Lower School Substitute Teacher
Job Description
Title: Lower School Substitute Teacher
Reports to: Lower School Head
Employment Type: 10-month; Full-time, Exempt
Projected Start Date: 9/1/2026
Work Location: 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004
Mission
The IDEAL School of Manhattan is an inclusion school dedicated to creating a diverse community that affirms and accepts the full identities of all people while inspiring academic excellence, creative leadership, and a desire to build a more just and equitable world.
Position Description
The Lower School Substitute Teacher provides essential operational continuity and instructional versatility across Grades K–5. This position requires a highly adaptable educator. The primary function of this role is to cover the responsibilities of any lower school faculty member who is absent.
When a lead or elective teacher is absent, the Substitute Teacher assumes classroom responsibilities to ensure uninterrupted student learning and routine adherence. When coverage is not required, the educator is dynamically deployed across lower school classrooms to assist with differentiated instruction, facilitate small-group learning centers, and provide support to the faculty team or other duties as assigned by the division head. This role requires rapid pivoting between diverse grade-level expectations, developmental stages, and classroom cultures on a daily basis.
Responsibilities include:
Assume instructional and supervisory responsibility for a classroom during a teacher's absence, professional development, or administrative meetings.
Deliver prepared curricula, assignments, and activities with high fidelity, ensuring academic standards are met in the regular teacher's absence.
Swiftly assess and adopt the established behavior management systems, daily routines, and cultural norms of whichever classroom is being covered.
Collaborate with classroom teachers on non-coverage days to support lesson delivery, focusing on student engagement and providing individual scaffolding.
Assist grade-level teams with preparing physical and digital learning materials, grading formative assignments, and setting up laboratory or art stations.
Execute assigned duties during non-instructional blocks, including morning arrival, recess, lunch segments, and afternoon dismissal.
Maintain awareness of specific student accommodations or behavioral interventions across multiple grade cohorts.
Perform other related duties as assigned
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in General Education, Special Education or similar field
Experience leading whole class instruction
Preferred Qualifications
Master’s Degree in Education or similar field
Prior experience in an independent school
Minimum of three years of relevant school-based experience
Essential Qualities
Have a commitment to inclusive education and have the skills and passion to inspire, nurture, and challenge students with a range of interests, experiences, strengths, readiness-levels, and learning styles
Have proven skills in classroom management, helping to create a respectful, safe, and nurturing community where all students feel comfortable expressing their full identity and are inspired to celebrate the full identities of their peers
Work to deeply understand the strengths and challenges of students and ensure that all students are challenged and supported across disciplines
A growth mindset and collaborative, flexible spirit
A willingness to ensure students are nurtured, challenged, and inspired across disciplines
Other duties: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Salary Range: $48,000-55,000 (this represents the expected salary range for this position. Salary will be determined based on education, experience, and other job-related factors)
Benefits Include: Paid time off, comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending program, health reimbursement account, commuter benefits program, income protection via short and long-term disability benefits, paid family leave, professional development opportunities, 403(b) plan with employer contribution(waiting period applies).
Equal Opportunity Employer
The IDEAL School of Manhattan is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunities for all qualified employees and job applicants and to making all employment decisions without unlawful discrimination as to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, citizenship or immigration status, marital status, familial status, actual or perceived status as a victim of domestic violence, caregiver status, gender identity or expression, military status, veteran status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or any other status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
This policy of Equal Employment Opportunity applies to all policies and procedures relating to recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits, training and development, promotion, demotion, discipline, termination and all other terms and conditions of employment.
