School Background
Hudson Lab School is a new K-12 school opening in Fall 2017 for ages 4.5 – 8. Learning at Hudson Lab
is rooted in project-based learning. We strive to integrate the rigorous academics of a classical liberal
arts education with collaborative, interdisciplinary project-based learning and thoughtful self-reflection.
Hudson Lab School‘s mission is to instill a love of learning and to teach children how to design and
build a life in which they can thrive. We are expecting a total enrollment of 15 students in our first year
and will open in Hastings-on-Hudson, which is located 40 minutes north of New York City.
STEAM Teacher Job Description
The STEAM teacher will work with all students in Kindergarten through third grade in a single, mixed
age classroom. With a co-teacher, the STEAM teacher will create interdisciplinary projects that create
opportunities for real-world engineering, reading, writing, and math applications. Elementary teachers
work to create lifelong learners, philosophers, creators, and revolutionaries. In addition, the STEAM
teacher creates learning experiences that support kids in not just being consumers of technology, but
creators and innovators.
The duties of the STEAM Teacher are many, yet center around a single concern: the creation and
maintenance of a rich, varied, and engaging program which empowers students. Teachers are unique,
as are the students they teach. There is no one formula that defines an excellent teacher. The following
duties and responsibilities serve as guidelines, which communicate the priorities of the Hudson Lab
program, rather than as an exhaustive list. Specific jobs may be included or re-assigned as dictated by
circumstances. The general goal, however, is for the teacher to do whatever it takes to create an
excellent and engaging program, supported by a positive and collaborative community of students and
adults.
Hudson Lab School is a new school. While it is our hope that it will always be dynamic, given our
educational philosophy, our current situation requires individual teachers who take great initiative and
are self-starters. This situation is challenging. This is not an 8-2 job. It is not for everyone. On the other
hand, for the right person, working at Hudson Lab School provides great opportunity for creativity,
personal initiative, and being a founding team member.
With “STEAM Teacher” in the subject line, please email your CV and a personal statement of
educational philosophy and why you’d like to be part of the founding team at Hudson Lab School to
Cate Han at hello@hudsonlabschool.com.
HUDSON LAB SCHOOL
STEAM Teacher
185 Old Broadway, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY ★ hello@hudsonlabschool.com 2
Duties & Responsibilities
A Hudson Lab School STEAM Teacher will work as part of the founding team to…
• Define and structure the school
• Market the school and recruit families
• Create and/or implement emergent and academically rigorous curriculum and project-based
learning activities for a mixed age classroom
• Curate individual learning activities for personalized learning time based on each student’s abilities,
needs, and learning style
• Determine students’ academic and social emotional learning objectives and ensure that they’re met
• Communicate learning targets and outcomes to colleagues, parents, and students on a regular
basis
• Fulfill hands-on teaching
• Build and maintain positive, inclusive and transparent relationships with parents
• Support students in their whole-child, personalized learning experience throughout the year
General Philosophy
A Hudson Lab School STEAM Teacher…
• Is familiar with design thinking
• Is familiar with and advocates the progressive tradition in education, which defines the child as the
protagonist in his/her own learning, with teachers who serve as organizers, guides and sources of
inspiration.
• Is committed to teaching the whole child – intellectual, social/emotional, and physical – and to
creating a balanced program, which develops balanced modalities in children.
• Understands the importance of balancing creative and critical thinking, and of encouraging
persistence and intellectual rigor.
• Is well versed in and honors child development as a major factor in creating appropriate teaching
approaches for an individual child.
• Is familiar with and/or committed to exploring Project-Based, Montessori and Reggio-Emilia
inspired approaches to education.
• Is familiar with and supports a holistic view of education, in which core subjects are integrated with
each other and with the arts through inquiry, creative work, and real-world applications and/or
service projects.
• Celebrates a diverse community, culturally, racially, economically, and in terms of styles and
abilities.
• Embraces an exploratory approach to preparing students for the twenty-first century. This challenge
includes a constant redefinition of community, of possibilities for work and play, and of increased
but critically evaluated uses of technology/media.
HUDSON LAB SCHOOL
STEAM Teacher
185 Old Broadway, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY ★ hello@hudsonlabschool.com 3
Methodology & Assessment
A Hudson Lab School STEAM Teacher…
• Relishes creating original curricula for and with students, and collaborating with others about
curriculum development, testing, and assessment. Can develop thematic units, which integrate
many subjects meaningfully.
• Relishes inquiry about how students learn, and embraces teaching for understanding rather than
rote learning.
• Participates enthusiastically in encouraging and documenting children’s inquiry, and in sharing
results with peers, colleagues, and parents.
• Is familiar with and committed to child-centered approaches to teaching language arts and math,
which flex to meet individual children’s needs.
• Is familiar with strategies for differentiating curricula to meet the needs of students with different
abilities and at different developmental stages.
• Is familiar with and open to collaborating with others about how to work effectively with various
populations, including gifted and talented students and students who have special needs and/or
learning disabilities.
• Embraces the notion of multiple assessments and works to provide in depth and accurate
assessments of student learning which can be shared with parents and professional peers.
• Documents student progress in multiple ways, including observation, photography/video, and
documentation done by students themselves.
• Supports arts education, as well as gardening, yoga, and other enriching activities. Varies activities
to create interest.
• Encourages health, good nutrition, and mindfulness.
• Is familiar with positive discipline techniques, and is willing to embrace the character and
community building programs adopted at Hudson Lab School.
• Is informed about and promotes appropriate applications of technology as part of the educational
program, while also modeling a critical and reflective stance toward technology.
• Attempts to empower students in any way possible, by turning over tasks to students as they gain
the maturity to manage them. At the same time, provides appropriate levels of structure to match
students’ maturity level so that students are successful.
HUDSON LAB SCHOOL
STEAM Teacher
185 Old Broadway, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY ★ hello@hudsonlabschool.com 4
Qualifications
There is no one formula that defines an excellent teacher for Hudson Lab School. Some of the
qualifications we seek include (but are not limited to):
• A masters degree (MA/MS) related to subject taught.
• Ideally, 2-3 years or more of teaching experience with children in a similar setting and/or age group
• Ability to adapt to a varied population, including special education students.
• Knowledge and experience developing integrated units which teach math, science, social studies
and the arts to students in a manner which is effective and engaging, and incorporates state and
federal standards
• Completed coursework in child development or willingness to increase knowledge in this area
• A passion for working in an inquiry setting, where projects and problems are used to motivate
students to research, solve, and explore solutions and creations
• A commitment to empowering children as the main protagonists in their own educational
experiences
• Good organization and management skills
• A high level of responsibility and punctuality/reliability
• A strong work ethic
• Being a lifelong learner
• Willingness and ability to create a positive, child-centered classroom community
• Willingness and ability to collaborate with other teachers to run a small school, taking appropriate
levels of responsibility for chores, yard duty, environmental maintenance and problem solving
• Computer literacy and familiarity with information literacy
• Current CPR and First Aid Certification, and security clearance (fingerprints)
• A commitment to helping all children to become successful
• Joyfulness
• Resilience
• A sense of humor
