Purpose of This Position

Teaching at Toledo Junior Academy is a calling before it is a career. The Upper Elementary Teacher carries the sacred responsibility of restoring the image of God in each child entrusted to their care, whether through a math lesson, a moment of redemptive discipline or the quiet consistency of a well-ordered classroom. This is a ministry. We are looking for someone who knows the difference.

We seek a servant-leader who brings academic excellence and genuine spiritual conviction into the same room. Oftentimes the most transformative teachers are not the most credentialed ones. They are the ones who simply refuse to give up on a child.

Position Overview

Position: Upper Elementary Classroom Teacher (Grades 4-6) Location: Toledo Junior Academy, Toledo, Ohio Reports to: School Principal Employment Type: Full-Time, 10-Month Contract Start Date: August 2025

Toledo Junior Academy is a small, tightly-knit Seventh-day Adventist school community within the Ohio Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Every member of our faculty carries tremendous weight and tremendous opportunity.

Character and Conduct

The candidate we hire must be a committed, baptized member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in regular standing. Character is caught far more often than it is taught, and our students are watching everything. All conduct must adhere to the professional ethics, dress code and contractual obligations outlined in the Ohio Conference Educator Handbook and Toledo Junior Academy Teacher Handbook.

Our Upper Elementary Teacher must actively model and instruct students in four pillars we hold as non-negotiable: decorum and manners, reflecting Christian grace and social order in everything from classroom routines to how students address one another; grit, walking alongside students through difficulty rather than rescuing them from it; collaboration, building classroom experiences in which students learn to listen, disagree respectfully and create together; and self-motivation, cultivating intrinsic drive by asking questions that open doors rather than delivering answers that close them.

The Upper Elementary Teacher plans and delivers faith-integrated daily instruction across core subjects, maintains accurate student records and parent communication, participates in faculty devotionals and school-wide ministry, and collaborates with the principal on curriculum and student support. In a small school, willingness to serve beyond the classroom, whether through chapels, student activities or community events, is not optional. It is part of who we are.

Required:

• Current NAD Teacher Certification or active eligibility to obtain it within the Ohio Conference timeline
• Bachelor's degree in Education or related field; Master's preferred
• Seventh-day Adventist Church membership in regular standing
• Successful completion of a background check per Ohio Conference requirements

Preferred:

• Experience in a small-school or multi-grade Seventh-day Adventist setting
• Familiarity with North American Division curriculum standards 
• Involvement in extracurricular ministry or youth programming