Ninth Grade Seminar Teacher (part-time, 2026-27)


About the School

Georgetown Day School opened its doors in 1945 as the first integrated school in a segregated city. GDS was founded by seven changemaker families who envisioned a school committed not only to academic excellence and educational innovation but also to respect and care for others. Believing that diversity is a critical foundation for the most transformational learning, they established a school where all children would be welcomed, celebrated, and challenged to be their best selves.

Today, the School’s philosophy and programs strongly reflect its roots. GDS fosters a community of belonging while lifting up every student’s unique gifts, building in each the capacity for compassion, leadership, and creating positive change. 1125 engaged and talented PK-12 students across three divisions love to learn and learn to change the world in GDS’s exciting urban campus with its outstanding facilities. Recognized as one the most dynamic educational institutions in our capital city and nation, GDS today is in a uniquely attractive position, with a deeply-felt and lived history, clear mission, and genuine openness to the possibilities that lie ahead.

About the Position

Division

• High
• School
• Department:
• DEI
• Reports to:
• High
• School
• Principal
• START
• DATE:
• August 17, 2026 (10-month role)
• FLSA:
• Exempt
• STATUS: Part-time, 2026-2027 school year only

Benefits

Eligible COMPENSATION: Salaried using the teaching scale (prorated), based on experience Note: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Georgetown Day School seeks a dynamic, reflective, and student-centered educator to teach up to six sections of Ninth Grade Seminar, a signature course and an essential launching point for the GDS High School experience. Each section will meet once per week.

Ninth Grade Seminar helps students develop the self-awareness, curiosity, empathy, and communication skills necessary to participate thoughtfully in a diverse and interconnected community. Students examine their complex and layered identities while learning to understand the identities, experiences, and perspectives of others.

Through interactive activities, reflective writing, collaborative inquiry, and student-led conversations, students explore identity, belonging, equity, justice, ethical decision-making, and discourse. The course also helps students build the capacity to engage across differences, consider multiple perspectives, navigate complexity, and contribute responsibly to their school and broader communities.

The Ninth Grade Seminar Teacher will create engaging and inclusive learning experiences that foster reflection, critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and meaningful dialogue. The teacher will work collaboratively with the High School Principal, Grade Deans, the Equity and Inclusion Office, and other members of the High School faculty and staff to ensure the course remains aligned with GDS’s mission and responsive to the developmental needs of ninth-grade students.

This is a part-time faculty position reporting to the High School Principal.

Primary

Duties and Responsibilities

• Teaching and Learning
• Teach up to six sections of Ninth Grade Seminar.
• Create an inclusive, engaging, and developmentally appropriate classroom environment grounded in GDS’s mission and educational philosophy.
• Facilitate thoughtful conversations about identity, belonging, equity, justice, community, and multiple perspectives.
• Help students develop the skills necessary to listen with curiosity, communicate across differences, examine assumptions, and participate constructively in challenging conversations.
• Use interactive, experiential, discussion-based, and reflective teaching practices.
• Design learning experiences that encourage student voice, agency, collaboration, and intellectual risk-taking.
• Differentiate instruction to support students with a range of learning styles, identities, experiences, and developmental needs.
• Assess student growth through reflection, formative feedback, participation, projects, and other authentic demonstrations of learning.

• Curriculum and Stewardship
• Collaborate with the High School Principal, Grade Deans, and the Equity and Inclusion Office to implement the Ninth Grade Seminar curriculum.
• Ensure that the curriculum reflects current scholarship and effective practices in adolescent development, anti-bias education, culturally responsive teaching, inclusive pedagogy, and dialogue across differences.
• Help students make connections among identity, ethics, civic responsibility, community membership, and their broader High School experience.
• Use student feedback, classroom observations, and emerging issues to recommend appropriate curricular adjustments.
• Support consistency and coherence across all sections of the course.

• Student Support and Community Building
• Develop authentic and trusting relationships with students.
• Establish classroom norms that promote respect, curiosity, honesty, reflection, and accountability.
• Create space for students to explore complex questions without reducing individuals or communities to a single identity, experience, or perspective.
• Support students in developing greater self-awareness and an appreciation for the complexity of others.
• Recognize when classroom conversations or student experiences require additional support and communicate appropriately with relevant school personnel.

• Professional Responsibilities
• Contribute to a collaborative faculty culture and the shared responsibility for creating a school community in which students experience belonging, well-being, and engagement.
• Prepare thoroughly for classes and maintain organized curricular materials.
• Provide students with timely and constructive feedback.
• Maintain accurate student records and complete required reports and communications.
• Communicate effectively and professionally with students, colleagues, and families to support student success.
• Uphold school policies, professional expectations, and confidentiality requirements.
• May be required to attend departmental, divisional, or other faculty or all-school-related meetings.

• Additional Duties and Responsibilities
• Accomplish all tasks as appropriate. Other duties outside this description may be assigned as necessary.

Qualifications

• Education
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.

• Experience and Skills
• At least 3 years of experience in facilitating conversations involving identity, culture, equity, ethics, justice, belonging, or differing perspectives.
• Demonstrated experience teaching or working with high school students.
• Strong classroom facilitation and discussion leadership skills.
• Demonstrated ability to create inclusive learning environments in which students feel both supported and appropriately challenged.
• Commitment to Georgetown Day School’s mission and educational philosophy.
• Demonstrated fluency in social justice, ethics, civics, identity development, dialogue across difference.
• Experience developing or adapting student-centered curriculum.
• Knowledge of bias awareness education, culturally responsive teaching, restorative practices, and culturally inclusive pedagogy.
• Experience using experiential learning, reflective writing, dialogue protocols, and student-led discussion.
• Understanding of adolescent development and the social and emotional needs of ninth-grade students.

Americans with Disability Specifications

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk, see or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment

Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

D.C. Wage Transparency Act

Regarding the salary range for this position, GDS follows a Pay Equity Scale for Teaching Staff that recognizes years of direct experience and correlates to steps on the Scale. The HR team evaluates resumes on an individual basis to identify years of experience; which correlates to steps on our scale. A teacher entering in their 1st year of full-time teaching is slated to earn approximately $65,000 annually for the 2026-2027 School Year and each year of experience equates to approximately $1,000 to 1,500 additional compensation annually. There are additional opportunities on campus for coaching and various stipends, as well.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and list of three references using our online application system through ADP/Workforce Now: http://www.gds.org/Recruiting. To find out more about the school, candidates should visit our website at www.gds.org.

As an inclusive school devoted to preparing our students to live, work, and lead in an increasingly globalized and multicultural society, GDS is particularly interested in professionals with demonstrated interest and experience in working in such a school setting and is driven by the core charge of working to enhance and bring joy to every student’s individual learning experience in equitable and meaningful ways.