Physics Instructor

Job Description
JOIN A TEAM THAT BELIEVES STUDENTS WILL MEET THE HIGHEST ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT EXPECTATIONS

EPIC Academy is a CPS neighborhood charter high school that opened fall of 2009 in the South Chicago community with the mission to inspire and equip every student to build a path to college and career success. We embrace the challenge of public education - to develop every student's resolve to reach his or her full potential regardless of the odds. EPIC Academy serves one of the most challenged student demographics in Chicago: 96% Free/reduced lunch, 21% Students with IEPs, 15% English Language Learners. The prevailing area expectation is to graduate high school and get a job.

We view these "obstacles" as opportunities to build on our students' assets. EPIC Academy has a shared vision of excellence and high expectations for postsecondary success, embracing a breadth of pathways, both college and career. To achieve these goals we inspire students to imagine their future, provide belief-altering experiences that broaden their vision of what is possible, and build students' academic skill sets to achieve attain their goals. Our results speak for themselves:

• Top 25% CPS HS in SAT growth - out-performing nearly all CPS selective enrollment schools
• Top 25% CPS HS in College Enrollment - out-performing the average college enrollment of other area schools by a wide margin
• 44.9% of EPIC Seniors earn college credit before graduation
• $8.4M in college scholarships from the last graduating class

EPIC Philosophy

We believe post-secondary preparation is the equalizer for life options and long-term happiness. Our students are capable of graduating from their best value higher educational institution. It's our work to ensure that we dare each student to imagine an ambitious future vision, and then we expect and coach the hard work and skills required to realize it.

Classroom Leaders Drive Our Success

A leader leads a group of people to greatness. Our Classroom Leaders are positively contagious. When students talk about why they can't succeed, we show them every reason why they can, transferring belief for students to own their own greatness.

Essential Functions:

Responsible for instructional planning, including, but not limited to:

• Providing written lesson plans and preparation in accordance with the objectives of the instructional program
• Establishing positive learning expectation standards for all pupils, and evaluating pupils' progress and maintaining current and accurate records of pupils' achievements
• Implements instructional methods, including, but not limited to, applying contemporary principles of learning theory and teaching methodology, drawing from the range of instructional materials available in the school
• Participating in the development and implementation of new teaching techniques, and providing bulletin board and interest areas reflective of pupils' current work
• Exhibits and applies knowledge of the curriculum content related to subject areas and instructional level
• Participates in programs to improve student attendance; promotes anti-vandalism programs in the schools; establishes and maintains reasonable rules of conduct within the classroom and on school grounds, including, but not limited to, corridors, and lunchrooms, consistent with the provisions of the Epic Academy' Uniform Discipline Code
• Maintains accurate attendance records and seating charts; encourages student growth in self-discipline and positive self-concept; ensures fairness in teacher-pupil relationships and exhibits an understanding and respect for students
• Initiates appropriate conferences with parents, guardians, administrators, and/or ancillary personnel, in accordance with school procedures
• Communicates with parents or guardians and counsels pupils on the pupil's academic progress, attendance, and conduct; participates in in-service meetings and professional staff meetings and uses pertinent information and materials provided
• May coordinate and attend class field trips; may work in extra-curricular and after-school activities; utilizes appropriate resources available in the community

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree
• Illinois Teaching Certificate strongly preferred
• Leaders who are relentless in teaching, creating buy-in, and setting high expectations for every student.
• Highly organized managers of time that are able to prioritize, focus and deliver.
• Teammates who make everyone better by going above and beyond for the mission and the team.
• People that get results and are solution-oriented.
• We are flexible on experience and can be flexible on certification in high needs areas (math, science, etc.).

Classroom Leader Responsibilities

• Responsibility #1 - Focus on Skills: We focus on skills first and wrap content around them to drive interest and add rigor. This is SAT Standards for 9-11th and College Study & Writing Skills for 12th.
• Responsibility #2 - High Expectations: Create a learning environment that is safe and exudes high expectations for every student at every moment.
• Responsibility #3 - Just Right Support: Lead a Crew (homeroom) of 20 students where you are the liaison to home, deliver a curriculum for high school success, and meet with students to set goals and review progress towards increasing GPA, academic behaviors, and attendance.
• Responsibility #4 - Be a Great Teammate: Fully invest in our professional development. Make every second count by displaying high levels of attendance, preparation, participation to both the work and all meetings (grade level, co-teaching, and coaching). Deliver and use data and reports to drive improvement.
• Responsibility #5 - Make the Extras Count: Teach a reading intervention class or an elective club class. 12th-grade teachers lead a Senior Seminar class where students practice college study skills.

EPIC Daily Non-Negotiables

1. Know all students' progress toward mastery.
2. Expect college-bound beliefs and behaviors
3. Objective, activities and assessment all aligned at or above the rigor of SAT standard.
4. Live our core values.