Career Center

Punahou School celebrates the richness of its traditions as it embraces the responsibility to provide a relevant educational experience in a rapidly changing world. Punahou places students at the center of the curriculum, with the aim of authentic learning in a sequence and pace that is coherent and purposeful to the individual child. A Punahou education seeks to provide multiple pathways towards growth and success for each student through a broad and meaningful program of studies and through rich experiences for exploration, discovery and mastery. Working within a coherent curricular framework that promotes personalized, product-oriented, inquiry-based learning embedded in authentic, meaningful assessments, Punahou seeks to cultivate curious, confident, and self-directed students. We value the rich opportunities for teaching and learning that are inherent Hawaiian values and in the gift of “place” at Punahou. Our faculty attends to the social-emotional learning of our students via intentional opportunities to provide an environment and a range of learning experiences that educate our children for compassionate, moral, and ethical action at school, in our community, and in the world. Our teachers are agile learners themselves, demonstrating a growth mindset and a commitment to their continual professional development. Incoming teachers will join a dedicated and inspiring faculty whose ongoing reflection and renewal is supported by a schoolwide culture of collaboration and innovation.

Punahou School is actively recruiting Spanish Faculty members for the Middle School and Academy World Language Department. The World Language Department offers a range of language choices including French, Hawaiian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. The department supports the Mission and Aims of Punahou School and the proficiency standards of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). 

The goals for our students are to:

• Develop proficiency in an additional language and culture.
• Foster positive global perspectives.
• Promote empathic, compassionate and responsible global citizenship.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish (Language), Linguistics, Culture, Literature or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Three (3) years of experience teaching Spanish Language. Experience teaching students in grades 7-12 preferred.
• Demonstrates advanced level proficiency in the Spanish language across all skills. ACTFL Advanced High or beyond preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully integrate diverse aspects of the Spanish language and culture, as well as technology, into their teaching.
• Strong knowledge of content area curriculum and instructional methodologies and the proven ability to work cooperatively within a grade level and team to modify and develop materials and assessments within an articulated curricular framework that is embedded in the school's mission statement, vision, and aims.
• Knowledge about current research on teaching and learning for this age group and skilled in applying its findings to a variety of situations – particularly those that call upon students to access, evaluate, and use information from multiple sources in order to learn, to think, and to create and apply new knowledge.
• Proven leadership and class management skills.
• Knowledge of ACFTL performance and proficiency standards as well as the ability to design and implement IPA's and OPI's.
• Experience working with students from diverse backgrounds; an understanding of the developmental needs of adolescents, sensitivity to each individual student’s needs; and ability to appreciate the variety of perspectives offered by individual viewpoints, disciplines and cultural understandings.
• Knowledge of basic software applications and the ability to integrate technology effectively in teaching and learning. Experience with Canvas LMS and digital/electronic textbooks preferred.
• The ability to work collaboratively with students, faculty, parents, and other members of the Punahou community.
• Beyond classroom instruction, teachers regularly and frequently conference with students, collaborate with colleagues, contribute to curricular development and may assume additional co-curricular activities such as advising a student club.
• The ability to use information competently in critical thinking, decision-making, and problem solving.
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills with the ability to respond effectively in both English and Spanish.  Ability to communicate effectively in large and small group settings.
• Excellent organizational skills; the ability to effectively manage multiple tasks and deadlines during a consistently fast paced, time-sensitive school year.
• The flexibility to meet job requirements beyond the school day.
• Excellent work ethic; models respect, honesty, and integrity.
• Demonstrated history of maximizing impact of a variety of professional development opportunities to improve student learning. The ability and willingness to learn enthusiastically as a member of a Professional Learning Community, and to connect with local, national, and global Professional Learning Networks.