Long-Term Substitute - Grade 5 Teacher Elementary (SEI Endorsement) (SY25-26) - One Year Only

About the position

Watertown Public Schools seeks an exceptional Grade 5 Teacher with an SEI endorsement who is highly qualified and knowledgeable to join our community of teachers, learners, and leaders. This is an exciting opportunity for teachers who desire to serve where their efforts matter. This is a one-year long-term substitute role for the 2025-2026 school year.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates mastery of and enthusiasm for the content area and the pedagogy it requires.
• Can convey a grasp of child development and how students learn.
• Designs effective and rigorous standards based units of instruction consisting of well-structured lessons with measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrates mastery of related subject matter, instructional skills, and resource materials for the course(s) taught.
• Utilizes lesson plans and units of instruction, aligned with current state and district standards, which drives instruction through formative assessment and differentiation.
• Utilizes a variety of effective instructional and management techniques.
• Provides a variety of assessments and uses assessments for planning and instruction.
• Provides consistent, immediate feedback to student learning and asks analytical questions that elicit students' responses that incorporate prior knowledge, life experience, and interests that are directly related to the content objective.
• Uses instructional practices that are likely to challenge, motivate, and engage all students and facilitate equitable, active student participation.
• Builds a productive learning environment where every student participates and is valued as part of the class community.
• Actively creates and maintains an environment in which students' diverse backgrounds, identities, strengths, and challenges are respected.
• Monitors and maintains a positive classroom environment that supports the school-wide behavior expectation in which most students are engaged, incorporates mutual respect, and provides cooperative learning opportunities.
• Uses available technology/instructional media to enhance the students' learning experiences.
• Maintains a safe, organized classroom, which supports students' independent learning, collaboration, and choice.
• Engages with families and builds collaborative, respectful relationships with them in service of student learning.
• Establishes and maintains appropriate relationships with students, parents, staff, and community members by communicating in a tactful, courteous, and confidential manner.
• Appropriately communicates and interacts with other professional staff in academic planning and school committee work.
• Attends and participates in staff meetings and school-related activities and committees.
• Regularly reflects on practice, seeks and responds to feedback, and demonstrates self-awareness and commitment to continuous learning and development.
• Seeks to participate in and contribute to a collaborative adult learning community.
• Demonstrates a commitment to continuous professional growth and works with the administrator to formulate and complete professional growth plans.

Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor's degree.
• Hold a valid Massachusetts Educator License Elementary grades 1-6 AND either SEI endorsement OR dual certification in ESL.
• Meet all state and federal guidelines in order to be fully licensed and Highly Qualified.
• Ability to meet the Standards of Effective Teaching established by the Massachusetts Model System for Educators as outlined above.
• Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment.

Nice-to-haves

• Master's Degree in related field.
• Certification in Moderate Disabilities or English as a Second Language (at the appropriate grade level(s)).