Full Time Special Education Teacher
- $ Sign on BONUS
- Amazing opportunity to work in a one-of-a-kind school utilizing developmental language model and DIR® Floortime principles versus behavioral methods.
- Teacher Retention Bonus Program.
- Curriculum and lesson planning collaboration and support from SEA Curriculum Team.
- Salaried position, working hours to fulfill the duties, with typical onsite hours 8:00-3:00 Monday to Friday in relationship-based, trauma informed, therapeutic day school.(On site hours may vary depending on necessary prep and paperwork both before and after school).
- Work 46 weeks of year with 6 weeks non-student attendance paid vacation breaks.
- Competitive Salary commensurate with experience with range of $50,000-$85,000 yearly.
- 12 PTO days.
- Cigna medical, dental and vision insurance.
- Short-term/long-term disability and a life insurance.
- 403B retirement plan.
- Employee Assistance Program.
- Reflective processing to support you in your work.
- Supervision/mentoring by a DIR® Trainer with extensive experience in autism, curriculum development/implementation, developmental language model and DIR® developmental thinking to support your teaching, lesson plan development and goal writing. Curriculum and lesson planning collaboration and support from SEA Curriculum Team.
Make a difference in the life of a child with Autism!
LBS1 Special Education License or endorsement for K-12 required.
Seeking a candidate with experience teaching students with ASD of varied ages and developmental levels in an early learning/elementary environment where developmental thinking/approach was utilized and an interactive style that is playful, affectual and engaging.
$ Sign on BONUS !!
Soaring Eagle Academy, a not for profit, ISBE approved therapeutic day school in Lombard, IL serving students ages 5 through 22 years old, faced with the challenges of Autism, is seeking a full time SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER ($Sign on BONUS), to join our growing staff and student body.
The Academy was founded by three Speech Language Pathologists, with an accumulation of over 80 years experience serving children and families with Autism and other related disorders, and a passion to showcase the amazing capacities of students with Autism to interact, communicate, think and learn. SEA is the only school in the world to utilize a Developmental Language approach implementing principles of the DIR® Floor Time model, to understanding and supporting students' social, emotional and academic development. This is a unique opportunity to do cutting edge work with dedicated support staff including SLP, OT, SW, fellow teachers and 1:1 teacher assistants assigned to each student, who understand and support developmental language, sensory processing strategies, emotional development, and how they impact children with autism. SEA is a specialized therapeutic day school serving children and young adults with Autism and complex emotional and behavioral challenges, that may result in students becoming verbally and/or physically aggressive (in some cases without warning), within a fast paced, student and family-centered, highly relational and collaborative environment. We believe that the "behaviors" others see as impacting education for these students are a result of their lack of comprehension, inability to communicate, challenges in processing sensory information from their environment and staying regulated around a broad range of emotions.
We are a trauma-informed school utilizing proactive strategies to interpret the actions and behaviors of students as communication in response to stress, instead of using behavioral methods of time out, consequences and rewards and will only use physical intervention of restraint/carry/holds in times of imminent danger of serious physical harm to student or others and when other less restrictive and intrusive interventions have failed, and only implemented by trained crisis responders/crisis team members. With our appropriate interpretation of their intentions, appropriate language-based strategies, emotional and sensory supports, and an individualized, multi-sensory, engaging and meaningful curriculum, our students are soaring. Join our team! Our Teachers have a central role in the support of our students. For more information, please visit our website at www.soaringeagleacademy.org
QUALIFICATIONS:
· Must have LBS1 Special Education License or endorsement for K-12
· Experience in an early learning/elementary environment where developmental thinking/approach was utilized.
· Knowledge and expertise in child development.
· Knowledge and experience leading teacher assistants, working within a collaborative team and supporting students’ family.
· Interactive style that is naturally playful, affectual and engaging.
· Experience with children with special needs and/or Autism Spectrum Disorders.
· Willingness to gain knowledge and participate in direct coaching/training in Developmental Language Models and DIR® methodology.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Ability to create, implement and adapt developmentally based curriculum for students of varied ages, learning styles and developmental levels.
- Conduct the classroom according to DIR® and developmental language model methodology practices.
- Ability to move flexibly between students of varied developmental capacities.
- Ability to manage a classroom and multiple teacher assistants, and collaborate within a multidisciplinary model.
- Effectively communicate with and support parents/caregivers.
- Ability to modulate and demonstrate affect appropriate to the situation to facilitate learning.
- Ability to support students in personal care including toileting, feeding/eating, etc.
- Ability to wear a facemask when required in the school building.
- Ability to kneel, sit (on a chair or the floor) and stand moving easily and quickly from kneel to stand, sit to stand and stand to walk positions.
- Ability to walk up to a mile in distance.
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds easily with no assistance from others.
- Ability to engage in and support physical activities initiated by students including but not limited to, jumping, running, climbing, rolling, sitting/lying on the floor, swinging.
- Ability to act and respond to a student’s dysregulation/behavior/combative and aggressive actions according to the strategies developed in the student’s Individualized Regulatory Support Plan, Safety Plan and SEA non-violent crisis intervention policy and procedures.
- Ability to quickly move away from and avoid combative/aggressive actions or behaviors of students.
- Ability to physically follow in close proximity and support students when he/she flees (runs) from an activity, an interaction or the learning environment.
- Ability to physically support students on indoor/outdoor therapeutic equipment.
- Acknowledge and reflect on student’s feelings and behavior in a caring and respectful manner.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Immediate (Students are in attendance for 221 school days, 187 regular days and 34 summer session days). Work a salaried regular full-time position with typical hours Monday through Friday 8:00 to 3:00pm. While the work schedule is typically 8:00 to 3:00pm, as a salaried employee, you will be expected to report to work sufficiently in advance of the start of the school day and to remain after the end of the school day, so that student needs may be met and preparations for the next day can be made. Therefore, expected on site hours may vary depending on necessary prep and paperwork both before and after school.Work a total of 44.8 weeks per year since there are 6 weeks of non-student attendance and holidays. Full-time staff employed 52 weeks of the year with 6 paid weeks off for non-student attendance.
BENEFITS: Eligible for medical and ancillary benefits for this full-time position. Benefits can include Cigna medical, with SEA contributing a portion of the total cost, employee funded dental and vision insurance benefits. Short-term, long-term disability insurance and a life insurance benefit are offered at no cost. 12 paid sick and personal days to be utilized by employee. Receive $250 reimbursement annually for continuing education. Supervision and mentoring provided by DIR® Expert Clinician/SLP/SEA Co-Founder that leads the Teachers and Curriculum Team, with extensive experience in autism, developmental language thinking, curriculum development and is a Trainer in the DIR® Floortime model as well as reflective processing offered. Eligible for Teacher Retention Bonus Program. Participation in our 403B retirement plan. Work in an environment with state-of-the art materials and equipment.
SALARY: Competitive salary aligned with work hours/weeks and commensurate with experience and qualifications. $ Sign on BONUS details given upon hire.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $50,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 403(b)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Referral program
- Vision insurance
License/Certification:
- LBS1 or Endorsement Special Education K-12 (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- Lombard, IL 60148 (Required)
Work Location: In person
