Pre-Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Position Summary

The Pre-Kindergarten Lead Teacher leads a faith-centered classroom of four-year-olds, supporting their academic growth, character development, and Islamic identity. The role pairs play-based literacy and numeracy work — phonological awareness, letter knowledge, oral language, early counting and sorting, self-regulation — with Islamic values modeled throughout the day. 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, Early Childhood, or a related field).
• • 2+ years lead-classroom experience with PreK or Kindergarten.
• • Specialized training in early-childhood education or developmentally-appropriate practice.
• • North Carolina B-K or K-6 license, or in the process of obtaining one.
• • Experience working in an Islamic school or culturally diverse environment.

Key Focus Areas

Key Responsibilities

• • Plans and delivers grade-appropriate play-based, center-driven literacy and numeracy work.
• • Introduces all 26 English letters by sight and approximately 18 letter-sounds by year-end.
• • Builds phonological awareness through rhymes, syllable claps, and beginning-sound games.
• • Develops one-to-one counting to 20, numeral recognition to 10, sorting, and patterning.
• • Knows and applies NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development; develops lesson plans aligned to it.
• • 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 progress notes 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) at a developmentally appropriate level — Arabic, Islamic Studies, and Quran are taught daily as core curriculum, not specials.
• • Manages family-style snack as a teaching moment for sharing, etiquette, and language.
• • Supervises rest period and supports independence in bathroom and dressing routines.
• • 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.
• • 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 early-childhood 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.