Middle/Upper School Art Teacher

About Girls Preparatory School

The mission of Girls Preparatory School (GPS) is to inspire each girl to lead a life of integrity and purpose by engaging her mind, cultivating her strengths, and nurturing her self-confidence and respect for others. Currently, 130 faculty and staff serve approximately 500 girls in grades 6-12 with a college preparatory curriculum that includes a full complement of courses in the humanities, STEM, the arts, and more, as well as a rich and varied cocurricular program. 

GPS prioritizes healthy connections and relationships, fostering a culture where each girl is known, heard, and empowered to use her voice. This culture of acceptance and belonging nurtures and lifts her up in mind, body, and spirit so that she can find her place and discover her potential with confidence and joy for dynamic engagement in a rapidly changing world. 

Faculty support each student in a learner-centered and collaborative culture aligned with our mission, vision, and values. Furthermore, faculty and staff are expected to understand and embody our tenets of excellence.

Teaching Position Summary

Girls Preparatory School seeks an instructor to join our visual and performing arts department as a visual arts teacher. The educator who fills this role should be a skilled and passionate visual arts educator, adept at teaching a range of traditional and contemporary techniques while fostering creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Through learner-centered practices and an interdisciplinary approach, this teacher will support our students’ growth in both course objectives and broader competencies in our Profile of a Graduate. 

The exemplary teaching candidate should demonstrate a strong educational and academic understanding of various artistic media and a passion for inspiring creativity in students. They will have experience in designing and executing an arts curriculum with interdisciplinary connections and varied, learner-centered pedagogical methods. A preference will be given to candidates who bring deep qualifications, such as experience with a wide variety of media or teaching AP courses/college portfolio courses.

While our teaching assignments can change based on school needs and faculty interest, the selected teacher will most likely teach both middle and upper school courses in 2025-26. Foundational visual art courses are offered in each year of middle school.  In upper school, courses are offered in foundations of art, drawing, printmaking, painting, sculpture, and ceramics, as well as several AP/college portfolio courses.

Teaching Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Division Heads and the Director of Fine & Performing Arts, the person in this role will

• Maintain a commitment to learner-centered, inclusive, and interdisciplinary learning, connecting art to broader cultural and academic contexts;
• Create a supportive studio environment that encourages artistic risk-taking and personal expression; supports girls’ artistic, academic and personal growth; and is characterized by rapport with students within an equitable classroom culture;
• Plan, develop, and execute lessons that reflect our broader curriculum and adapt to the needs of students as they progress;
• Demonstrate expertise in utilizing varied, engaging pedagogical techniques;
• Evaluate and communicate student progress; 
• Demonstrate knowledge of best practices in differentiated instruction;
• Collaborate with learning support specialists in order to meet the needs of students with learning differences;
• Serve as an advisor to a group of 10-12 students;
• Contribute to school life by sponsoring a club, offering an after-school activity, coaching, or some other method based on faculty interest; 
• Attend and participate in departmental and conference meetings, committing to professional growth and the professional life of the faculty; and
• Use outstanding and varied written and verbal communication skills to partner with students, families, and colleagues.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in visual art or other related field required;
• Graduate degree in visual art or related field preferred;
• At least three years of teaching experience at the secondary or postsecondary levels preferred; and
• Girls Preparatory School is committed to employing only individuals who are legally authorized to work in the United States.

It is the School’s policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, genetic information, veteran status, or disability or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws. It is the intent and resolve of the School to comply with the letter and the spirit of the law in the implementation of all facets of equal opportunity. The School’s equal employment opportunity practices extend to recruitment, hiring, selection, compensation, benefits, transfer, promotion, training, discipline, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.

All employees are responsible for complying with the School's equal employment opportunity policy.