Organization Overview

The mission of Citizens of the World Los Angeles (CWC LA) is to provide a socio-economically, culturally, and racially diverse community of students in Los Angeles with an intellectually challenging, experiential learning environment that develops each student's confidence, potential, and individual responsibility as citizens of the world. CWC schools:

• Service a socioeconomically, culturally, and racially diverse community;
• Develop students’ social and emotional skills to prepare them to become citizens of the world in an ever-changing future; and
• Promote academic rigor through a constructivist, project-based learning approach, to support and develop children’s natural intellectual curiosity

CWC LA has a Regional Support Office that supports all CWC LA schools. We work with our network partners at Citizens of the World Charter Schools (CWC Schools), linking the schools in Los Angeles to CWC schools across the country.

Our core values are embraced by the entire community:

• Excellence: we demand lasting quality
• Diversity: we are better and stronger because of our differences
• Authenticity: we are our true selves in this work, and we are candid
• Community: we care deeply about people. We share and build partnerships. We celebrate, laugh, and seek joy, even in the tough times
• Change: we welcome the unknown, embracing the unexpected and new. We adapt to meet the ever-changing times. We find new ways.

Position Description

CWC Substitute Teachers are driven and innovative educators who are energized by a unique charter school environment and have a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. They implement a high-quality, rigorous, and engaging academic program and have a passion for pedagogical practices grounded in constructivism, project-based learning, and the multiple intelligences theory. CWC fosters a creative and collaborative environment in which teachers grow as educators through ongoing coaching, observation, and feedback cycles while providing an excellent education to their students. Substitute Teachers in our elementary grades are joined in the classroom by a Teaching Associate who provides behavioral and instructional support.

Responsibilities

A Substitute Lead Teacher’s responsibilities include:

• Development and refinement of curriculum maps, lessons, and units of study that meet or exceed the requirements of Common Core Standards and also incorporate the multiple intelligences;
• Ongoing assessment of student progress and achievement using a variety of means to collect and report on academic data;
• Use of data to tailor instruction to meet individual student academic and social needs with a goal of every student performing on grade level or above in all subject areas;
• Creation of a strong classroom culture that is developed through CWC’s social emotional learning focus, and contributes to the broader school community;
• Participation in professional development activities, both internal (led by the principal, lead teachers and visiting experts) and external (visiting other schools, attending conferences, and engaging in best practice sharing with others in the charter school community, etc.);
• Maintenance of frequent communication and engagement with colleagues, students’ families, and other school stakeholders;
• Participation as an active member of the community to provide stewardship of the school and adherence to its mission and guiding principles;
• Maintenance of a high level of professionalism including meeting deadlines, and commitments to self, students, and the community;
• Collaboration with and mentoring of a Teaching Associate;
• Collaboration with a grade level team and special education/resource (RSP) teacher to design and implement curriculum and assess student growth in meaningful and rigorous ways.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have:

• A valid California teaching credential or Emergency 30-Day Substitute Permit or valid California Teaching Credential
• Minimum of two years experience working in schools;
• Experience working in a socio-economically, racially, and culturally diverse classroom setting;
• Ability to effectively manage and instruct both small and large groups of students;
• An exhibited ability to work with children in a caring and respectful manner in order to create a joyful, caring classroom environment where instructional time includes community building, conflict resolution, skill-building, and empowering students to be peacemakers and agents for positive social change;
• Fluency in a second language (ideally Spanish or Korean) is preferred.

Skills/Traits

The candidate must have:

• Maturity, humility, strong work ethic, sense of humor, and a can-do attitude
• Personal investment in creating a classroom in which social emotional learning is the foundation of the culture
• Belief and willingness to ensure that all students can learn and achieve at high levels
• Strong communication skills, verbally and in writing, and ability to effectively use those skills with a diverse audience.
• Experience working with diverse populations, including English language learners and students with special needs
• Unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Excitement about learning and implementing new teaching methods and effective practices that are aligned to the CWC model and positively impact student
• Excellent collaboration and interpersonal skills, finding joy in working with others
• Ability and openness to accept and give constructive feedback around improving professional practices and student-related data.