Teaching at an Independent School

There are more than 80,000 professionals teaching at independent schools today who have traveled many paths to become educators. Many have come directly from college or graduate school, others have 20 years of classroom experience or teach in fields where they previously worked. This range of backgrounds brings a healthy balance of new perspectives. Here are several reasons individuals choose to teach at an independent school:

Students come to school prepared to learn.
Close-knit school communities actively support achievement.
Teachers have the flexibility and autonomy they need.
Teachers are supported and respected by colleagues and school heads.
Parents are actively engaged.
Independent school teachers make a difference. The intimate learning environments at independent schools allow teachers to communicate consistent goals to their students and collaborate more effectively with their colleagues on raising student achievement.
Independent school teachers have autonomy and flexibility in their classrooms. 68% say they have a lot of influence on establishing curriculum and setting student performance standards. They identify each student’s learning style and design creative learning experiences—making it possible to customize teaching approaches to support student growth and performance.
Independent school teachers impact the development of their students. They are idealistic and passionate about teaching, have expertise in one or more fields of study, and are eager to motivate students to be enthusiastic about learning. They play a critical role in helping students develop not only intellectually, but also as responsible, independent, community-oriented individuals.