Middle School Social Studies Teacher

As a Middle School Social Studies Teacher at Excel Academy, your primary role involves delivering engaging and high-quality instruction tailored to the needs of our diverse student population. You will create lesson plans, engage students in meaningful discussions about history and social issues, and design assessments that measure student understanding and mastery of the curriculum.

Interested candidates should possess at least a bachelor’s degree, although a master’s degree is preferred. A strong commitment to educational equity, experience in a classroom setting, and the capacity to engage with diverse student backgrounds are also essential qualifications for the Middle School Social Studies Teacher role at Excel Academy.

Excel Academy actively fosters a culture of growth and continuous improvement. As a Middle School Social Studies Teacher, you can expect frequent feedback and opportunities for collaboration with colleagues, helping you refine your teaching practices and grow in your educational journey.

Excel Academy’s mission focuses on providing high-quality education to historically underserved communities. As a Middle School Social Studies Teacher, your role will deeply align with this mission, allowing you to not only teach essential content but also engage students in discussions around equity, identity, and social justice.

At Excel Academy, the classroom environment is designed to be safe, inclusive, and conducive to learning. Middle School Social Studies Teachers foster critical thinking and respect for diverse perspectives, creating an atmosphere where students feel valued and empowered to express their thoughts and ideas.

Absolutely! Commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral to Excel Academy’s ethos. As a Middle School Social Studies Teacher, you will be expected to demonstrate a strong understanding of these principles, reflecting on how identity impacts education and actively engaging with the communities of your students.

Yes! Excel Academy values diversity, including linguistic diversity. Bilingual candidates, especially those who speak Spanish, Haitian Creole, Khmer, and Vietnamese, are encouraged to apply for the Middle School Social Studies Teacher position, as this aligns with our mission to support our multilingual students.

When asked about lesson planning, highlight your ability to incorporate multimedia resources, interactive activities, and current events to make the curriculum relevant. Discuss how you consider different learning styles and create differentiated instruction that keeps all students engaged.

Emphasize your classroom management techniques that promote inclusion and respect, such as setting clear expectations, fostering open communication, and building a supportive community. Share examples of how you've successfully managed diverse needs and backgrounds in past settings.

In your response, outline a variety of assessment methods you use, including formative assessments like quizzes or reflective journals, and summative assessments such as projects or presentations. Stress the importance of using assessment data to shape future instruction.

Discuss the importance of connecting historical events to modern-day issues, helping students see the relevance of social studies. Illustrate how you incorporate discussions around history’s impact on current social dynamics to engage students in critical thinking.

Provide a specific scenario where you've received constructive feedback from peers or supervisors and how you utilized that information to enhance your teaching methods. This shows your commitment to growth and adaptability, vital traits for a teacher.

Highlight strategies you use to integrate social-emotional learning, such as building strong relationships with students, encouraging empathy through group discussions, and incorporating reflective practices into your curriculum that allow students to connect personally with social issues.

Discuss your approach to teaching civic responsibility by incorporating service-learning projects, encouraging community engagement, and fostering critical discussions about government and societal roles, encouraging students to become active participants in their communities.

Talk about the importance of building relationships with families and community members. Share practices you’ve adopted to involve parents in the educational process and how you leverage community resources to enrich your students’ learning experiences.

Explain how you create a safe environment for discussing controversial topics by establishing ground rules for respectful discourse, encouraging diverse viewpoints, and facilitating discussions that help students develop critical thinking skills without fostering divisiveness.

Share a detailed description of a project you've designed that successfully engaged students and fostered their understanding of social studies concepts. Include how you evaluated its success and what impact it had on student learning.