Rhetoric Teacher and Department Head for the 2026 – 2027 School Year

Position Description

Rhetoric Teacher and Department Head for the 2026 – 2027 School Year

The Geneva School is a mission-driven school established in 1993. Our mission is to provide
students in grades K4–12 an extraordinary education, by means of an integrated curriculum,
pedagogy and culture, both distinctly classical and distinctively Christian, that pursues
goodness, truth, and beauty in all spheres of life, while viewing these spheres as elements of
divinely ordered whole. Education today often produces graduates who are underprepared for
life’s challenges. Families, the workplace, churches, communities, and nations need graduates
from schools like ours more than ever.  At Geneva, we focus not just on what students know
but on forming who they will become: students inspired to love beauty, think deeply, and
pursue Christ’s calling for the advancement of God’s kingdom and the common good of
humankind.

As a mission-driven school, faculty members play a central role in fulfilling our mission. The
teacher, in a formational and relational role, models Christ-like behavior within The Geneva
School community as he or she studies, re-imagines, and teaches within the Christian, liberal
arts tradition.

I. Rhetoric Defined
Rhetoric is the “…ability in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion.”
(Aristotle, Rhetoric). In ancient Greece and Rome the main purpose of rhetoric training was the
formation of a wise, virtuous, and eloquent public speaker equipped to participate responsibly
in civic life. At a Christian classical school this goal is reimagined through the gospel of Jesus
Christ and serves in the equipping of disciples to faithfully live out their dual citizenship as
heavenly citizens on earth.

II. Rhetoric Training at The Geneva School
Our rhetoric program is designed to equip students who “understand the times and know what
God’s people ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32) in our cultural moment. Formal rhetoric training
for Geneva students begins in 9th grade and culminates with senior thesis—the capstone course
for rhetorical studies at The Geneva School. The pre-exercises, or progymnasmata, begins in 4th
grade and culminates in 8th grade prior to the beginning of formal rhetorical training in 9th grade.
The following courses comprise the formal rhetoric training at Geneva:

Honors Rhetoric I (9th Grade): Students will be taught rhetorical concepts that build on the skills cultivated in the dialectic stage. This foundational course seeks to instruct students in the basics
of rhetoric. Beyond these generative skills and sensitivities, students will likewise be taught how to evaluate (i.e. read) rhetorically. The students are taught how to read different genres of rhetorical texts and how to use key concepts of these genres to think and write more effectively, and persuasively, across the curriculum and in every aspect of life.

Honors Rhetoric II (10th Grade): Having studied various rhetorical tools to better facilitate
critical reading and persuasive writing synchronically in 9 th grade students will now engage in
the diachronic development of rhetoric from antiquity to present day. Given rhetoric’s
historically close association with philosophy, students will also study important philosophical
concepts as important ideological contexts that both give life and are in conversation with
evolving rhetorical convictions. In the end, students are engaging in the larger conversation of
ideas throughout history as they are rhetorically articulated in representative philosophical
works, while continuing to develop their own generative and evaluative rhetorical abilities and
sensitivities.

Honors Rhetoric III (11th Grade): Building upon the foundations laid in Reading and Writing
Rhetorically and their history of Rhetoric class, students will explore and apply rhetorical theory
more deeply and broadly in Contemporary Rhetorics. Students will engage with a wide range of
contemporary scholarship in order to develop complex rhetorical paradigms through which
they might evaluate modern cultural artifacts including, but not limited to: wartime propaganda
and other visual media, journalistic framing devices and their implications, city architecture,
narrative theory, and community-specific discourse practices (e.g. legal writing, technical
rhetoric and the ethics of expediency, scientific communication, etc.)

Senior Thesis (12th Grade): Students independently write and defend an extensive thesis paper
on a topic of their choosing in the Senior Thesis class. They formulate an original argument,
effectively reviewing and utilizing academic sources in accordance with standard academic
publishing practices. The end result will be a well-researched and rhetorically-informed thesis
paper between 25 and 30 pages in length which will provide the basis for a 25-minute public
thesis presentation and defense. As they finish their Geneva education, students will further
refine their skills of academic research processes, rhetorical analysis, and rhetorical skill in this
Senior capstone course. Their final written and oral presentations will be a reflection of their
long efforts toward mastery in reasoning and communication.

III. Essential Duties
The Geneva School Rhetoric Department Head is responsible for the development and
oversight of The Geneva school’s instruction of students in the art of rhetoric. In grades 9-12
rhetoric is the preeminent classical discipline taught as students prepare to enter a world
where “everything’s an argument” (Lunsford & Ruszkiewicz) That is, “arguments occur in every
medium, in every genre, in everything we do and can be in any text—written, spoken, aural, or
visual—that expresses a point of view.” The rhetoric school chair is responsible for establishing
and supervising training in rhetoric that prepares students to step into such a world equipped
to rightly discern and address the ubiquitous arguments that have shaped history and animate
our cultural moment. At The Geneva School, rhetoric training begins in the lower school with
the progymnasmata and concludes with senior thesis.

Key responsibilities include:

• Development of the formal rhetoric school program in grades 9-12
• Development of the progymnasmata in grades 4-8
• Collaboration, oversight, and equipping lower school teachers in grades 4-8 in their portion of the progymnasmata
• Collaboration and cross-discipline work with the dialectic logic teacher to better prepare students for formal rhetoric in high school
• Collaboration and cross-disciplinary work with other rhetoric teachers where curricular goals intersect in order to deepen the learning, application, and formation of the student
• Classroom instruction: Leading discussions on assigned texts, current events, and student-generated topics in order to practice identifying rhetorical strategies used by authors and speakers.
• Writing assignments: Guiding students through various writing assignments, including persuasive essays, research papers, speeches, and letters, focusing on clear structure, appropriate tone, and evidence-based support when appropriate.
• Oral communication skills: Assigning presentations to develop students' public speaking skills, including effective delivery, body language, and audience engagement.
• Critical thinking development: Encouraging students to analyze information critically, identify bias, and evaluate the credibility of sources.
• Ethical considerations: Helping students understand the need for and a desire to use language as a tool for the greater good by seeking truth and virtue and rejecting means of manipulation.
• Assessment and feedback: Regularly assessing student progress through a variety of assessment methods, including quizzes, essays, presentations, as well as providing constructive feedback to improve their mastery of rhetorical concepts and skills.
• Curriculum development: Designing engaging lessons that cover various aspects of rhetoric, such as rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), logical fallacies, persuasive techniques, and different writing styles.
• Senior thesis: Oversight of the school’s capstone senior thesis class, guiding students through the various stages of the process, including selecting their topic, researching, and constructing their argument in writing using the classical form (exordium, narratio, partitio, confirmatio, refutatio, and peroratio). Upon completion of the writing assignment, prepare students to present and defend their thesis before an audience of peers, faculty, and guests.

Other job requirements:

The following requirements are representative of those that must be met to successfully
perform the essential functions of the Rhetoric Department Head position and are not intended
to be inclusive. Reasonable accommodation(s) may be made to enable individuals with
disabilities, as defined by law, to perform any essential functions.

• Lift 20 lbs. occasionally and 10 lbs. frequently
• Sit frequently and stand and walk on varied surfaces
• Bend, stoop, crouch, push, pull, climb, balance, kneel, crawl
• Use hands/arms to reach in any direction and seize, grasp, hold, and turn objects using hand(s).
• Use fingers, versus the whole hand, to pick, pinch, and feel objects.
• See, talk, and hear to communicate with others in person, electronically, by phone, or by radio.
• Visual functions include the ability to identify and distinguish colors and bring an object into sharp focus.

 
IV. Personal Profile

Required skills and experience:

• Understanding of rhetoric: Deep knowledge of rhetorical theory, key concepts, historical context, and the ethical implications of rhetoric.
• Excellent communication skills: Ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, both verbally and in writing.
• Critical thinking abilities: Skillful in analyzing texts, identifying rhetorical strategies, and evaluating arguments.
• Teaching experience: Proven ability to effectively deliver lessons and engage students in active learning.
• Classroom management: Establish a positive and supportive learning environment that encourages open discussion, respectful debate, and constructive feedback. Utilize effective classroom management strategies to maintain student focus and accountability.
• Professional development: Collaborate with colleagues to share best practices and enhance curriculum development.
• Relevant education: Bachelor’s degree in Classical Studies, Rhetoric, English, Communications, or a related field, with potential additional coursework or certification in advanced rhetoric studies.

Intrinsic qualities:

• Ascribes to and agrees to live in accordance with The Geneva School’s statement of faith.
• Holds oneself to a high standard of honesty and integrity.
• Able to work effectively both in collaboration with other professionals and on own initiative.
• Professional and approachable in appearance and attitude.
• Willingness to learn new skills.
• Self-motivated with a positive ‘can do’ approach to work.
• Reliable/dependable.
• Detail-oriented.
• Able to search for solutions.
• Practices good stewardship of the school’s resources.
• Enjoys working around children and is able to form and monitor appropriate relationships and personal boundaries with children and young people.

V. Employment Information
The Geneva School prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical disability, handicap, or any other consideration protected by law. Employment decisions will be made on the basis of each applicant’s job qualifications, experience, and abilities and in full accord with The Geneva School’s statement of faith and the school’s statement of mission, vision and values.

Interested applicants please apply at https://www.genevaschool.org/about-us/employment/.

This position requires background screening through the Florida Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse. Information about the Clearinghouse is available at: https://info.flclearinghouse.com/.