Art Teacher

STARTING SALARY: $52,918 + (based on experience)

The C.H. Bird Elementary team is seeking an innovative, student-centered, and highly collaborative Art Teacher to join our school community for the 2026�27 school year. This position plays a critical role in fostering creativity, identity, and belonging for every student while contributing to our broader mission of academic and social-emotional growth.

C.H. Bird Elementary School is a Title I school serving approximately 271 students in grades K�5. Approximately 45% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Our student body is diverse: 38% White, 23% African American, 9.5% Hispanic/Latino, 17.9% two or more races, 11% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, and less than 1% Pacific Islander. We view this diversity as a strength and are committed to culturally responsive practices that affirm student identity and voice.

Our Beliefs and Mission

At CH Bird, we believe:

• There is a place for every child here
• We believe in every student, and we believe in each other
• Equity is our daily practice
• Relationships drive engagement and achievement
• Purposeful practice leads to powerful outcomes

Our work is grounded in our commitments:

• Collaboration � We learn and grow together
• Data Use � We use evidence to improve outcomes
• Reciprocal Responsibility � We hold ourselves and each other accountable for student success

Position Overview

The Art Teacher at CH Bird is more than a content specialist-they are a community builder, culture shaper, and advocate for student voice and creativity. This role is responsible for delivering high-quality, standards-aligned visual arts instruction while creating a safe, inclusive, and joyful environment where all students can explore, express, and take pride in their identities.

A successful candidate will balance strong instructional practice with deep relational capacity, ensuring that art is both an avenue for skill development and a space for belonging and connection.

Core Responsibilities

Instruction & Student Experience

• Design and deliver engaging, standards-aligned art instruction for all students (K�5)
• Create a classroom environment that fosters creativity, risk-taking, and student voice
• Explicitly teach artistic techniques, vocabulary, and processes while connecting to students' lived experiences
• Differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all learners, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners
• Integrate culturally responsive and diverse artistic perspectives, ensuring representation and relevance
• Provide clear learning targets and success criteria to guide student understanding and ownership

Classroom Culture & Relationships

• Build strong, affirming relationships with students rooted in respect, consistency, and high expectations
• Establish clear routines and structures that maximize learning time and student engagement
• Use proactive and restorative practices to support positive behavior and student belonging
• Create a space where every student feels seen, valued, and capable of success

Collaboration & Schoolwide Impact

• Actively collaborate with grade-level teams, specialists, and student services staff to support the whole child
• Contribute to building-wide systems that support student engagement, behavior, and culture
• Communicate proactively and professionally with staff regarding student needs, scheduling, and shared responsibilities
• Demonstrate reciprocal responsibility by following through on commitments, supporting colleagues, and contributing to a positive staff culture

Data Use & Continuous Improvement

• Use student work, engagement data, and observational evidence to inform instruction and improve practice
• Reflect on instructional impact and adjust to better meet student needs
• Contribute to schoolwide data conversations related to engagement, behavior, and student experience
• Maintain clear systems for tracking student progress and showcasing growth over time

Family & Community Engagement

• Share student learning and celebrate artistic expression with families and the school community
• Create opportunities (e.g., art shows, displays, events) that build pride and connection
• Communicate with families in a way that is welcoming, accessible, and culturally responsive

Desired Traits & Dispositions

We are seeking an Art Teacher who is:

• Student-centered and joyful � Creates engaging, meaningful experiences that spark curiosity and creativity
• Relationally strong � Builds deep, trusting relationships with students and staff
• Equity-driven � Ensures all students see themselves reflected in the curriculum and feel a sense of belonging
• Collaborative � Thrives as part of a team and contributes to shared goals and systems
• Structured and intentional � Establishes clear routines, expectations, and learning targets
• Flexible and responsive � Adapts to meet student needs and navigate the dynamic nature of a school environment
• Reflective practitioner � Continuously improves based on data, feedback, and outcomes
• Community-oriented � Uses art as a vehicle to build connection, identity, and pride within the school

Why C.H. Bird

C.H. Bird is a school committed to continuous improvement, collaboration, and ensuring that every student experiences success. Our staff works collectively to align systems, instruction, and relationships to drive meaningful outcomes for students.

This role offers the opportunity to:

• Shape a vibrant, inclusive art program that celebrates student identity and voice
• Contribute to a schoolwide culture grounded in collaboration, data, and shared responsibility
• Build strong connections with students, families, and staff
• Be part of a team committed to purposeful practice and powerful outcomes

We are seeking an Art Teacher who sees their classroom not just as a place to teach art, but as a space to build community, elevate student voice, and ensure every child knows: there is a place for you here.

Our Mission: Futures depend on us to inspire and prepare every child, every day, by providing relevant, engaging, and innovative learning experiences in and out of the classroom.

SUMMARY:  
To create a learning environment supported by a positive instructionally focused school climate and provide intellectually and emotionally safe, engaging classroom communities growing towards a culture personalized and co-constructed with students and adults to support the success of each and every learner.
 
ESSENTIAL SKILLS, DUTIES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:
 
1.   Create Emotionally, Intellectually, and Physically Safe Environments

1. Create positive relationships that are kind, caring, and respectful
2. Nurture self-awareness, identity development, and sense of purpose
3. Emphasize effort, supported risk-taking, and strategies for emotional growth
4. Support safe and engaged interactions with co-created procedures, routines, and classroom design
5. Encourage developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant strategies for the expression of emotions and conflict resolution

2.   Implement Equitable, Culturally Responsive, and Standards-Aligned Curriculum and Instruction

1. Provide relevant, challenging learning experiences aligned to grade-level standards through a curriculum that is adapted and supplemented, if necessary
2. Create an inclusive community where all aspects of diversity and learner variability are understood, expected, and welcomed
3. Engage learners in productive struggle to support perseverance and agency for meeting high expectations of grade-level standards
4. Implement district based, standards-aligned curriculum as adopted and written by the school district based on content area and grade level
5. Foster cultural competence and curiosity to seek others' perspectives
6. Facilitate expression of reasoned, evidence-based arguments, thoughts, and ideas
7. Assess student progress using a variety of formative and summative tools using the information to inform instruction and feedback to students

3.   Meet the Diverse Needs of Every Learner

1. Leverage individual strengths to support academic, social, and emotional growth
2. Create multiple pathways to learn and demonstrate learning
3. Promote learner agency with immediate, goal-oriented feedback and opportunities for self-directed learning
4. Scaffold instruction and feedback for every learner to meet expectations of the standards through practices such as modeling, strategic grouping, individual conferring, sequenced questioning, timely feedback, sound assessment (formative and summative), and practice opportunities
5. Collaborate with content specialists (i.e. Advanced Learner Specialist, Special Education Teacher, English Learner Teacher) to plan and implement instruction tied to meeting the needs of all learners

4.   Professional Responsibilities � These include, but are not limited to, self-assessment and reflection, communication with parents, participating in on-going professional learning, and contributing to the school and district environment.

1. Reflects on lessons in a thoughtful, accurate way citing specific evidence and using experiences to suggest alternate and/or improved strategies.
2. Maintains records (i.e. assessment data) in an accurate, honest, efficient, and effective manner while meeting timelines.
3. Partners with families, inclusive of cultural elements and provides families inviting opportunities to participate in the instructional program.
4. Participates in school-wide and district events and school improvement projects.
5. Pursues professional learning opportunities and initiates activities to contribute to the profession and are aligned with building and district goals and initiatives while seeking and using feedback from supervisors and colleagues.
6. Shows professionalism, dedication to the job duties assigned and displays the highest standards of ethical conduct
7. Complies with state laws, district policies, procedures and guidelines, school expectations, and community expectations.
8. Maintains positive collaborative partnerships with all stakeholders (colleagues, supervisors, community members, students) leading to educational excellence for all students.
9. Punctual and regular attendance 

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
Bachelor's Degree in Education or a core subject area with course work that leads to licensure in the content area at an appropriate age level.
 
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES:  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. Regularly required to sit, stand (for prolonged time frames up to 6-8 hours), walk, talk, hear, operate a computer, hand-held learning devices, and other office equipment, reach with hands and arms, and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
 
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES:
Must possess and maintain or be eligible to hold a current Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction license at the level and the content they are teaching.
 
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Shall complete a physical examination as required by Wisconsin Statute 118.25. All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability.
 
Collaborative Source: New Teacher Center, Optimal Learning Environment