Brooklyn Free Space (BFS)
298 6th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Start Date: August 21, 2023
Lead Teacher – Full Time
The Lead Teacher at Brooklyn Free Space (BFS) is responsible for the general supervision and management of a classroom. She or he must be professionally prepared as a teacher of young children, especially in the field of early childhood development. This person must be a sensitive and mature individual who is able to relate well to all members of the school community and to effectively lead a teaching team. She or he must maintain a professional attitude, have a warm and friendly personality, and treat all children with dignity and respect. She or he must be able to meet the requirements of all licensing agencies.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Teaching
Plan, supervise, and implement child directed classroom programs that are emergent and inquiry based as well as in accordance with the policies of the school and the requirements of licensing agencies.
Gear program to needs of individual children, as well as the whole group, with concern for their interests, abilities, talents and individual style, and pace of learning.
Engage in ongoing evaluation and assessment procedures needed to assess children’s developmental levels and support curriculum planning.
Implement methods for effectively integrating the support, skills, and talents of the teaching team members in all areas of the classroom environment.
Administration
Assume an equal share of staff joint housekeeping responsibilities.
Maintain ordered arrangement, appearance, decor, and learning environment of the classroom, with a clear focus on documentation of the children’s work.
Facilitate effective and constructive daily communication with families.
Participate in recommended training programs, conferences, courses, and other aspects of professional growth.
Facilitate effective and constructive weekly team meetings
Read BFS email communications on a daily basis when school is open, excluding sick days or other scheduled days off, and respond to queries in a timely manner
Qualifications
NYS Teaching Certification (Birth-Grade 2)
or
BA or MS in Early Childhood Education and 5 years of supervised experience
Salary commensurate with experience.
Benefits include healthcare, paid time off, sick days
Please send resumes to oi@brooklynfreespace.org.
Brooklyn Free Space is a place where children grow and develop with the nurturing guidance of our dedicated and experienced administration and full-time teaching staff. As a cooperative, we are a community-based organization in every aspect of our operation, as well as our philosophy. Our school is run by a combination of committed member families, professional teachers and administrators who work together to create a warm, diverse and responsive environment for our children.
Our philosophy at BFS is rooted in the knowledge that children learn best through play. Our classroom environments are created to support this belief and allow children to interact with peers and learning materials in the many manifestations of play. Recognizing that, though children grow in predictable stages, each child should be treated as an individual. All children have their own learning styles and interests, and we believe that when we meet each child where they’re at developmentally, and respect their interests, ideas and self-expression, then we help plant the seed for a life-time of appreciation for the joy of learning.
A caring and positive atmosphere serves as a warm and happy place for preschoolers to learn. Building a bridge from home to school, we guide the children through the continual development of positive self-image while forging collaborative social relationships. We promote the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of the children by giving them the opportunity to make sense of the world around them by doing, interacting, exploring and experiencing.
Classroom routines are designed to balance structure and free choice, active and quiet times, and celebrate the process rather than the product, which fosters a sense of both accomplishment and pride. The learning journey is based on the interests of the children, and is facilitated by the thoughtful planning, observations and participation of the teachers.
As educators, we see ourselves as continual learners, and this is demonstrated by the active, ongoing professional development that our teaching staff engages in. We are co-learners and co-researchers with the children as we explore the world around us together.
Oi Ling Hu
Interim Education Director
Email: oi@brooklynfreespace.org
Together, we are empowering exceptional education.