Full job description

Description of school: Arthur Morgan School is a small, alternative boarding and day school for 27 students in grades 7-9. Our 100 acre campus, surrounded by National Forest in the shadow of the Black Mountains of North Carolina, consists mainly of woods and meadows, with creeks and a pond. The school fosters a loving, energetic living and learning community dedicated to supporting individual exploration while teaching group cooperation. Guided by an emphasis on experiential learning and responsible participation in community, we seek a balance between academics, outdoor activities, artistic exploration, and meaningful work. Boarding students live in homes with two or three staff members, and the entire community actively shares work, study, play, and decision-making.

General Responsibilities: It takes a lot of time to work here. We have intense work schedules–usually 60 plus hours per week. Our work calendar generally follows a conventional school year calendar, with some additional work required during students’ breaks. AMS is staff-run by consensus; we have no director or headmaster. All staff are expected to attend our two weekly staff meetings, two of our four Board Meetings, and to participate in running the school cooperatively. Everyone is also expected to attend our weekly student-run All School Meeting and to participate in work projects with the kids.

Teaching Responsibilities: Teaching duties can include: teaching academic classes (Math, Science, English, Art, Spanish or Social Studies) or electives (performing or visual arts, outdoor skills, woodworking, sports and games, etc.); educating students about and participating with them in ongoing maintenance of the school grounds and buildings; leading sports, games, cooking, and chore supervision. All AMS staff are people with a variety of skills, talents, and interests, and our jobs cover a wide array of responsibilities at the school. All staff are also involved in planning and leading outdoor education through backpacking and other outdoor trips, as well as our 18 day academic field trips. We welcome teaching experience from a broad range of disciplines and specific topics. We are particularly interested in applicants able to teach Math, Social Studies, Art, and Spanish, but people with other teaching backgrounds/interests are encouraged to apply.