Montessori Mentor Guide (Teacher)

We are hiring trained Montessori educators for our lovely Guidepost Montessori Schools across our Northern Virginia region.

Guidepost Montessori is a growing network of 120+ Montessori schools, serving children ages 0-12 in our Nido, Toddler, Children’s House, and Elementary programs. And with schools from Shanghai to Paris and California to New York, as well as virtual school and homeschooling support, there are countless opportunities for passionate educators to support children on their individual path to success. Our 12 campuses across the bustling Northern Virginia region are seeking candidates eager lead their own classroom while also supporting teachers in their own growth and development.

Your Role 

As a Mentor Guide, you will lead your own infant, toddler or Children's House classroom while taking on additional mentoring responsibilities. You will consistently meet Lead Guide responsibilities such as leading a teaching team, ensuring children's growth and advancement through an authentic Montessori curriculum and communicating collaboratively and respectfully with parents to provide the best possible care for every child. The Mentor Guide is someone who both has sufficient experience to be valuable as a peer mentor for a new Guide and who will be successful in establishing a supportive but solutions-focused relationship with mentees.

You will assist in the process of developing new Montessori Guides who are still learning and gaining confidence in the classroom, and may be asked to do any number of activities, ranging from meeting regularly with new Guides to serving as a thought-partner and peer mentor, to supervising guided materials practice, observing in classrooms, or opening your own classroom up for observation by new and developing Guides.

Reporting Structure

Peer Mentor Guides report to the same Head of School who otherwise supervises their work. In addition, as a Peer Mentor Guide, you will interface directly with the Regional Programs Lead with regard to which mentoring responsibilities you will take on at any given point in time.  

Time Commitment

The time commitment for a Peer Mentor Guide will be an average of 5 hours per week on top of typical teaching responsibilities, although it may be less or more some weeks, depending on how much support is needed. Please consider very carefully whether you will be able to make this commitment, while still giving sufficient attention to your own classroom, before you decide to apply.

Responsibilities

• Observe each child closely to understand and meet their physical, intellectual, and emotional needs  
• Prepare a beautiful, orderly environment that fosters trust, exploration, deep learning, and independence
• Cultivate independence and self-confidence by helping children ‘do it all by themselves’ 
• Provide lessons to encourage practical life skills, language, and grace and courtesy  
• Form personal connections with each child and cultivate a community of respect
• Communicate and collaborate respectfully with parents to provide the best possible care for every child 

• Provide peer mentorship to other Guides to support their ongoing professional growth and career advancement.
• Set a positive example for other Guides in all of your interactions with them. Be supportive and understanding, while modeling and encouraging a solutions-focused growth mindset.
• Observe in other classrooms and provide feedback as needed
• Open your classroom to observations and tours as needed
• Supervise guided practice with classroom materials
• Participate in regular training and alignment meetings for Peer Mentor Guides
• Participate in one-on-one meetings as needed
• Actively participate and pursue annual professional development for yourself

Qualifications

• Must have obtained a Montessori diploma for 0-3 or 3-6 age group (AMI, AMS, MACTE) 
• Must have at least 3-5 years of teaching experience in a Montessori classroom
• Sufficient experience and understanding of high-fidelity Montessori for your age group to provide value in a peer mentoring relationship
• Growth mindset and problem-solving approach
• Ability to embrace and exemplify the Prepared Montessorian approach to peer mentoring

What we offer:  

• An opportunity to support a mission-driven organization that strives to mainstream and modernize Montessori education across the world   
• The ability to work anywhere  
• Exposure to a worldwide audience from over 50 countries  
• Ongoing professional development and access to all internal professional development trainings with tuition sponsorship  
• A network of supportive and global peers and mentors who regularly share best practices 
• Access to a wide network of brands and ecosystems within the Higher Ground Education Network   
• Career growth and promotion opportunities  
• A competitive salary  
• Health, dental, and vision insurance  
• Paid time off and paid holidays  
• 100% tuition discount for two children at any school within our network (we serve children 3 months through 12th grade)  
• The opportunity to contribute to a high-quality educational program that serves the individual needs of each child 

If you are as excited about this opportunity as we are, apply today!