Upper School Humanities Teacher

Position Description

Since 1994, Smith Preparatory Academy has been serving families in the greater Orlando area by providing a classical Christian framework for education.  We have strong roots in the homeschool movement but have grown into a fully accredited and comprehensive program, offering students all the credits and coursework they need to progress each year and graduate with a College Preparatory diploma including Dual Enrollment credits through Palm Beach Atlantic and culminating in a Senior Thesis paper and defense.

 

More than this, we embed the instruction of this coursework into the larger idea of what it means to flourish as a human, a creature made in God’s image.  Everything we do is an effort to form children into human beings that love their Creator, who is the source and end of all that is good, true, and beautiful.

 

We currently offer families the option of two programs:  Cottage (2-day) and Traditional.  Students in the Cottage program attend classes Mondays and Wednesdays, completing assignments at home with parents on the other days of the week.  Our Traditional students receive instruction in the core academics Monday through Thursday, then attend for a half-day on Fridays in our Common Arts Program.

 

Common Arts are the skills of life, with which so many of us have lost touch:  sewing, gardening, woodworking, outdoor survival, animal husbandry, etc.  The fine arts grew out of the common arts, and our students engage with these as well (music, drawing, drama, etc.).  The common arts are a critical aspect of classical education.  [See Christopher Hall’s Common Arts Education.]

 

You might be a good fit for Smith Prep if:

·         You are a mature Christian and an active member of a local church.

·         Some of your best friends lived centuries ago.

·         You have common sense.

·         You enjoy listening to music that is over 100 years old.

·         You like exotic animals like chinchillas, bearded dragons, and axolotls.

·         You visit museums more than once a year.

·         You often pray out loud.

·         You like to learn new things (skills, hobbies, etc.).

·         You read both fiction and non-fiction.

·         You enjoy exploring and investigating God’s creation.

·         You view friendship as the end of education.