FLSA Status: Exempt
Reports to: Middle School Division Director
Salary Range: $50,000-$97,000 annually
Anticipated start date: August 2026
Location: All positions are in person
Breck Overview
Breck School is a preschool through twelve, coeducational college preparatory, Episcopal day school located in Golden Valley, Minnesota, with a national reputation for excellence and achievement in academics, athletics, and the arts. Our School’s Episcopal roots are lived through an unwavering commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging where we respect the dignity of every human being. We prioritize lifelong learning and a commitment to the greater good.
We are a community of highly engaged and motivated students, faculty, staff, and school leaders focused on building trusting relationships and strong academic scholarship through a practice of bridging research to practice. Upon graduation, Breck students are prepared for a life of intellectual curiosity, self-knowledge, and social responsibility, matriculating to colleges and universities throughout the world.
Position Overview
Eighth grade English teachers collaboratively craft and implement a challenging curriculum to prepare students for the transition to ninth grade and Upper School scholarly expectations. Through a lens of exploring the individual in society as represented in literature, Eighth grade English teachers also hold a deep understanding of and delight in eighth grade whole-child development. Our eighth grade curriculum emphasizes literary analysis, writing for impact, and critical thinking to approach and add to complex conversations. Touchstone student experiences of the year include the Eighth Grade Speech and the Eighth Grade Capstone Project.
Middle School English teachers collaboratively organize, implement, and provide a Literature and Language Arts program where students have the opportunity to fulfill their potential for intellectual, emotional, physical, spiritual, and psychological growth. Breck English faculty joyfully and skillfully emphasize Personal Voice, Literary Analysis, Compassionate Discussion, Writerly Craft, and Scholarly Integrity. Middle School English faculty engage especially with their counterparts at grade-level, in teams that know and support the whole student.
As a result of Breck’s English curriculum, students…
Speak with clarity, confidence, and compassion.
Read a variety of texts closely and critically with an appreciation for the power of language, growing in their understanding of themselves, others, and the world.
Write clearly, with evidence and authentic voice, for a variety of purposes: to develop ideas, to entertain, to inform, to persuade.
Develop empathy by connecting to themselves and others through perspective-taking, listening, risk-taking, collaboration, and respectful dialogue.
Recognize the power of words, on the page and in media, to illuminate perspectives, reveal or obscure truth, convey culture, understand society, and incite social responsibility.
Embrace the struggle to understand a complex world and their own complex minds and maintain personal integrity.
Discuss texts and ideas in a manner that values plurality of experience and perspective as well as mutual enlightenment.
Responsibilities
Planning and Instruction
Demonstrates knowledge of and proficiency with English Literature and Language Arts instruction
Designs and implements effective instruction to engage student learning
Plans and delivers instruction for a variety of learners
Develops lessons that consider multiple perspectives
Motivates students to engage in the learning process
Understands and uses research-to-practice tested assessment approaches to promote student learning
Classroom Environment
Creates an inviting environment that promotes respect, rapport, and learning
Establishes effective relationships with students
Communicates clear and consistent expectations for learning, behavior, development, and achievement
Observes and collaborates with students towards developmentally and contextually appropriate school behavior
Communication
Communicates effectively with families, students, and colleagues
Communicates student progress in a clear, timely, and thorough manner
Demonstrates effective written and oral communication skills
Professional Responsibility
Supports the mission and values of the school
Supports the programs and priorities of the department, division, and school
Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with faculty, students, and parents
Maintains confidentiality
Demonstrates professional behavior
Seeks and develops opportunities for professional growth
Attends and participates in required meetings, school events, and committee work
Performs duties as required/requested
Education and/or Experience
Bachelor’s Degree
Minimum 3 years English/Language Arts teaching experience in a Middle and/or High School setting
Experience with pedagogically grounded technology use in teaching and learning
High level professionalism, organization, communication, delegation, and interpersonal skills