Cajal Academy Inc Hiring for Teacher Job at Westport, CT Full Time

Unique opportunity to join a gifted special education school with an expert team and innovative, neuroscience-based program!

Cajal Academy is a small, nonprofit school and educational innovation lab for kids who have very high analytical reasoning skills, coupled with an area of special education need. We are looking to expand our team of teachers and licensed therapists who are excited to join a startup, innovative educational environment and is passionate about real-world, cross-disciplinary project-based learning. Current part and full-time positions include:

• Science Teacher

• Math Teacher
• Social Studies Teacher
• Project-based Learning Director
• Music Teacher

• Speech and Language Pathologist

About our School:

Cajal Academy is both a school and an educational innovation nonprofit. We have an expert team, led by a recognized neuropsychologist, and are developing new educational approaches aligned to the neuroscience of how children learn, socialize, develop and grow. Our academic teachers receive training in the science behind our approaches, protocols for implementing them within the classroom, and specific strategies and considerations for differentiating the approaches for each learner.

Standards-aligned instruction is provided in ability-based classes ranging from 1:1 to 1:6, following a traditional schedule of classes. Curriculum is sequenced within each discipline to inform multi-disciplinary project-based learning units developed by our team to integrate all academic areas. Students collaborate with one another to solve real world problems, through deep dives supported by executive function coaching and social skill development. Movement and sensory input are integrated into the classroom, through a pedagogy developed by our OT and PT team. All teachers are trained in a new approach to differentiation to match each child’s neuropsychological profile of strengths and challenges.

We work with a small, unique group of kids: all our students have very high analytical reasoning skills, coupled with a learning, physio, social-emotional, neurological and/or chronic medical difference requiring specialized instruction. Many of these kids have complex overlapping profiles, and have experienced prior academic trauma as a result of their misunderstood and/or unaddressed needs. We currently serve kids in grades 3-12, growing towards a full K-12 school.

Total enrollment for fall, 2022 is not expected to exceed 15 students. Over time, we hope to grow the school to a total of approximately 50 students. All staff members form close and nurturing relationships with each of our students, using a trauma-informed approach and coaching to increase students’ regulation through neurophysiological approaches developed by our licensed therapists. Cajal Academy is not a “behavior management” or ABA school and does not implement ABA approaches.

Responsibilities of the Position:

Specific responsibilities of the position include:

• Working in an interdisciplinary team to develop standards-based project-based learning units that are aligned to CT state and/or Next Generation Science Standards, at age-appropriate levels for students across grades K-12;
• Fostering a love of learning and supporting students who have academic anxieties and/or freeze-fight-flight reactions to academics through a trauma-informed approach to help them monitor and eventually reduce these reactions;
• Developing, modifying and delivering instruction to ability- and/or age-grouped classes, combining hands-on experimentation, multimedia sources, community-based field work and engagement of industry experts;
• Collaborating with other team members in the development of curriculum and written lesson plans implementing our protocols and approaches within the classroom, and documenting student performance;

• Differentiating classroom instruction based on each student’s profile of strengths and weaknesses, following guidelines provided by our expert team of therapists;
• Designing and implementing competency-based assessments, including in-depth progress reports detailing students’ progress, learning strengths and “not yet skills”;

• Implementing Cajal Academy protocols for growth mindset and social-emotional coaching, and support children’s growth by prompting students to utilize personalized self-regulation strategies provided by our clinical team;

• Implementing Cajal Academy’s Neuro- and Trauma-Informed Approach to support students’ social-emotional growth;
• Identifying and collaborating with outside, community and/or industry-based experts who can help to provide curriculum depth to our students, particularly at the high school level;
• Providing thoughtful, detailed written competency-based assessments of students’ performance, growth, strengths and “not yet skills;” and

• Keeping parents and team members informed through written and oral communications, and expanding teacher and parent understanding of each child’s development.

Finally, Cajal Academy is a startup environment–so it is essential that all staff members are team players who are excited and committed to help build our school as a new educational leader. This may include developing lesson plans outside of school hours, participating in admissions events, supporting our accreditation process, and “pitching in” to help do what needs to be done within a lean startup environment.

Potential advancement opportunities include opportunities to become our future Director of Project-Based Learning and/or positions in school administration.

Requirements:

In general, we are looking for teachers who have sufficient subject matter expertise in a relevant academic discipline to provide high level instruction to intellectually-gifted students through to the high school level. We are also looking for a generalist at the elementary school level who is excited to provide highly-individualized instruction to students with complex profiles within a socially-engaged model.

Our ideal candidates will be educators who have experience developing and implementing high quality, standards-based curriculum through project-based learning, or professionals who have experience in a relevant field of industry and who have a deep passion for inspiring our next generation of thought leaders. Teacher certification is desirable but not required, and special education experience is not required.

All Cajal Academy staff members must be flexible thinkers with very high analytical and organizational skills, and strong attention to detail. Our model has brought transformative results for students, but it requires our teachers to think about differentiation, scaffolding, curriculum development, behaviors and social-emotional growth in a whole new way. This is an opportunity to be at the forefront of our work to modernize education but requires that you be open-minded to learning new instructional approaches.

All Cajal Academy staff must also be prepared to meet children where they are, and to support children struggling with anxieties, atypical neurophysiological regulation and/or prior school-based traumas. Our academic teachers are expected to learn and integrate these techniques into their instruction.

The successful candidate must also be a team player who is comfortable working both independently and collaboratively in a fluid, startup environment. This may include developing lesson plans outside of school hours, participating in admissions events, supporting our accreditation process, and “pitching in” to help do what needs to be done within a lean startup environment.

All candidates must be fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a valid medical exemption by the time of their start date.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $45.00 – $65.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

Schedule:

• 4 hour shift
• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

COVID-19 considerations:
All staff members must be fully-vaccinated for COVID-19 by the time of their start date.

Application Question(s):

• Please describe your interest or experience in working with bright and intellectually-gifted students who have special education needs:

Education:

• Master’s (Required)

Work Location: One location