Minnehaha Academy is a Christian school and a ministry of the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Our mission is to provide a high quality education integrating the Christian faith and learning.
The Upper School has a full-time Science position open beginning in the 2026 – 2027 academic year. Ability to teach either Biology, Physics, or Computer Science is preferable.
Purpose of Role:
Subject teachers are responsible for maximizing the academic progress of the students they teach, working with colleagues to participate fully in the development of the department. Subject teachers promote a positive, purposeful, and professional working atmosphere that encourages cooperation and challenge, whilst valuing the contribution that individuals make to the success of the department.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Encourage high standards in all aspects of school life, particularly in student progress;
- Contribute to the effective and efficient running of the school;
- Promote a rich Christian school culture which is positive, purposeful and professional;
- Support and motivate students, teachers, and other school employees;
- Encourage consultation, review and improvement of Teaching and Learning.
Responsibilities
- Plan and prepare well-structured, clearly presented lessons appropriate to the abilities of all students and the syllabus being taught;
- Ensure that the classroom is a stimulating environment that facilitates deep and creative learning;
- Generate enthusiasm for the subject being taught and inspire all students to work to their potential;
- Liaise with the Science Department Chair and Director of Academic Support where a student may have special educational needs and with the advisor if a student is experiencing pastoral difficulties;
- Promote high standards of behavior by encouraging a positive, proactive approach to teaching and learning and build productive relationships with students;
- Set homework according to policy and pertinent to the student’s ability and wider work load;
- Promote high standards of organization;
- Be punctual to lessons.
- Provide high quality, accurate, constructive and targeted information to parents at Parent-Teacher Conference, in subject reports, incidental meetings and communications;
- Assess, record and monitor the progress of all students according to faculty guidelines in order to provide accurate information to parents in a variety of forms, as and when necessary;
- Maintain teaching materials and resources as needed.
Responsibilities to the Department and the School
- Be respectful of the needs of colleagues and the department with regards to cooperation, collegiality, deadlines, and team cohesion;
- Participate positively in departmental meetings, follow policies and generally contributing to the effective and efficient running of the department;
- Promote professional dialogue, share ideas about teaching and learning and support other teachers in developing good practice and new approaches and initiatives;
- Take part in, and contribute to, professional development activities offered in the department and by the school;
- Enthusiastically contribute to cross-curricular links and initiatives;
- Be involved in new responsibilities within the department as part of an ongoing process of professional development;
- Keep up to date with developments in the Subject, and in education generally.
Other Responsibilities
Undertake other reasonable duties as requested by the Science Department Chair, Principal of the Upper School, or members of the Senior Leadership Team and any duties that the Head of School deems necessary for the effective operation of the school.
Desirable skills and attributes for Science Teachers at Minnehaha Academy
- Ability to integrate a lived Christian faith to life and teaching and learning;
- Our expectation is that our science classes are taught through practical experimentation and colleagues who are committed to this ethos are encouraged to apply;
- We are intentional users of IT and whilst technical competence is preferred, the confidence and desire to develop new strategies for learning and assessment is essential;
- An ability to contribute to our development of new experimental procedures and demonstrations;
- Willingness to share practice with colleagues and take an active approach to developing professionally by learning from other colleagues;
- A willingness to share resources communally with all members and to assist in maintaining a collegiate and supportive environment for all;
- Experience of teaching AP Physics; AP Biology; or AP Computer Science;
- The ability to extend able students beyond the AP syllabus;
- The ability to write academic references and letters of recommendation for rising senior students as part of their college application process, including supporting students with the writing of personal statements;
- A willingness to take part in subject-related extracurricular after school activities;
- A willingness to offer regular revision sessions for students outside of normal teaching hours (at lunchtimes and after school) in the lead up to examinations;
- Passion for science and for helping children progress in science regardless of their starting point;
- Experience in teaching both high achieving and less able students across all phases; the ability to extend able students and scaffold to enable students at a lower starting point to access and enjoy science lessons;
- Commitment to dialogical feedback and ensuring students benefit from a wide range of feedback;
- Willingness to analyse learning outcomes during and after learning episodes and use this to plan differentiated inputs to lessons;
- Ability to identify individuals in need of support and a commitment to offering significant extra support outside of lesson time to ensure all students reach their potential.
Salary Range: $41,000.00 To $81,745.00 Annually
Minnehaha Academy is an EEO/AA employer