Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Position Summary

The Kindergarten Lead Teacher leads five-year-olds through the year that turns a preschooler into a student. The role spans the phonics launch, foundational number sense, sentence-level writing, and the establishment of school routines, all integrated within the Islamic values that shape Al-Razi School. The teacher partners with the Quran, Arabic, and Islamic Studies specialist to keep classroom routines spiritually consistent. Al-Razi is an Islamic school — not a school that Muslims happen to attend — and faith is an integral part of every school day.

Hours: 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

Qualifications

Required

• • Prior classroom teaching experience (private, public, homeschool, daycare, or educational setting).
• • Strong classroom management and instructional skills.
• • Commitment to supporting an Islamic learning environment and the school's mission.
• • Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• • Ability to work effectively with students, staff, and families.
• • Authorization to work in the US (we do not sponsor employment authorization).

Preferred

• • Bachelor's degree (Education or a related field).
• • 2+ years lead-classroom experience teaching Kindergarten or early elementary.
• • Structured-literacy training (LETRS, Orton-Gillingham, FUNdations, Heggerty, or similar).
• • North Carolina K-6 teaching license, or in the process of obtaining one.
• • Experience working in an Islamic school or culturally diverse environment.

Key Focus Areas

Key Responsibilities

• • Teaches all letter-sound correspondences; blends CVC words with magnetic letters and decodable readers.
• • Builds a high-frequency word bank to approximately 50 words by year-end.
• • Develops number sense to 100; teaches addition and subtraction within 10 with concrete objects.
• • Models and assesses sentence-level writing: capital, finger space, end punctuation.
• • Establishes morning meeting routines: greeting, calendar, weather, attendance.
• • Builds reading and listening stamina over the year (5 minutes in September → 20+ in May).
• • Conducts running records starting mid-year to inform guided-reading groupings.
• • Knows and applies the NC Standard Course of Study and Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten; develops lesson plans aligned to them.
• • Conducts formative and summative assessment routinely by teachers and administration; adjusts instruction in a timely manner.
• • Differentiates instruction across reading levels, math fluency, and home-language background.
• • Submits weekly lesson plans, mid-quarter check-ins, and quarterly report cards on time.
• • Collaborates with grade-level peers and subject specialists on a regular and as-needed basis.
• • Supports the daily special-rotations block (PE, Art, Library/Media) — Arabic, Islamic Studies, and Quran are taught daily as core curriculum, not specials.
• • Establishes a safe, orderly classroom and a culture grounded in akhlaq — character formation modeled after the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) — using a graduated, restorative approach to classroom behavior. Public shame and physical discipline are not used.
• • Walks students to wudu and leads in-class Dhuhr prayer daily.
• • Reinforces Islamic etiquette throughout the day — eating, greeting, bathroom, cleanliness, and the discipline of leaving every space in a better state than it was found.
• • Communicates daily with parents through school-approved channels.
• • Participates in school-wide events: open houses, Eid celebrations, family nights, end-of-year program.
• • Open to feedback from administration and peers. Participates in professional development.
• • Other duties as assigned by the Head of School.

Personal Attributes

• • Demonstrates professionalism, patience, and compassion.
• • Serves as a positive Islamic role model for students.
• • Organized, flexible, and solution-oriented.
• • Passionate about student development and lifelong learning.

Faith Expectations

Lead teachers are not required to be practicing Muslims. However, all faculty are expected to respect the school’s Islamic mission, support daily prayer and Islamic etiquette in the classroom, and adhere to the dress and conduct standards in the Staff Handbook.

Work Environment

Al-Razi is an Islamic school — not a school that Muslims happen to attend. True to our mission, Islamic principles are integrated with academic subjects so that faith and learning advance together.

Faculty collaborate closely with administration and colleagues to promote academic excellence while cultivating an environment grounded in Islamic values and community partnership.

Compensation & Benefits

• • Salary: competitive, based on experience and credentials.
• • Benefits: paid school-year holidays and breaks (including Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha), professional-development budget, and tuition discount for staff children enrolled at Al-Razi School.