Education Week - February 8, 2017 - 31

MULTIPLE

SPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SPRINGFIELD, MA
www.springfieldpublicschools.com

Anticipated Openings

Principals Elementary, Middle & High School
Asst. Principals Elementary, Middle & High School
The district is seeking licensed and experienced educational leaders
with a track record of success to join our team. Springfield is the 2nd
largest district in New England located in Western Massachusetts. We
seek individuals with demonstrated success leading and directing
educational initiatives that result in measurable student outcomes
and achievements. The Springfield Public School district serves over
26,000 students a year.

Innovative High School Seeks Founding Team
Applicants are invited to apply as a team of four, three, two or individually.
The recently founded Delta School is committed to strengthening and enriching student learning through innovative teaching
projects. We define "innovation" as mindsets, design processes, and teaching practices that challenge traditional norms and
assumptions. These can take the form of new strategies or iterations or remixes of existing strategies. Our school is designed
with project requirements and completion of competencies rather than traditional subject-based courses.

Visit our website at www.springfieldpublicschools.com
to view job descriptions and apply.
For inquiries contact:
Lucy Perez, HR Administrator for Recruitment & Retention
at 413 787-7180

We are looking for two project managers: a Content Rigor Manager and a Project Time Manager to review all teacher
proposed projects for students and monitor student work toward competencies once projects are underway. We are also
looking for two Project Coaches who will design projects for implementation with students. All hires will participate fully in the
life of the students and help to develop the program.

COMPETITIVE SALARY AND BENEFITS
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

The Delta School Upper School will function as a lab school serving a total of 50 students in two learning cohorts. We have a
6500 sq foot Maker's Space on campus along with a school farm and state of the art classroom pavilions.
From 9/2017-5/2018 team members will be in residence at the school to plan, observe, develop and create the new upper
school program for implementation in 2018-19 school year. This residency will be fully compensated with benefits including
housing.
Email inquiries to jeniferfox@thedeltaschool.org

TOP SCHOOL JOBS's CAREER CORNER

What Makes a GREAT Teacher? - A Parent's Perspective
In my humble opinion, teachers have one of the most
important jobs in the world. You educate the leaders
of tomorrow. You help them as they navigate and befriend a classroom full of students who are both very
different and very similar to them in a variety of ways.
You help them make sense of what is sometimes a
scary, yet beautiful and loving world. You are likely
one of the most important adults in your students'
lives right now.
Any parent will tell you that their child is their most
precious gift. The best way I have found to describe it
is that my children are like my heart outside of my
body, vulnerably walking around in this big, scary,
beautiful, loving world. To me, there is not a job more
important than whoever is caring for and teaching my
children when it is not me. One year from now, when
I am sending my daughter on her first day of kindergarten, I will be putting my faith in her teacher that
she will return safely, knowing that her teacher is a
grown-up she can trust, who cares about her and who
makes her excited to learn and return to school the
next day.
So as I prepare to send my first child out into the big
world (your classroom) where she will be surrounded
by new children and grown-ups, ready to learn and
explore this big world, I share with you what I hope for
her teachers.
Develop strong relationships with your students.
Really get to know them and show an interest in them,
their friends, and their family life. How are they adjusting to school? Are they making friends, or do they

fly solo? Learn about their dreams and encourage
them. Seek out your students' strengths and offer opportunities to use them and feel that joy of doing
something they both like and are good at.
Get to know your students' parents. Involve them
when you can beyond parent-teacher conferences.
As parents, we send our kids off to their first days of
school and never really know what happens. Did my
daughter make a friend, or feel lonely through the
day? Was someone unkind to her? Was she unkind
to someone else? Is she grasping the content in
class? Does she participate? Openly share your concerns, but also tell us what our kids are doing well.
Because the common response to "How was school
today?" is "fine" we'd love to know what we can talk
with our kids about, and how we can work with them
to support what you are doing in the classroom.
Communicate openly and honestly with your students' parents. It's a scary time to be raising little
ones. At home we try to raise our kids to be kind,
generous, helpful, and friendly. In our supervised
playdates, we, as parents, can monitor that and help
them process it when others do not do the same. In
the news we hear about bullies, mass shootings, and
terrorist attacks. Talk with parents about the scary
stuff, and give us comfort about the plan your school
has in place. Share with us how you prepare your
students and how we can help them deal with a sometimes scary world. We, as parents, are taking a big
leap of faith putting the well-being of our precious children in the hands of their teachers. Don't underestimate your importance in their lives. Communicate

with us personally, honestly, and often. Help us know
that you care for our children and reassure us.
Don't lose your energy for your students and teaching. Over the years I have met with a handful of student
teachers who I wish I could hand pick to teach my own
children. Some of my favorite career coaching appointments over the years are the ones in which the student
teacher I am assisting with a resume lights up talking
about their experiences with their students, an especially creative lesson, how they helped a student overcome a challenge or reach a goal. The passion they
had for teaching, and how well they got to know their
students and how very much they cared for them were
delightfully evident. Don't lose that passion for teaching,
love for your students, your creativity, or the energy and
dedication to helping them succeed. Those things are
what draw your students to you and what gives a parent
comfort that their child is having a good experience at
school.
Never underestimate how important you are in the lives
of your students. For many, especially the youngest,
your role in your students' lives may be similar to that of
a parent. Whatever your grade level, content area, or
specialty, thank you for educating, loving, supporting,
encouraging, challenging, and caring for our children,
your students, the leaders of tomorrow.
To read more blog posts, visit http://blogs.edweek.org/topschooljobs/careers
The opinions expressed are strictly those of the author and do
not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in
Education.

EDUCATION WEEK | February 8, 2017 | www.topschooljobs.org | 31

http://www.springfieldpublicschools.com http://www.springfieldpublicschools.com http://blogs.edweek.org/topschooljobs/careers http://www.topschooljobs.org

Education Week - February 8, 2017

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