High School English Teacher

Job Description

Job DescriptionDescription:

Position: English 9 Teacher

Status: Full-time (1.0 FTE)

FLSA: Exempt

Schedule: Academic Faculty

Reports to: Dean of English

Supervises: None

Salary range: $82,400 - $119,480

Start Date: Jan 1, 2026

About The Kehillah School

The Kehillah School is an innovative independent high school rooted in Jewish values and open to students of all backgrounds. Located in Palo Alto, CA, we are committed to academic excellence, inclusion, and student well-being.

Position Summary

As an English Teacher at Kehillah, you will play a key role in developing students’ critical thinking skills and inspiring a lifelong appreciation for literature and language. In addition to teaching existing English courses, you will have the opportunity to design and lead new, advanced electives that reflect your own academic interests and expertise.

We are seeking a mid-year replacement English teacher who can teach three sections of 9th Grade English and one section of an 11th/12th grade elective in Dystopian Literature. Candidates must have experience teaching high school (and middle school as well, ideally) and a demonstrated record of innovation in curriculum design and instructional practice.

At Kehillah, we are committed to excellence in education, inclusivity, and the celebration of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives. Our students thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment that encourages intellectual curiosity, personal growth, and self-discovery.

Join our collaborative and dedicated teaching community, contribute to our tradition of academic excellence and character development, and make a lasting impact on the lives of our students. All classes are taught in person on our Palo Alto campus.

Key Responsibilities

• Curriculum Development and Instruction: Develop and implement engaging lesson plans that align with curricular standards and facilitate active learning; develop and maintain scope and sequence. Create clear objectives and utilize relevant technology to support and differentiate instruction, adapting teaching strategies to meet the unique needs of each student.
• Assessment and Reporting: Assign and evaluate classwork and exams, providing timely feedback to students and communicate progress to parents and colleagues. Maintain accurate records of student attendance, grades, and other required documentation using platforms such as PowerSchool and Schoology.
• Collaboration and Professional Development: Collaborate with colleagues to evaluate and revise curricula, course content, and materials. Contribute to departmental, faculty, task force meetings, and initiatives. Provide detailed lesson plans when absent from school that includes homework assignments, and support colleagues by substitute teaching when needed. Actively participate in a year-long professional growth plan to continue refining your teaching practice, and attend professional development opportunities over the summer months, if applicable. Be flexible if sharing a classroom.
• Classroom Management: Utilize effective classroom management techniques, both in-person and in virtual settings, that fosters respect, collaboration, and student engagement. Create a conducive learning atmosphere that promotes academic achievement, personal responsibility, and individuality in all students, guiding their behavior towards success.
• Student Support and Advising: Guide student behavior to foster academic achievement, personal responsibility, intellect, and individuality in all students. Actively participate in the Confidential Kehillah Student Education Plan when needed, implementing strategies to support student progress. Maintain regularly scheduled office hours in order to advise and assist students. If assigned an Advisory role, implement curriculum, meet with Advisees regularly, and actively partner with the Learning Center and teachers.
• School Community Support: Participate in experiential education programs and take on certain divisional and school-wide commitments as assigned. Professional responsibilities include attending Faculty week (the week following graduation), orientation, assisting with Kehillah Prep (the second week of August), Faculty In-Service meetings (the week before the new academic year begins), Back-to-School Night, Open House and admissions events, parent meetings, professional development, chaperone field trips. Be a role model for the School’s educational philosophy as articulated by Our Four Commitments.

Requirements:Desired Skills & Experience

Must be able to provide verification of ability to work in the U.S. without the need for sponsorship and reside in the State of California at the time of hire.

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in English or related subject area, Master's preferred.
• Experience: Three years of teaching high school English; middle school English teaching experience also an asset since the teacher will teach 9th grade English.
• Instructional Design and Delivery: Incorporates new technologies and pedagogical approaches.
• Student Differentiation: Meets students diverse needs through differentiated instruction and support.
• Technology: Highly proficient with technology tools such as Google Docs, Zoom, Schoology, and blended or flipped learning technologies.
• Classroom Management: Skilled at effective classroom management strategies.
• Teamwork: Collaborative with colleagues to align curriculum, share best practices, and engage in departmental initiatives.
• Ethics and Integrity: Upholds high ethical standards and models professionalism at all times.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to:

• Utilize close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception, including the ability to adjust focus.Hear and speak to exchange information.
• Work at a desk and computer screen for extended periods of time.
• Work in a traditional climate-controlled environment, occasionally outdoors, and remotely as determined by the School.
• Navigate a wide variety of challenges, deadlines, and diverse contacts which may at times be stressful.
• Occasionally lift up to 10 lbs.
• Have dexterity of hands and fingers to operate all office equipment including, but not limited to, computers, copy machines, and telephones.
• Travel safely and comfortably across a two-story, 50,000 sq. ft. campus several times in a workday.
• Sit and/or stand for extended periods of time.
• Turn, bend, kneel, crouch, or reach overhead to retrieve materials and may occasionally use a ladder.

Why Join The Kehillah School?

The Kehillah School is a progressive, inclusive, and innovative independent high school that values creativity, intellectual curiosity, and community engagement. We provide a supportive teaching environment where educators are empowered to bring their expertise and passion into the classroom.

Diversity And Belonging

We believe our strength lies in our diversity and our commitment to creating spaces of belonging for all who join us. Through belonging, our students and faculty find themselves and others, recognizing the unique contributions each person can make to healing our world. Our belief in the interconnectedness and value of all human beings compels us to work individually and collectively towards equity and social justice. We are committed to building a society that appreciates and celebrates differences as well as a society that empathetically confronts the ways individuals, institutions, and systems have oppressed others based on gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability, and other aspects of identity. We believe that it is only by clearly understanding the past and the present of these dynamics that our community members will develop the capacity to help create a better future for all. We acknowledge that this work is ongoing and ever-evolving.

Compensation & BenefitsKehillah offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, retirement contributions, and professional development opportunities.

The Kehillah School is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and providing a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at Kehillah are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social, or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, ancestry, or any other status protected by Federal, State, or local laws or regulations. Kehillah will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics in the administration of its employment practices.