Job Title: Lower School Lead Teacher - First Grade

Department: Lower School

Reports To: Head of Lower School

FLSA Status: Exempt

Revised: May 1, 2025

About Keys School

Keys School, a K-8 of approximately 320 students, 50 faculty, and 20 staff, seeks an experienced Lower School Lead Teacher - First Grade, beginning August 7, 2025.

Founded more than fifty years ago, Keys offers an inquiry-based education concerned with students’ academic, social, emotional, identity, and physical growth. Today, Keys is known for helping students to become compassionate and empathic community members while developing the confidence to find their voice and advocate for themselves and others, with realized agency in their world.

The school is situated on two campuses, about a mile apart. The Lower School campus houses grades K-4, approximately 176 students, and 40 faculty and staff members. The Middle School campus houses grades 5-8, approximately 140 students, and 20 faculty and staff members.

With a cross-divisional buddy and house programs, ice skating lessons, classes in self-science, and extensive outdoor education experiences beginning in kindergarten, the school offers an array of distinctive programs. These explorations, in concert with a strong academic program, prepare students to matriculate to the region’s highly selective independent secondary schools and rigorous public high schools.

Lower School Lead Teacher - First Grade Position

A Lower School Lead Teacher - First Grade designs, delivers, evaluates, and updates the language arts, math, social studies, SEL, and DEI curriculum for Grade 1 in alignment with the School’s mission and culture. Reporting to the Head of Lower School, they create a dynamic, developmentally appropriate curriculum grounded in and prioritizing social-emotional learning and culturally responsive programming.

The ideal candidate will possess a deep and nuanced understanding of curriculum development, pedagogy, social-emotional learning, identity-conscious practice, and a personal commitment to growth and development. This educator cultivates an environment that provides students with a foundation for lifelong learning, the development of self-advocacy skills, and resilience while demonstrating empathy and compassion for others. This educator is committed to collaborative, reflective practice that centers student agency, authenticity, and learning.

All employees are a part of a vibrant community of engaged, dedicated, and caring students and colleagues. They participate in the broader life of the school, including other duties, as assigned. This opportunity requires collaboration, strong communication skills, and a sense of humor.

Qualifications

• Passion for working with elementary age children and a solid commitment to the teaching profession and social and emotional learning
• Deep understanding and a clear value of children’s social-emotional and academic developmental trajectories
• A commitment to identity-conscious practice, belongingness, and advocacy for an inclusive community
• A dedication to centering student thinking, communication, and agency in learning experiences
• Experience interfacing with families and the larger school community
• Strong organizational, verbal, and written communication skills
• A commitment to continuous improvement, lifelong learning, and professional development, demonstrated through initiative, self-motivation, and a willingness to take on responsibilities beyond those explicitly defined
• An educational philosophy consistent with that of the school
• Knowledge of curriculum standards, particularly in language arts, math, and social studies, and developmentally appropriate instructional strategies and differentiation for elementary (K-4) grade levels
• The ability to foster strong student connections
• Facility with a wide array of thematic, interdisciplinary, project-based pedagogy and assessment practices
• The ability and willingness to work in teams and collaborate extensively with colleagues, and work across differences (intellectually and socially)
• Embrace a growth mindset and value feedback as a tool for growth
• Communicate joy and maintain a respectful sense of humor
• A Bachelor's Degree and completion of a teacher education/associate teacher program
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education or related field
• Five years of related professional experience
• Familiarity with the Singapore Math and Responsive Classroom approaches
• Specific experience teaching reading via a balanced reading program based on phonics
• Experience interfacing with families and the larger school community in culturally responsive ways
• A deep understanding of emotion science, e.g., Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Institute for Social-Emotional Learning, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Responsive Classroom, and/or Bank Street’s ERP (Emotionally Responsive Practice).
• Experience with curricular mapping and scope and sequence development using Understanding by Design (UbD) / backward planning and Project-Based Learning (PBL) principles
  
  

Expectations

• Contextualize developmentally-appropriate classroom experiences around essential understandings, interdisciplinary integration, and antiracist pedagogy.
• Integrate community resources and/or partnerships into learning experiences.
• In collaboration with the grade-level team and the Assistant Head of Lower School, develop research- and skills-based yearlong and unit learning plans for language arts, math, social studies, social-emotional, and DEIB skills using the UbD framework.
• Use a variety of formative and summative assessment data to differentiate instruction.
• In collaboration with the Lower School Assistant Head and Curriculum Leader, mentor and supervise assistant/ associate teachers.
• Collaborate with specialists in Physical Education, Self-Science, Spanish and Mandarin World Language, Science, Music, Art, and Technology to develop integrated units of inquiry.
• Actively engage in and support daily operations of the school community by participating in weekly Gathering, recess and lunch duties, and additional school activities and events as needed.
• Participate in cyclical grade-level planning meetings, including the Lower School Assistant Head and Curriculum Leader, Reading Specialist, Math Specialist, and Technology Integration Specialist, to ensure interdisciplinary collaboration, curriculum development, and communication.
• Communicate about the classroom program and learning with families through face-to-face conversations, newsletters, emails, and other electronic communication.
• Actively participate in professional development with a growth mindset and a healthy sense of humor.
• Use classroom management approaches that develop intrinsic motivation, student agency, and self-reflection. Frame mistakes as opportunities to learn while ensuring the safety, social-emotional learning, and well-being of all classroom community members.
• Engage in ongoing and essential work to foster a culture of respect, equity, belonging, and inclusion.
• Maintain professional collegial relationships that encourage sharing, planning, and working together toward improved instructional skills and student success.
• Model positive behaviors for students and colleagues that align with the school’s core values, emphasizing critical social and emotional skills.
• Monitor own beliefs and behavior to make certain that high expectations are held for all teachers and students regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, or other personal characteristics.
  
  

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds. Specific abilities required include close vision, the ability to adjust focus, sound hearing, and the ability to speak clearly and coherently. Regularly, the employee is required to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, run, and/or jump.

To Apply

We look forward to the opportunity to learn more about your interest. To apply, please email the items below as attachments to [email protected] .

• Cover letter addressed to Betsy Doss (she/her), Head of Lower School. The letter should describe your interest, experience, and commitment.
• Statement of educational philosophy.
• Curriculum vitae.
• List of three references with contact information.
  
  

Salary: $90,000 + depending upon years of experience

Health and retirement benefits, including TIAA-CREF, are part of the compensation package.

Keys School is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability, orientation, or veteran status. For more information on the school, please visit www.keysschool.org .