Elementary School Guide / Coach / Gamemaker (Free Tuition Benefit)

Job Description

Job Description

What Makes This Role Special:

As an Elementary Guide you won't be a traditional teacher. You'll be a “gamemaker” who works in the background to create exciting challenges, set loving boundaries, and mentor young heroes ages 4-11 on their learning journey. You'll work in a faith-based environment that values freedom, responsibility, and the unique gifts of every child. As a benefit of this role, your family will also qualify for free tuition for up to five children.

Responsibilities:

• Observe, mentor, and guide young heroes in setting goals and in developing independence, problem-solving skills, and character
• Inspire learners and empower them to hold each other accountable to their learner-generated code of conduct in order to maintain a safe, engaging, and learner-driven studio environment
• Support learners on their journey to cultivate a positive, beautiful, orderly, and inspiring studio (classroom) environment
• Design and experiment with new projects, tools, and approaches in order to refine existing learning design, curriculum, and studio systems
• Set an example for students, modeling values like honesty, accountability, respect, a growth mindset, and kindness as well as the hero’s journey
• Handle administrative tasks, including maintaining supplies and equipment, and updating school records
• Work with other staff to research, find, and schedule guest speakers, plan field trips, and organize events and celebrations
• Participate in school activities and accompany students on field trips
• Take photos/video and write blog entries to document studio life
• Practice the Socratic method at all times to deepen learners’ thinking and problem-solving (i.e., instead of answering questions, use the Socratic method to challenge learners to find the answers themselves)
• Complete Acton Academy guide training and ongoing professional development
• Practice and lead Socratic discussions

Qualifications:

• Passion for lifelong learning and alternative education models
• Ability to guide without rescuing - letting children learn from natural consequences
• Ability to guide without answering questions (ever)
• Previous experience working with children 4-11, especially in non-traditional settings
• Has a growth mindset (not a victim mindset); coachable and excited to grow with a startup
• Can tell a story, invent a game, and design scientific experiments, creative challenges, and team-building activities

The Ideal Guide:

• Ideal for those with previous entrepreneurial experience, international experience, or experience/training in Socratic, Montessori, or Reggio Emilia methods
• Ideal for those with experience as a nanny, coach, camp counselor, or youth minister
• Is fun, playful, conscientious, organized, takes initiative, and likes to keep their space orderly, clean, and beautiful
• Is both warm-hearted and tough-minded

Benefits:

• Free tuition for employee’s children (up to five)
• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• 6+ weeks of paid vacation during the school year
• 4+ weeks of paid vacation during summer
• 1 week of paid sick leave
• Professional development and future growth opportunities
• Bonus opportunities up to 10% of base salary

Company DescriptionActon Academy Blue Ridge is an innovative Christian school re-imagining education. We believe that children are capable of far more than people typically imagine. Our mission is to foster a growth mindset and help each hero (student) discover their unique calling. Our small, mixed-age classrooms are a modern twist on the classic one-room schoolhouse, where students learn to mentor and be mentored by one another. Through a learner-driven environment, real-world projects, and self-paced learning, we empower students to take ownership not only of their own education but also of who they’re becoming.

Company Description

Acton Academy Blue Ridge is an innovative Christian school re-imagining education. We believe that children are capable of far more than people typically imagine. Our mission is to foster a growth mindset and help each hero (student) discover their unique calling. Our small, mixed-age classrooms are a modern twist on the classic one-room schoolhouse, where students learn to mentor and be mentored by one another. Through a learner-driven environment, real-world projects, and self-paced learning, we empower students to take ownership not only of their own education but also of who they’re becoming.