Upper School Social Studies Teacher

Episcopal School of Acadiana is seeking a dynamic and engaging social studies teacher to teach upper school social studies, in particular, AP Government, civics, and U.S. history, but a wide range of history studies is preferred. Our Social Studies Department at ESA wishes to prepare its students to become adults with a profound understanding of their society and their own place in it while also providing as broad a historical perspective as possible.  This is best achieved by teaching students to view society as a whole by understanding how human beliefs and activities are interrelated.  Students will focus on the relationships between events, causes, and field of activity, rather than seeing them as independent of each other.  These relationships are taught by specific examples, cases, and situations from the past.  The goal in teaching history is not for students to merely learn events from the past, but to also develop the critical and analytical thinking skills that will allow them to succeed at the next level of their education.

U.S. history continues the abstract, broad, yet holistic approach established in the previous two years. It relies on the foundations in government, economics, and politics taught in the ninth and tenth grades, so that the emphasis can be on social and cultural issues. Issues discussed include the rights of the individuals, the formation and subsequent role of government, cultural and technological developments, economic regulations and foreign policy. This course also examines the ubiquitous, yet intangible American character. U.S. History requires a research paper.

Civics is a course designed to introduce students to U.S. Government, Constitutional Law, and the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens. This course involves the story of the United States Constitution and its amendments, as well as the structure of the U.S. government. Students will analyze different ways in which citizens interact with the government, including important roles that interest groups, mass media, political parties, and public opinion play in determining American political policy. Research skills and analytical writing will be emphasized, using a variety of primary and secondary sources. Political philosophy, economics, and civic values will be focuses of this class, allowing students to understand how decisions are made in the US by leaders who represent their interests. Course topics will also be applied to current events.

AP U.S. Government & Politics is a one-semester long course is a survey of American politics. It discusses political philosophies supporting the American political system, American political institutions, official and unofficial, and some prominent controversies, current and historical, in American political life. We will explore how individuals behave and participate in government, how political parties, interest groups and the media interact with government, how government formulates and implements public policy, and the historical development of both civil rights and liberties. This course hopes to answer the following fundamental questions: What role should government play in our lives? Who, or what, is actually exercising power? To what extent is this power being exercised? In the second semester, students take AP Macroeconomics.

Please visit the social studies course descriptions on our website, www.esacadiana.com, for further information on our upper school social studies classes.

The ideal candidate will engage students in a variety of ways to engender enthusiasm for the lessons, and he/she will embrace the idea of experiential learning.

A Bachelor’s degree is required, and a Master’s degree or higher is preferred.  ESA is accepting resumes from new teachers, but 3 or more years teaching experience is also a preference.

About Episcopal School of Acadiana

ESA is an independent PK3-12th grade school serving students from the seven-parish area of south Louisiana known as Acadiana. Our Lafayette Campus houses grades PK3 through 5, with a state-of-the-art classroom facility and an Enrichment Center that hosts art, music, language, technology, science, the library, and the learning center, as well as administrative offices. The Cade Campus, home to 6th through 12th grades, is a 100-acre rural site that once operated as a sugar mill. ESA’s academic program is recognized statewide, regionally, and nationally, and ESA alumni succeed in colleges and careers around the world. ESA employs individuals without regard to race, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or other characteristic as protected by federal, state, or local law.

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