Chicago, Illinois
Los Altos Hills, California
Greenwich, Connecticut
Richmond, Virginia
East Bay, California
Richmond, Virginia
Posted: 14-Jan-26
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Type: Full Time
Salary: Based on Experience
Required Education:
Internal Number: 11415101385
UPPER ELEMENTARY TEACHER
- Position: Upper Elementary Teacher
- Type: Full-Time; On-Site
- Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
- Reports to: Provost (Dean of Academics)
- Website: socraticstem.org
ABOUT SOCRATIC SCHOOL OF STEM (SSS)
Socratic School of STEM (SSS) is a private boutique K-12 school in Raleigh, NC built for families who want rigor, learner ownership, and real-world skills - not passive learning. Our model is learner-driven and Socratic method-guided: students learn to ask better questions, defend ideas with evidence, and produce high-quality work.
We are STEM-forward by design while protecting fundamentals. Teachers coach strong reading, writing, and math alongside design thinking, labs, and projects where learners plan, build, test, revise, and present.
Our culture is to "Seek, Solve, Serve" - disciplined inquiry, meaningful problem-solving, and principled contribution. SSS is intentionally small and high-trust, with a faculty team that values clarity, high standards, warmth with accountability, and continuous improvement.
Learn more at socraticstem.org
THE OPPORTUNITY
SSS is seeking an outstanding Upper Elementary Teacher to lead Grades 3-5 learners in a studio (classroom) where academic mastery and independence grow side-by-side. The Teacher will coach learners in literacy, social sciences, history and predominantly STEM, while using Socratic dialogue and project-based learning to deepen comprehension, reasoning, and expression - guiding learners toward mastery through clear expectations, strong systems, and disciplined feedback cycles.
The Teacher will create an environment where learners increasingly own their progress - setting goals, tracking work, revising through feedback, and building the stamina required for ambitious projects. Students will Seek through reading, research, and discussion; Solve through STEM challenges and interdisciplinary projects; and Serve through teamwork, responsibility, and contribution to the classroom community. This role is ideal for a Teacher who can blend structure with freedom and who believes students rise when the work is real and the expectations are clear.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
Learner-Driven Studio Leadership
- Lead a structured but learner-driven studio environment where learners develop responsibility, stamina, and ownership over work.
- Establish clear studio routines and expectations that support independence and high-quality output (including goal-setting, work planning, and reflection).
- Use Socratic questioning and discussion to move learners from "answers" to reasoning, evidence, and articulation - guiding thinking rather than over-lecturing.
- Coach learners in reading comprehension, vocabulary, and knowledge-building using strong texts and consistent practice routines.
- Coach writing as craft: structure, clarity, grammar, revision, and presentation, using feedback cycles that build pride in quality work.
- Coach learners in oral communication: discussion norms, respectful disagreement, listening, and confident presentation.
- Guide learners toward strong outcomes in math and STEM with an emphasis on conceptual understanding, accuracy, and real application.
- Facilitate interdisciplinary projects that connect STEM with history/social sciences, writing, and presentation - projects that require planning, building, testing, revising, and sharing.
- Create a culture where iteration is normal: learners learn to prototype, learn from failure, and improve with discipline.
- Embed "Seek. Solve. Serve." into the studio through routines and language:
~Solve: design challenges, maker work, math reasoning, labs, projects
- Explicitly develop character and habits: integrity, perseverance, responsibility, kindness, and courage in learning.
- Use formative assessment and observation to diagnose needs and accelerate growth while maintaining a learner-driven environment.
- Provide clear feedback and require revision to build "high standards" early - academically and personally.
- Track learner progress with simple, transparent systems (goals, mastery checks, portfolios, conferences) and help learners learn to self-monitor progress.
- Communicate consistently with families and build trust through clarity, responsiveness, and shared expectations.
- Partner with the Head of School and team to continuously refine curriculum, studio systems, and launch priorities.
- Maintain a growth mindset: openness to coaching, collaboration, and professional development.
- Demonstrated success coaching learners in Grades 3-5, ideally in an independent, project-based, classical, Montessori-adjacent, or learner-driven setting.
- Strong command of literacy and writing (reading comprehension, vocabulary, writing structure, grammar, revision).
- Strong command of math reasoning and or STEM facilitation (you do not need to be an engineer, but you must be comfortable with guiding STEM thinking and projects).
- Comfortable facilitating Socratic dialogue and teaching learners how to reason, support claims with evidence, and communicate clearly.
- Studio Systems Builder: Establishes routines for goal-setting, work plans, accountability, reflection, and high-quality output.
- Coaching Over Lecturing: Guides learners through questions, models, feedback, rubrics, and revision cycles rather than extended direct instruction.
- Academic Rigor + Mastery: Ensures real skills growth in reading, writing, and math while maintaining learner ownership.
- Project Leadership: Facilitates interdisciplinary projects that require planning, iteration, documentation, and presentation.
- Culture Leadership: Builds a studio where learners practice responsibility, teamwork, and service - and where excellence is normal.
- Communication + Partnership: Communicates proactively with families and aligns on expectations and learner support.
- Organized, consistent, and relational; firm boundaries with a warm tone.
- Intellectually curious; loves asking questions and helping learners ask better ones.
- High bias toward action: iterates, improves, and follows through.
- Compensation: Competitive and commensurate with experience, credentials, and demonstrated ability to guide learners in a rigorous, learner-driven, STEM environment.
- Benefits & Professional Development: SSS invests in Teachers through paid-time off, Montessori and or STEM training / credentialing, observational coaching and feedback, collaborative planning time, and mission-aligned professional development.
This position requires regular interaction with students in a classroom and school environment. Teachers should be able to sit, stand, walk, and move about the studio throughout the school day; bend, kneel, reach, and lift classroom materials as needed; and participate in indoor and outdoor activities with students. Occasional lifting of up to approximately 30 pounds may be required.
The work environment is a dynamic, active school setting that includes collaborative studios, hands-on materials, and periods of sustained focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of the role.
