Every once in a while one is offered a rare opportunity to work in a school community all children should have the opportunity to attend, a democratic free school with true child led learning opportunities; where a child is embraced as a member of a community and presented choices and passion from all who teach them. It is not a perfect community, it’s most definitely not for everyone. There are flaws and conflict like all strong communities have. The ALPHA Alternative School community ebbs and flows as members come and go and yet it’s consistently there reaching out and embracing young minds, encouraging curiosity, discovery, and best of all freedom to learn at their own pace, to be themselves, to advocate for their needs, to make mistakes and to be in control of their own education.
The ALPHA Alternative School teacher is a flexible, creative but strong teacher who will work in a democratic team environment to help elementary school students achieve literacy, numeracy, and–through emergent and interest-based, often arts-infused explorations–develop a strong awareness of the world and their place in it. ALPHA is a lot of work, but a lot of rewards too. ALPHA lessons are delivered, not only by TDSB certified teachers but also by the children, their parents, and other people coming into the school on a regular basis.
Summary of Duties
Will work with Grade JK-6 students, in a small (80 students) elementary alternative school
Will work in partnership with two or more teachers, to develop and deliver programming for multi-age classes
Will engage in learning and developing democratic education approaches: with students, parents and fellow teachers
Will learn and contribute to ALPHA’s democratic community processes: student meetings, student-run disciplinary committee, and a staff-community council
Will both individually and collaboratively develop programming that responds to student interest while growing their knowledge of the world and beyond.
Will develop responsive strategies for helping individual students of various skill levels and learning styles to gain strength in literacy and numeracy
Will investigate and collaborate in arts-integrated literacy, math, science and social studies programming, using decentralized strategies like learning centres, projects, integrated theme-based approaches, as well as classic sequential skills-teaching
Will collaborate with fellow teachers and parents to create developmentally appropriate social justice programming, and infuse critical perspectives into the curriculum.
Treasures every child’s individuality, models respect and responsibility, and gives space to various experiences, identities, understandings and values.
Will be both cooperative and proactive, able to respond to children yet retain one’s natural authority as an adult and teacher
Qualifications and Skills Required
JK-Grade 6 qualification
Wants to be in a collaborative, democratic community school, interested in democratic and free-school history and or approaches
Sees children as proactive, curious, exploratory learners rather than as empty vessels to receive information: practices democratic, progressive, emergent, and/or responsive pedagogies, and is willing to keep learning from children, peers and community.
Committed to cooperative, non-competitive, non-hierarchical approaches to learning.
Committed to restorative approaches to behavioural problems and conflict
Comfortable with diverse persons and families
Able to open conversations and non-judgmentally and collaboratively deal with homo/transphobia, racism, sexism, classism, gender stereotyping, colonialist bias as it is brought into school by young children and unaware adults.
Alternative school experience: in teaching, supply or internship
Experience in community facilitation, peacebuilding and conflict resolution, in school or other contexts
Aware of the difference between freedom and license
Skills and strategies to engage children with different learning styles
A background in critical pedagogy, particularly with respect to decolonizing and Indigenous perspectives
Experience and skills in integrating and infusing anti-racism, anti-oppression into the schooling approach and curriculum.
Strong listening skills and patience, for working with peers and families
French language skills
Arts/music/drama/story-telling/science/sports an asset
Experience in outdoor and nature education an asset