Geosystems Instructor, Honors and Advanced Topics in Virginia

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has a full-time position for a Geosystems Instructor, including Honors and advanced topics.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was founded in 1985 as one of the first public STEM magnet schools in the county. Since its founding TJ has served the gifted students of Northern Virginia with an innovative curriculum and advanced instruction from talented and creative teachers. TJHSST is now seeking full and part-time instructors of Honors Geosystems that will sustain and expand this innovative curriculum for gifted students into the next generation.

Fundamentally, candidates should have a very strong background in Geophysical Systems content knowledge. Competitive candidates should have several years of experience teaching at the high school or university level as well as experience either conducting or mentoring students through Geoscience related research. Candidates should be able to teach an advanced, first year course in calculus based Geosystems with GIS. We are looking for strong communicators who can articulate science content, the connections among scientific disciplines, and modern science pedagogy to students, parents, and other teacher collaborators on the Geosystems team and across disciplinary lines.

The Geosystems course at our school is the capstone science course incorporating material in the earth, atmospheric, and oceanic sciences. The course is intended to apply, exercise, and extend students' prior experience in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Learning objectives includes lecture, lab(including ArcGIS and Stella simulations), seminars, and projects.

We will be collecting resumes from January through early March; candidates will be invited for interviews shortly thereafter.

Required Skills/Certifications
- Bachelors Degree in Geosystems, Geochemistry, Atmospheric Chemistry, Oceanography, Physics, or related fields
- Proficiency in all or some of the following:

o ArcGIS
o Stella
o MATLAB
o Python/Jupyter Notebooks
o Mathematica
o Other computer language

- Strong interpersonal skills
- Ability to work on a team
- Ability to work in a diverse environment
- Teaching Certification in Commonwealth of Virginia or willingness to become certified .

Additional Skills/Certifications
- Advanced Degree in a Geoscience related field
- Experience conducting research or mentoring students through a formal research process.
- Experience in Geosystems curriculum design and evaluation.
- Experience working with gifted/advanced students in an accelerated system.

Steps to Apply

1. Apply to Fairfax County Public Schools via: https://www.fcps.edu/careers/building-future/instructional-personnel-employment-opportunities
2. Email SciTech Division Manager Mark Hannum (mshannum@fcps.edu) with your resume and cover letter. Your cover letter should address your experiences and skills in relation to this job description.