Founding Teacher Leader

Summary

Description

About Wildflower Schools

The mission of Wildflower Montessori Public Schools of Colorado (WMPSC) is to provide families with child-centered, authentic Montessori education that bridges academic outcomes and social-emotional development through intimate learning communities deeply rooted in place, equity, and belonging. Founded in 2014, Wildflower Schools has launched over 70 Montessori schools in the US and Puerto Rico, and WMPSC has launched four sites in Colorado to date.

We are committed to the liberation of every human being, every community, and the human spirit, so that we may all live in harmony with our individual purpose and the world around us, free from oppression and able to follow life’s unfolding journey.

Wildflower offers startup support, proven strategies, and a community of like-minded peers to educators that are passionate about bringing the Montessori model to more families.

For more information about our organization and ways of working, please visit www.wfcopublicschools.org.

About The Role 

As a Founding Teacher Leader at Wildflower Montessori Public Schools of Colorado (WMPSC), you will design, lead, and teach at a new primary/lower elementary charter school site in the Grand Valley (Mesa County School District 51) or Aurora (Aurora Public Schools District), in partnership with other Teacher Leaders and in collaboration with the Shared Services Partner and other charter-wide support roles. Your site will be one of multiple interdependent micro-sites under an existing charter contract in Grand Valley or Aurora, and will be part of a larger statewide charter network. WMPSC Teacher Leaders report to the Board of Directors. Each site will launch with two co-teachers that collectively design and oversee their Montessori school with support from the broader Wildflower Schools network.

Over the course of the Wildflower School Startup Journey, candidates will engage in four phases: Discovery, Visioning, Planning, and Startup, that will ultimately prepare them to design, launch, and teach at a new WMPSC microsite in the Grand Valley or Aurora. The timeline and responsibilities will include:

(1-2 months) Discovery:

• Get to know Wildflower through conversation with Wildflower Partners and community members.

• Complete self-reflection activity in order to explore interest and alignment with Wildflower.

(1-3 months) Visioning:

• Develop authentic, enduring relationships with community members to inform ongoing site design and evolution, and to deepen your conviction to serve. 

• Complete a Visioning Album to begin the design of a school with input from the community.

• Identify a Teacher Leader partner to co-found, co-lead, and co-teach alongside (with the support of the Wildflower network).

(4-9 months) Planning:

• Co-create the school design with and for families and children and cultivate a committed community of students, families, and stakeholders rooted in partnership. 

• Collaborate to design a physical space for a new WMPSC microsite – including leasing and renovating a community embedded site. 

• Build a balanced site budget and implement sound financial practices to ensure accountability and fiscal health

• Affiliate your microsite with the WMPSC Network and become an employee of the charter entity. 

(1-2 months) Startup:

• Prepare a Montessori learning environment in alignment with your vision, the community’s needs, the WMPSC Grand Valley charter contract, and the regulations set forth by CSI and Colorado Department of Education.

• Align operational practices with charter policies and plans and school site-based practices that center the child and their sense of belonging.

• Enroll students and families in the school program

• Co-host community engagement activities

• Hire site-based staff such as assistants and paraprofessionals

• Launch and co-lead a WMPSC microsite that:

  • Supports all learners, especially students with special needs by employing inclusive teaching practices, including healing-centered instruction, that meet the needs of every child.

  • Maintains compliance with the school’s charter and accountability expectations.

  • Supports caregivers of students to adopt aligned practices at home as desired to create a seamless learning environment. 

  • Operates with sound human resource and legal practices. 

  • Meets all licensing and paperwork requirements depending on the school’s grade bands.

Launching and Co-Leading Your Site:

• Co-lead and co-teach a mixed age group Montessori classroom.

• Attend authorizer and state compliance trainings to ensure the school stays in charter compliance.

• Attend charter-wide professional learning events.

• Collaborate with the Special Education Teacher, Shared Services Partner, Student Services Coordinator and contracted service providers to best anticipate and serve all students’ needs. 

• Ensure accurate and complete records, collaborating with the Shared Services Partner and CSI to always stay in compliance with regulations. 

• Maintain a healthy, well-functioning facility that meets the needs of students and licensing requirements.

Throughout the entire journey candidates will:

• Lead with cultural humility and actively work to disrupt oppressive systems and practices. 

• Utilize leadership and administrative skills to operate and communicate with transparency to all stakeholders, including WMPSC Board of Directors.

• Operate with sound decision-making principles, taking ownership over all site-based decisions made to service the site.

• Embody the vision that you’ve co-created by collaborating with your co-Teacher Leader to facilitate a safe and inclusive learning environment grounded in your community.

Minimum Qualifications 

• Completion of an AMI, AMS or other MACTE accredited primary or elementary Montessori training program

  • Training scholarships are available for emerging Teacher Leaders who are not already Montessori trained.

• Bachelor's degree required 

• Colorado licensure encouraged but not required 

Preferred Attitudes, Knowledge, and Skills 

• Deep commitment to authentic Montessori – You are an experienced educator who loves the classroom and brings a teaching philosophy deeply rooted in child-led approaches, social emotional learning, fostering independence, and intentionally teaching kindness and courtesy

• Strong equity lens – You bring a deep understanding of equity issues in education and are eager to increase access to Montessori to racially and socioeconomically diverse communities. You understand the role race, along with ethnicity, gender/gender identity and sexual orientation, play in contributing to persistent inequity. You have engaged in culturally responsive and anti-racist practices with the students and families you serve and reflect on how your own identities and life experiences impact your practice as an educator.

• Entrepreneurial leadership – You are flexible, open-minded, see opportunity in obstacles, and are energized by using creativity and resourcefulness to anticipate challenges and create solutions to problems. 

• Growth mindset and a love of learning – You are comfortable with a culture of direct feedback and eager to develop new skills and expertise. You enjoy challenging yourself and exploring your purpose and potential more deeply.

• Generosity of spirit – You build authentic relationships in diverse settings, practice gratitude, and lead with love. You seek advice openly and are comfortable working in a non-hierarchical organization. 

• Strong sense of accountability – You thrive in high-autonomy, high-accountability contexts and feel a deep sense of responsibility to the kids, families, colleagues and broader community of your school. You are comfortable being in a decision-making leadership role and accepting ownership of the tradeoffs, implications, and results of your actions.

• Willingness to work hard – You have the aptitude, stamina, time, and appetite to raise yourself to the challenge of starting and leading your own school. You will not be alone, but you will be busy. 

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation begins during the startup phase (about three months prior to school launch). Co-founders determine a budget and salaries for the first year, typically in the $60,000- $70,000 range. In subsequent years, salaries typically grow with enrollment growth. Wildflower Schools offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes full health and dental coverage, PERA retirement benefits, and unlimited PTO.

To Learn More

Please fill out this interest form to learn more about us and explore a fit. Once you submit, Rachel Kelley-Cohn, Colorado Partner, will reach out to you with next steps. We look forward to hearing from you!

Wildflower Montessori Public Schools of Colorado celebrates diversity and does not discriminate, on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, sex or gender, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, status with regard to public assistance, or in any other way based on personal identity markers that do not relate to the capacity of an individual person to carry out the responsibilities of a role.