PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER - JS

Shady Side Academy Junior School is seeking a full-time Physical Education (PE) teacher for the 2025-26 School year. The PE teacher would work alongside another teacher to serve students in grades Pre-K to Fifth Grades. Shady Side’s teachers cultivate academic skill development and support students’ social-emotional growth. This applicant will work collaboratively with another PE teacher to create and deliver child-focused and developmentally appropriate lessons. 

Primary Responsibilities 

• Keeps students at the center of their decision making and instructional practice.
• Collaborates with colleagues and supports endeavors that benefit the larger community.
• Cultivates positive partnerships with parents through consistent and transparent communication about their child’s progress.
• Utilizes the responsive classroom approach and desires to cultivate an emotionally safe educational environment for their students.
• Teach and/or co-teach Grades PK-5 Physical Education Classes
• Will lead field day, walk and talk, field trips and other educational experiences that help to integrate and reinforce the importance of movement throughout the school day. 
• Utilizes instructional strategies that are engaging, research supported, and meet students’ individual needs.
• Will utilize the outdoors year-round and will create outdoor specific units that will integrate nature to further enhance students’ educational experience.
• Successfully implements formative and summative assessments to inform instructional decisions and to monitor student progress.
• Performs extra duties such as recess, lunch and arrival/dismissal duties as needed.
• Attends events such as assemblies, field trips, and other community events.
• Can care for the safety of the students by participating in fire, evacuation, and other safety drills. 
• Attends all faculty meetings, in-service days, and teacher team meetings.
• Will write report cards once a term and will meet, email or call families as needed to communicate student progress.
• Completing other responsibilities as deemed necessary by the Head of School  and/or Assistant Heads of The Junior School 

A successful candidate will have:

• A depth of knowledge and understanding of children
• Experience working with children in a physical education and/or recreation context
• Experience in outdoor education that takes place in natural settings, engaging students in activities that foster a deeper understanding and connection to the natural world
• Knowledge and expertise needed to enhance a child’s physical fitness 
• Ability to teach a wide variety of motor skills, lifetime sport skills, and team sport skills 
• An understanding of the priority of making physical education an enjoyable and satisfying experience for every child and a commitment to help them to find activities and/or sports that they will want to continue playing.   
• Good organization skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Sensitivity to diverse communities of learners and an appreciation of developmental differences