Visual Arts Teacher Job at Darrow School in New Lebanon

Visual Arts Teacher

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume.

Position Specifics

Darrow School seeks a Visual Arts Teacher who will demonstrate enthusiasm and creativity while teaching and mentoring students in grades 9-12. The Visual Arts Department delivers and develops one of the Signature Programs of Darrow School, and the Visual Arts Teacher will be responsible for designing hands-on learning activities across a variety of visual art courses in collaboration with the rest of the department faculty. The successful candidate should be able to teach high-school-level courses which may include Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Advanced Mixed Media (Portfolio Class), as well as courses reflecting the candidate’s specific expertise and interests.

Applicants should have a BFA degree; MFA is preferred. The successful candidate will have experience in classroom teaching in an appropriate educational setting, and a demonstrated enthusiasm for working with teenagers with a variety of learning styles and needs.

At Darrow, we feel that it is important for our students to see art faculty as professional, working artists. All of our visual arts teachers are able to use the Joline Art Center studios for personal studio work during the academic year and also when school is not in session.

Darrow School is searching for candidates with a proven track record of actively collaborating with teens to support their learning. Our college-preparatory curriculum engages students in all types of subject matter through discussion inside the classroom and direct experience outside the classroom, where they conduct experiments, perform project-based assignments, and use the Darrow environment as a living laboratory. Supported by our expert faculty, Darrow students actively participate in their own education.

Responsibilities of this position include:

• Plan and teach the curriculum in accordance with the school’s mission and the philosophy and values of Darrow’s Active Curriculum

• Design lessons that teach students process first as they work towards developing a refined product in drawing, painting, printmaking and mixed media

• Teach up to four different Visual Art courses per semester, which may include Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Advanced Mixed Media (Portfolio Class), as well as courses reflecting the candidate’s specific expertise and interests.

• Assist students in documenting their artwork for portfolios, and in curating their artwork for on-campus and off-site gallery exhibits.

• Plan and teach the departmental curriculum in accordance with the school’s mission and the philosophy and values of Darrow’s active and inclusive curriculum

• Create a student-centered learning environment and teach according to the educational needs of students

• Provide continuous student assessment, quarterly, semester, and year-end progress reports, and hold teacher-student-parent conferences

• Attend Art Department meetings and collaborate with the Art Department Chair and the Visual Arts Faculty to develop and plan departmental program and curriculum

• Work closely with other faculty and staff to ensure cross-curricular approaches, continuity, and progression across grade levels

• Collaborate with the Learning Skills program to understand and respond to students’ learning needs by differentiating instruction

• Inform advisors, mentors, and other relevant support staff of notable changes in student performance in a timely fashion

• Meet deadlines for submission of grades and comments

• Promote the general progress and well-being of students

• Attend weekly faculty meetings and participate actively in discussions in an ongoing exchange of information and support with a close-knit staff

• Attend faculty collaboration days and sessions, as well as opening and closing meetings

Responsibilities of all Darrow faculty:

• Residential duty one night per week and one weekend approximately every four weeks

• Serving as an advisor to up to 4 students

• Facilitating approximately 7 student activities per year (dependent on other assignments and responsibilities)

• Coaching - Ordinarily a faculty member coaches a sport or supervises a non-competitive activity in the afternoon two out of three seasons. Other assignments may include advising clubs, or other programs that enhance the educational experience of students.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential responsibilities of this position.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear

• The employee is required to sit, stand, walk, use hands to find, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms

• Must frequently lift and/or move objects up to 20 pounds safely and consistently; may need to lift and carry objects greater than 50 pounds

• Must be able to work in the heat and cold as well as environments with adverse conditions, including dirt, dust and pollen, odors, sun, wetness, humidity, rain, and noise

• The position requires extensive walking around campus and through buildings, climbing stairs, and driving

• Must be able to bend, reach, stoop, stand, and/or walk for extended periods of time

Benefits of this position include:

• On-campus housing, including utilities

• Generous paid time off

• Medical and dental insurance

• 403(b) retirement plan

• Health Savings Account for relevant health insurance plan options

• Health Reimbursement Account

• Basic Life and AD&D coverage

Required skills/qualifications:

• BFA required, MFA preferred (state certification not required)

• Classroom teaching experience in a setting requiring instructional practices to address a range of learning needs.

• Enjoys working with teenagers and serving as a role model for them

• Demonstrated ability to forge strong relationships with students and colleagues with a mindset of unconditional positive regard

• Creative problem solver who understands the creative process and is excited to help students cultivate relevant skills

• Adept with technology and a desire to grow skills with technology specific to learning differences

• An understanding of the developmental and emotional needs of students

• A desire to be part of a close, diverse, and vibrant boarding school community with roles that extend beyond the classroom, thereby strengthening relationships and student learning.

About Darrow School

The Darrow School, an independent, co-ed, boarding and day school for grades 9-12, offers a comprehensive and individually focused college-preparatory curriculum that features a unique combination of classroom instruction, experiential learning, and environmental consciousness. The School is located on 365 acres in the Town of New Lebanon, located on the New York State side of the Berkshires, and comprises 26 buildings, 16 of which are Shaker-built and designated as Registered National Historic Landmark buildings.

Why Work at Darrow?

There is something indefinable and remarkable about Darrow School. Perhaps it’s our historic Shaker Heritage or our location nestled between the Berkshire Mountains and the Hudson Valley. Or maybe it's our community of individuals where everyone feels welcome and celebrated. Darrow is a place that draws people together, connects them, and stays with them forever.

Darrow offers a generous benefits package that includes retirement; health, life, and disability insurance plans; and generous paid time off. Some positions are year-round; others offer an academic-year schedule. Given the residential responsibilities of a boarding school, housing is provided for numerous positions either in a dormitory or residences on campus.

There's so much to enjoy about living and working at Darrow, and the community offers something for everyone. Our faculty and staff have said that some of the reasons they love working at Darrow include meaningful work, feeling of inclusion and acceptance, and friendly and familiar faces on campus. Darrow is a small community with a big heart.

Living, Breathing History

With just over 100 students from around the world, Darrow offers faculty, staff, and students a dynamic boarding school experience. Founded in 1932 on a beautiful 365-acre Mountainside campus, we are the only boarding school community on a National Historic Landmark. Our campus was once home to the Mount Lebanon Shaker Society, renowned for its commitment to social and racial justice, community planning, architecture, and entrepreneurship.

Mission and Values

Darrow serves diverse backgrounds and abilities, building on individuals' talents and interests to deepen thinking with specialized programs, providing opportunities to explore the creative spaces where ideas intersect and solutions emerge. Our Active Curriculum, rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, is individually focused and combines innovative classroom instruction with project-based learning to educate future generations of global citizens who understand the wider world and their place in it.

Our Guiding Values

Growth

We prioritize growth over perfection, recognizing that each individual has their own gifts, challenges, and goals to build from. Our students are safe to fail creatively, which is essential for true learning. They routinely revise and reflect on their work on their way toward mastery.

Diversity

We believe that the opportunity to learn and grow in a small, diverse community during your formative years is irreplaceable. We actively cultivate and celebrate a student body that is diverse along many dimensions, including racial and ethnic diversity, diversity of gender identity, and neurodiversity.

Community

Like the Mohicans and Shakers who inhabited this place before us, we believe in the power of an intentional community built around shared work and shared values. Darrow is deliberately small, which means that each community member is valued and influential.

Compassion

We seek to treat each other with compassion, recognizing that we may only know a small part of someone else’s story.

Authenticity

We aspire to be a place where young people become comfortable in their own skins and empowered to understand and share their authentic selves.

Campus Life

There's always something exciting and thought-provoking happening at Darrow. Enjoying a lively campus culture, faculty and staff have opportunities to regularly attend and participate in a diverse array of year-round events, including Hands-to-Work, Winterm, Tuesday Night Community Programming, fitness classes, concerts, performances, talks, lectures, live theater, and art exhibitions. Additionally, there are countless opportunities for collaboration on several campus-wide projects and initiatives for those seeking to serve their community.

World-renowned Arts and Culture

Darrow is at the center of world-renowned arts and culture. Our location at the edge of the Berkshires is home to music and performing arts venues in the summer, dozens of museums, and various historic sites. Cultural festivals and concerts speak to the region's diversity, while art colonies and craft villages offer inside views of skilled