Teaching at Stuart
Stuart Country Day School is one of 21 Sacred Heart schools in the United States. It combines a rich and demanding academic program with the ecumenical and affirming Goals of the Sacred Heart. Stuart is not a parochial school and actively seeks racial, religious, ethnic and socio-economic diversity.
Stuart seeks teachers who are committed to challenging and helping students to fully develop their abilities. We seek educators who possess a deep desire to make a positive difference in young people's lives and who can live the Goals and Criteria. On any given day at Stuart you will find faculty engaged in teaching and interacting with students in a variety of ways. Faculty truly get to know their students and care deeply about each one's growth as an individual.
Teachers at Stuart possess a high degree of autonomy in their classrooms to shape their curriculum along the lines of their interests and the students' needs. Yet at the same time, we continuously work towards common goals in educating our students, ensuring a coherent, coordinated and innovative curriculum preschool to twelfth grade that is aligned with the Goals and Criteria.
As we strive to reach all our students, faculty actively support one another, offering guidance and sharing information to help each other. Teachers new to Stuart are extensively mentored in their first year. Creativity and student-centered teaching is highly valued. We believe that the best teachers are continual learners, and thus Stuart faculty members are encouraged to keep growing professionally and to share ideas with colleagues. The school encourages and supports faculty members' attendance at workshops and conferences.
An ongoing commitment to community service has always been one of the goals of Sacred Heart education. All students must meet yearly community service requirements and faculty members are encouraged to take students to community service programs and to join them in their work.
The faculty salary structure seeks to recognize the increasing contribution of faculty members as they gain seniority at Stuart and build on a foundation of fundamentally sound teaching practices through consistent demonstration of professional growth. Stuart provides generous benefits to all full time faculty, including a pension plan through TIAA CREF.
In the Upper and Middle Schools, a full course load consists of five classes per trimester. The schedule rotates so that each class meets six times each seven-day cycle. A typical class meets for one period on four days, then for two periods on one day, with two "drop days." Class sizes average 12-15 students, but may be as small as two or three in advanced sections. Each Middle and Upper School faculty member also serves as advisor to a small group of students who meet together weekly and as a sponsor of extracurricular activities or as a coach. In the Lower School, teachers typically have a homeroom of 14-18 students and teach a variety of disciplines throughout each day.
In order to teach at Stuart, teacher certification is not required, but faculty must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in their teaching subject field or a related field. For teachers with no formal classroom experience, teacher training or experience working with children is a plus. Familiarity and comfort with computers is essential as Stuart strives to use technology in appropriate ways throughout the curriculum.