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Employment

Now Hiring: Painting/Drawing Teacher

01/11/23

PAINTING/DRAWING TEACHER

The Oxbow School is a one-semester fine arts program for high school juniors and seniors from public and independent schools nationwide. The School offers forty-two students an immersive educational experience focused on the in-depth study and practice of the visual arts. This 4-month program encourages motivated students to pursue a serious interest in art. Through work in the studio/classroom, trips to art venues, and lectures with Visiting Artists, Oxbow provides students with direct exposure to the richness and diversity of contemporary art. Our goal is not to produce career artists, but to empower students to see with clarity and become active participants in the world. The Oxbow School is founded on the belief that engagement with the arts fosters and supports flexible thinking skills that are particularly valuable in today's increasingly complex global community.

POSITION

The Painting/Drawing Teacher at The Oxbow School is a full-time interdisciplinary teaching and residential position during the academic year (mid-August to mid-May). This position includes co-teaching with faculty in one of the following disciplines: New Media, Humanities, Environmental Science, Printmaking, or Sculpture. This co-taught course should integrate content and skills using various modes of Painting/Drawing including abstraction and representation while emphasizing the process of inquiry over the end product and empower students to use artmaking as a way to synthesize the world around them. Using essential questions as an entry-point for creative inquiry, the Oxbow pedagogy is student centered and project based. The residential nature of The Oxbow School also requires that faculty participate as full members of the Oxbow community. This includes participating in community-building activities, acting as an advisor (an important liaison between students and parents), participating in co-curricular programming and elective opportunities, and assuming a supervisory role for students in a variety of settings. All teachers at Oxbow engage and model Oxbow’s learner expectations: creative inquiry, effective communication, self-empowered learning, a collaborative mindset, and responsible citizenship.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Manage painting studio supplies and equipment
  • Maintain a safe and effectively functioning studio environment for students
  • Collaborate to curate and install student exhibitions
  • Actively collaborate with faculty peers in ongoing integrated curriculum design and instruction
  • Differentiate curriculum for different types of learners
  • Actively participate in all components of the community and residential life of the program
  • Supervise students during evening studio/dorm duty shifts
  • Lead a student advisory group
  • Provide social-emotional support for students
  • Facilitate conflict mediation and resolution for students
  • Plan and participate in co-curricular programming and enrichment activities
  • Lead an elective activity in Painting/Drawing (figure drawing, portraiture, oil painting, etc.)
  • Support student trajectory post Oxbow
  • Serve on faculty and staff committees dedicated to school improvement
  • Engage in professional development to support evolving student needs
  • Participate in and/or facilitate professional conferences
  • Provide opportunities for students to practice leadership in the community
  • Participate in weekly meetings (faculty, department, committee, etc.)
  • Engage in student behavioral redirection and disciplinary proceedings
  • Respond effectively and immediately to emergencies and high-stress situations
  • Communicate regularly with parents and, when pertinent, sending schools
  • Provide leadership on faculty
  • Serve as a role model to students

    CORE QUALITIES

    • Expertise in Painting and Drawing techniques and media and deep knowledge of art history and contemporary art
    • Ability to teach within and across academic disciplines
    • Demonstrate a passion for working with adolescents to improve their lives
    • Dedication and commitment to a 24/7 residential boarding program
    • Promote responsible citizenship and respect for diversity, inclusion, equity, and differences
    • Possess a positive outlook on the world and opportunities for young people
    • Desire to contribute to something larger than oneself and have a deep-seated belief in the power of teamwork
    • Openness to feedback and improvement; committed to life-long learning and modeling growth mindsets
    • Comfortable with ambiguity and flexible thinking
    • Interest in staying abreast of trends in progressive education and familiarity with student-centered and project-based pedagogies
    • Desire to provide thought leadership and incorporate best practices in education
    • Sensitive and responsive to student needs, concerns, and passions
    • Devoted to making oneself available for the safety and security of students
    • Skilled in conflict resolution and mediation
    • Ability to address student socio-emotional needs and mental health concerns with professionalism, confidentiality, and seeking support when needed
    • Thrives on creative problem-solving and collaboration
    • Interest in building a dynamic and innovative school culture
    • Strong work ethic

    COMPENSATION + WORKLOAD

    The instructional week follows a block format schedule that comprises a teaching load of 1 section of 7-12 students at a time. Compensation includes salary as determined by a faculty step scale and experience, ranging from $51,162-$59,361 for approximately 33 weeks of prep time and instruction during the Fall/Spring academic year. The benefits package includes: health insurance, dental, vision, and housing with utilities paid by the school.

    Interested candidates should submit a CV and cover letter to Jennifer Jordan, Head of School, at: jjordan@oxbowschool.org. Position open until filled.


    Advice I would give to future students is to just do it and come to Oxbow and not overthink it because it will most likely (99.9%) be the best decision you have made in your life.

    — Malachi Snyder, Spring 2018

    The art that goes on in most high schools is usually relatively skill-based. At Oxbow, there is more emphasis on looking and seeing and more critical thinking about what you are doing, the human connection, that personal element. Through art you can begin to understand yourself better. That may be the biggest eye-opener for students. It is almost a preview of college. Get out of the mechanical factory high school education and get into something open, new, and invigorating in a small environment.

    — Bill Barrett, Former Oxbow Board Member, Former Executive Director of Association, College of Art and Design (AICAD)

    At Oxbow, the eye and the hand are inseparable from the mind and because their peers are also artists, students adopt fresh attitudes toward their work.

    — Charles Altieri, Rachel Anderson Stageberg Chair, Professor of English, University of California, Berkeley

    A School Like No Other

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