Class 5-6 Teacher

Rockport, Maine

Full Time

Ashwood Waldorf School

Class 5-6 Teacher

Job Category: Lower School: Grades 1-5 and Middle School: Grades 6-8

Opening Statement

Ashwood Waldorf School, a parent–child through grade 8 Waldorf school in beautiful Midcoast Maine, seeks a full-time Class 5–6 teacher to join our grades faculty beginning Fall 2026.

We are looking for an experienced, Waldorf-trained teacher to take up a combined fifth/sixth grade class with warmth, steadiness, imagination, and strong classroom leadership. The right colleague will be someone who loves the class teacher role, understands the developmental needs of children, and is able to work creatively within a collaborative faculty culture.

This is a lively developmental stage, as children move from the skill-building and harmony of the lower grades toward the increasing independence, inquiry, and social complexity of the upper grades.

About

Founded in 1986, Ashwood is a small, established Waldorf school preparing to celebrate its 40th anniversary in October 2026. Our campus sits on 30 wooded hillside acres in Rockport, with views of the nearby Camden Hills. The grade school building offers spacious, light-filled classrooms that open directly onto a wooded play yard and trail network. Our school serves approximately 80 students from early childhood through eighth grade, allowing teachers to know children and families deeply.

Our grade school is organized in combined classes, with lower grades and upper grades teaching teams. This structure invites close collaboration among colleagues and offers rich possibilities for differentiated, imaginative, and relational teaching. Grade school teachers regularly support one another’s classes, share curriculum work, and help hold the life of the grade school as a whole.

Our faculty is guided by shared commitments: to grow and develop individually and as a school; to work mindfully; to teach creatively and with love; and to nurture a supportive, engaged, and active community. Ashwood offers a strong in-house mentoring program, and experienced Waldorf mentors visit regularly. The Camden/Rockport area also supports ongoing anthroposophical study and a wider community of Waldorf colleagues and friends.

Ashwood is located in Rockport, Maine, between Camden and Rockland, in a region known for its extraordinary coastline, working harbors, farms, forests, and vibrant cultural life. Nearby harbors are home to windjammers, yachts, and working fishermen. Outdoor opportunities include hiking, sailing, skiing, camping, and exploring the islands and coastline of Penobscot Bay. The Midcoast is also home to artists, craftspeople, farms, alternative health practitioners, and a strong network of community-based cultural organizations.

Ashwood may be a good fit for a teacher seeking meaningful work in a small Waldorf school and a rooted life in coastal Maine.

Essential Job Duties

The Class 5–6 teacher is responsible for carrying the daily life of a combined fifth/sixth grade class in alignment with Waldorf pedagogy and the developmental needs of the students.

Essential duties include:

Teaching main lesson blocks and core academic subjects appropriate to Class 5–6
Planning and preparing curriculum, classroom activities, projects, and assessments
Creating a beautiful, purposeful, and developmentally appropriate classroom environment
Holding the social, emotional, and behavioral life of the class with warmth and healthy authority
Working creatively with the mixed-age class structure
Communicating clearly and professionally with parents and caregivers
Collaborating with lower grades and upper grades colleagues
Participating in faculty meetings, child study, mentoring, festivals, and school events
Supporting the life of the grade school and the wider school community
Engaging in ongoing professional development and reflective practice

Qualifications

The colleague we seek will bring:

A passion for Waldorf education and the class teacher role
Waldorf teacher training and successful classroom teaching experience
Experience teaching in the grades, preferably including upper elementary or middle grades
Strong classroom leadership and healthy authority
Warmth, creativity, and care for children’s social and emotional development
The ability to work collaboratively within a close-knit faculty team
Skill in communicating with parents clearly and professionally
A willingness to participate in the life of the school beyond the classroom
Openness to teaching in a mixed-age class setting

Employment Details

This is a full-time position beginning Fall 2026.

Ashwood offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience and training, along with a robust benefits package, including:

Dental insurance
Contribution toward health insurance
100% tuition remission for enrolled children
Short-term disability insurance
Life insurance
Faculty development and mentoring support

Employment is contingent upon satisfactory background checks.