness to collaborate effectively with colleagues. 
• Other duties as assigned by the Head of School. 

Preferred Qualifications

• A degree in fine art, art education, a related field, or equivalent professional experience. 
• Entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to interdisciplinary work. 
• IB, Montessori, and/ or Progressive Ed teaching experience preferred.
• Excellent communication skills, collaborative spirit, attention to detail, ability to multitask, and interest in innovative curriculum development.
• A commitment to the arts as a means of developing community, diversity, and inclusion.
  

Physical Demands and Work Environment 

• While performing the responsibilities the employee is required to talk and hear and have close, distant, and peripheral vision. 
• The role requires standing, sitting, reaching, and light lifting. 
• The role requires the hanging of artwork throughout the year at Beacon and exterior facilities.
• The role requires buying and collecting materials that are needed by the students. 
• Typical work hours are limited to Monday through Friday, but additional days/hours are required at times depending on the demands of the department and School events.