ESL Teacher - Gr. 6-8 (SY26-27)

Position: ESL Teacher - Gr. 6-8 Watertown Middle School (SY 2026-2027)

Position Type: Full-time

Department: ESL

Location: Watertown Middle School

Reports to: Principal and EL Director

Affiliation: WEA Unit A

Salary range: As determined by Unit A WEA Salary Schedule

General Description:

Watertown Public Schools is seeking an exceptional ESL Teacher to join our community of teachers, learners, and leaders. The ideal candidate will be passionate about language instruction and able to help students develop strong communication skills, critical thinking, and academic growth while supporting their emotional and social development. The ESL Teacher will identify Multilingual Learners (MLs), administer relevant assessments such as the WIDA ACCESS, WIDA Screener, and/or WIDA MODEL, and teach English Language Development (ELD) classes. Collaboration with content teachers and school staff is essential, with opportunities for co-teaching in subjects such as math, social studies, and science.

Responsibilities:

Working under the general supervision of the English Language Education (ELE) Director and the building administration, the successful candidate will plan and teach a self-contained English Language Development (ELD) class and co-teach with content teachers. They will work collaboratively with members of the department and the school to support student learning and growth. It is anticipated that the person may co-teach math, social studies, and/or science. Bilingual candidates are strongly preferred and encouraged to apply.

• Demonstrates mastery of related subject matter, instructional skills, and resource materials for the course(s) taught.

• Utilizes lesson plans and units of instruction, aligned with current state and district standards, which drive instruction through formative assessment and differentiation.

• Maintains a safe, organized classroom, which supports students' independent learning, collaboration, and choice.

• Utilizes a variety of effective instructional and management techniques.

• Provides a variety of assessments and uses assessments for planning and instruction

• Provides consistent, immediate feedback on student learning and asks analytical questions that elicit students' responses, incorporating prior knowledge, life experiences, and interests directly related to the content objective.

• Monitors and maintains a positive classroom environment that supports the school-wide behavior expectation in which most students are engaged, incorporates mutual respect, and provides cooperative learning opportunities.

• Uses available technology/instructional media to enhance the students' learning experiences.

• Establishes and maintains appropriate relationships with students, parents, staff, and community members by communicating in a tactful, courteous, and confidential manner.

• Appropriately communicates and interacts with other professional staff in academic planning and school committee work.

• Attends and participates in staff meetings, and school-related activities and committees.

• Demonstrates a commitment to continuous professional growth and works with the administrator to formulate and complete professional growth plans

Core Competencies: Using the Massachusetts Model System for Educators Rubric, priority skills and abilities that all Watertown Public School teachers should possess:

Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment

(Subject Matter Knowledge, Well-Structured Lessons, Curriculum and Planning Indicator, Child and Adolescent Development)

• Demonstrates mastery of and enthusiasm for the content area and the pedagogy it requires
• Can convey a grasp of child development and how students learn
• Designs effective and rigorous standards-based units of instruction consisting of well-structured lessons with measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrates mastery of related subject matter, instructional skills, and resource materials for the course(s) taught.
• Utilizes lesson plans and units of instruction, aligned with current state and district standards, which drive instruction through formative assessment and differentiation.
• Utilizes a variety of effective instructional and management techniques.
• Provides a variety of assessments and uses assessments for planning and instruction
• Provides consistent, immediate feedback on student learning and asks analytical questions that elicit students' responses, incorporating prior knowledge, life experiences, and interests directly related to the content objective.

Teaching All Students

(Meeting Diverse Needs, Student Engagement, Safe Learning Environment)

• Uses instructional practices that are likely to challenge, motivate, and engage all students and facilitate equitable, active student participation
• Builds a productive learning environment where every student participates and is valued as part of the class community
• Cultural Proficiency
• Actively creates and maintains an environment in which students' diverse backgrounds, identities, strengths, and challenges are respected
• Monitors and maintains a positive classroom environment that supports the school-wide behavior expectation in which most students are engaged, incorporates mutual respect, and provides cooperative learning opportunities.
• Uses available technology/instructional media to enhance the students' learning experiences.
• Maintains a safe, organized classroom, which supports students' independent learning, collaboration, and choice.

Family and Community Engagement

(Parent/Family Engagement)

• Engages with families and builds collaborative, respectful relationships with them in the service of student learning
• Professional Reflection & Collaboration
• Establishes and maintains appropriate relationships with students, parents, staff, and community members by communicating in a tactful, courteous, and confidential manner.
• Appropriately communicates and interacts with other professional staff in academic planning and school committee work.
• Attends and participates in staff meetings, school-related activities, and committees.

Professional Culture

(Reflective Practice, Professional Collaboration)

• Regularly reflects on practice, seeks and responds to feedback, and demonstrates self-awareness and commitment to continuous learning and development
• Seeks to participate in and contribute to a collaborative adult learning community.
• Demonstrates a commitment to continuous professional growth and works with the administrator to formulate and complete professional growth plans.

Qualifications Required:

• Education: Hold a Bachelor's degree.
• License Requirements: Hold a valid Massachusetts Educator License as a 5-12 ESL teacher AND SEI endorsement.
• Meet all state and federal guidelines in order to be fully licensed and Highly Qualified.
• Ability to meet the Standards of Effective Teaching established by the Massachusetts Model System for Educators as outlined above.
• Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment.

Preferred:

• The preferred candidate will be prepared to teach ESL and either have majored in ESL or have completed a significant amount of ESL coursework to ensure their ELD services effectively meet the needs of the MLs. They should be engaging and provide rigorous grade-level instruction for language development and access to grade-level content.
• Master's Degree in a related field preferred
• Bilingual in Portuguese or Spanish. Arabic, Turkish, Pashto, and Russian are also sought after.
• In order to best serve all students, we prefer all core content teachers to be certified in their subject area and one or both of the following: Moderate Disabilities, English as a Second Language (at the appropriate grade level(s).

Equal Opportunity Employer

Watertown Public Schools is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.