Job Description
The Wheeler School, a co-ed, N-12 independent day school with city and farm campuses serving approximately 800 students in the Greater Providence and Greater Boston areas, is seeking an enthusiastic and innovative Primary Grades Librarian to work with Lower School students, faculty and families on our Providence campus.
Lower School consists of the Nest (nursery and prekindergarten), Wheeler Lower School (kindergarten through fifth Grade) and Hamilton Lower School (first through fifth grade). The Primary Grades Librarian works in partnership with the Head Lower School Librarian to develop and maintain a student-centered inquiry based library program. The successful candidate for this position will have a demonstrated knowledge of children’s literature. The Primary Grades Librarian is responsible for working collaboratively to develop a K-2 library program that supports the curriculum; provides instructional leadership for the teaching of information literacy skills; and develops and maintains an inclusive and diverse library collection rich in both print and non-print materials.
Ideal candidates for faculty and staff positions at Wheeler are people with a sense of humor, warmth, and humility. They are excellent communicators, with empathy for others and an ability to listen and respond with good intuition and with the help of colleagues. They are ambitious and hard-working, committed to supporting students by offering help and creating new opportunities. When developing curriculum and programming, our faculty and staff members are curious, striving each year to stretch and grow, to implement new ideas that improve the Wheeler experience. In the end, they love to spend their days with young people and enjoy all that the Wheeler community - creative, energetic, dynamic, and diverse - has to offer.
Responsibilities:
- Teach Lower School library classes (Grades K-2)
- Collaborate with Nest faculty to support literature choices within the Nursery and Prekindergarten classrooms
- Collaborate with K-2 teachers to support emergent literacy initiatives; develop age-appropriate project based learning opportunities using the inquiry model; and implement information literacy instruction.
- Support and nurture the love of reading across genres
- Create a joyful, vibrant, and inclusive space that celebrates learning, reading, authentic inquiry, and collaboration
- Create an environment in which student engagement and creative problem-solving thrive
- Demonstrate the ability to differentiate and scaffold instruction to reach a wide range of learners
- Partner with faculty and the Head Lower School Librarian for special nursery through fifth grade community events such as author visits, Battle of the Books and Rooster Games
- Support and participate in a professional learning community
- Work in partnership with other divisional librarians on school-wide library responsibilities
- Curate a diverse and inclusive lower school library collection and support faculty in curating classroom libraries.
- Maintain lower school library collection in collaboration with the Head Lower School Librarian, including circulation, collection development, inventory, and evaluation
- Support community access to digital resources, including subscription databases, e-books, and audiobooks, both on and off campus
- Assume other duties as assigned
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in related field required. Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) preferred. Consideration will be given to candidates in a degree program with school library or children’s library service concentration.
- Minimum 1-2 years of teaching experience
- Flexibility and curiosity as well as a love of children, and an extensive knowledge of children’s literatureExperience in evaluating and selecting print and digital resources
- An understanding of the scope and the sequence of library and information literacy curriculum
- Strong knowledge of content area, teaching methods, learning styles and educational research related to lower school learners and readersExcellent communication skills, including the ability to proactively collaborate with librarians, faculty, students and parents
Technology and Software Knowledge:
Follett Destiny Library Manager, Google Workspace for Education, LibGuides, academic databases, social networking, Chromebook usage, and creating digital content.
Benefits & Additional Compensation Info
Full time. Salaried.
Additional Info & Requirements
Statement on Diversity and Cultural Competency At Wheeler:
We actively seek students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds in the belief that a broad range of experiences and viewpoints enhance learning, enriches life on campus, and better prepares us all for full participation in a pluralistic, democratic society. We seek to further the overall diversity and cultural competency within our community through hiring. The Wheeler School is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or disability, and any other category protected by federal, state or local law.
The Community
About The Wheeler School:
Founded in 1889 by visionary artist and educator Mary C. Wheeler, The Wheeler School is an N-12 independent day school of approximately 800 students from throughout Greater Providence and Greater Boston. Wheeler’s mission, “to learn our powers and be answerable for their use,” is incorporated into our classrooms, athletic fields, art studios, and STEAM labs, as students are encouraged to think deeply and explore the world on and beyond our two campuses in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island and our 120-acre farm in Seekonk, Massachusetts.
Across Wheeler’s campuses and grades, dedicated faculty and staff identify students’ learning path and passions, challenging and supporting them in pursuit of academic excellence, artistic expression, and personal growth. Our graduates are prepared for college and life as creative, ethical, and engaged global citizens. Wheeler is also home to The Hamilton School, where skilled faculty meet students’ learning differences with the individualized instruction that leads to success.
HR Info
Position begins August 2023. Please send a resume and cover letter to Brooke Strachan, Library Department Head, at brookestrachan@wheelerschool.org, Dr. Felicia Vinces, Head of Lower School feliciavinces@wheeelerschool.org and cc careers@wheelerschool.org. List the position title in the subject heading. Applications will be accepted until June 2.