A Wonderful Workplace

I’ve worked in places where the expectations and support for students was 100 percent different from the expectations and support for teachers, which I found stressful. Here at McLean there’s consistent messaging and a growth mindset among administrators, teachers, and students alike.

Learn more about the McLean Method – and its applicability to our hiring, evaluation, and professional development.

Read Our Elements of Strong Teaching

Commitment to Diversity and Equity

McLean School’s commitment to diversity/equity is an extension of our mission to make education accessible, stimulating, and meaningful to a broad range of learners. McLean embraces diversity and values the integrity of all individuals. We offer equitable opportunity to learn from the wealth that diversity renders to all community members in the recognition of differences of ethnicity, race, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sexual orientation, or gender. This recognition enriches our community and encourages our students to be better leaders and more responsible citizens. We believe that our students will acquire an appreciative sensitivity to different people and cultures and that they will be more secure in themselves and better prepared to enjoy the richness and possibilities of the wonderfully diverse world they will inherit.

Toward this end, McLean School commits itself to:

Continue to develop a school culture and curricula that will teach our students both the skills and the sensibilities necessary for living in a world of change and difference;
Achieve an educationally enriching level of diversity in the student body, the faculty, staff, and the Board of Trustees; and
Provide the resources and support needed to secure the self-esteem of every child.

The School expects that all community members will support diversity/equity at McLean School, just as the School expects that all community members will benefit from that work.

Non-Discrimination

McLean School is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions, including those related to recruitment, hiring, training, retention and promotion on the basis of an individual’s ability and job-related qualifications and without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other classification proscribed and protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Current Employment Opportunities

Middle School Counselor

McLean School seeks applicants for a Middle School (grades 5-8) Counselor beginning in August 2021.

McLean School is an independent, co-educational, K-12 day school in Potomac, Maryland serving the Washington, DC metropolitan area. McLean School has for over sixty-five years been helping bright students realize their full potential by providing a comprehensive college preparatory program that emphasizes small classes and differentiated instruction. Through our Abilities Model®, we embrace both traditional learners and ones with mild to moderate learning challenges. We recognize and teach to individual strengths, responding to areas of challenge, but never defining students by them. Applicants will subscribe to our Core Values, our Mission, and our Philosophy, and will seek passionately to uphold and promote them.

We are seeking an individual to work with students and offer social, emotional, and behavioral support with the goal of helping students succeed in Middle School. The Middle School Counselor works as a part of a multidisciplinary team to establish rapport and support wellness with Middle School students and families. Responsibilities include:

promoting self-advocacy and self-awareness among students;
supporting the growth of students’ interpersonal relationships and skills;
coping with crisis situations;
addressing social and emotional issues with students as they arise, as well as proactively working with students with known social and emotional challenges to build skills;
facilitating communication between families, teachers, and administrators regarding social and emotional functioning of students. This includes:
- liaising with health care professionals;
- conferencing with parents;
- supporting teachers; and
- collaborating with Coordinator of Social-Emotional Programming to implement a pro-social curriculum in the classroom.

An advanced degree in school counseling, social work, or psychology, and a deep commitment to student social-emotional growth, are required. Experience working with students with learning challenges, ADHD, and/or school anxiety is preferred. Interested candidates should send a résumé and cover letter to Head of Middle School, David Roth at droth@mcleanschool.org.

K-12 Master Reading Coordinator

McLean School seeks applications for a Master Reading Coordinator beginning in August 2021 to work in K-12.

McLean School, a K-12 co-educational independent school in Potomac, Maryland, seeks applicants for the full-time position for a Master Reading Coordinator to begin August 2021. McLean School has for over sixty-five years been helping bright students realize their full potential by providing a comprehensive college preparatory program that emphasizes small classes and differentiated instruction. Through our Abilities Model®, we embrace both traditional learners and ones with mild to moderate learning challenges. We recognize and teach to individual strengths, responding to areas of challenge, but never defining students by them. Many of our students are diagnosed with dyslexia or other language-based learning challenges, and a strong, research-based reading program supports their learning.

The Master Reading Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing the K-12 reading program. Responsibilities include:

Observing implementation and current practices and making recommendations to the Division Heads and Head of School as to which reading practices should be continued, expanded, modified, added, or deleted;
Observing and collaborating with faculty to support teaching of reading;
Proposing, and where appropriate, leading All-School and/or Division-Specific Professional Development to share research findings and new ideas with faculty;
Working with small groups of students to offer remediation and strategies to improve reading skills; and
Mentoring Lower School and Middle School Reading Specialists

The ideal candidate exhibits an understanding of and an appreciation for students with a broad range of learning profiles, as well as a deep knowledge in special education and reading instruction. Most importantly, the Master Reading Coordinator will subscribe to our Core Values, our Mission, and our Philosophy and will seek to uphold and promote them. Interested candidates should send a cover letter, résumé, and educational philosophy to Head of Middle School, David Roth at droth@mcleanschool.org.

K-12 Teachers’ Aides

McLean School seeks applicants for the part-time and full-time Teacher’s Aides positions for kindergarten to grade 12. The teacher’s aide will monitor classroom behavior, set up appropriate technology, and assist in tasks as indicated by the classroom teacher to begin immediately. McLean School has for sixty-five years been helping bright students realize their full potential by providing a comprehensive college preparatory program that emphasizes small classes and differentiated instruction. Through our Abilities Model®, we embrace both traditional learners and ones with mild to moderate learning challenges. We recognize and teach to individual strengths, responding to areas of challenge, but never defining students by them.

Most importantly, successful candidates will subscribe to our Core Values, our Mission, and our Philosophy and will seek to uphold and promote them.

Interested applicants should send a résumé and cover letter to Director of Student and Community Wellness, Frankie Engelking, at fengelking@mcleanschool.org.

Substitute Teachers

McLean School (mcleanschool.org), a K-12 co-educational independent school in Potomac, Maryland, seeks applicants for Substitute Teachers immediately. McLean School will be providing hybrid learning beginning Monday, October 26.

McLean School has for sixty-five years been helping bright students realize their full potential by providing a comprehensive college preparatory program that emphasizes small classes and differentiated instruction. Through our Abilities Model®, we embrace both traditional learners and ones with mild to moderate learning challenges. We recognize and teach to individual strengths, responding to areas of challenge, but never defining students by them.

This position requires a candidate that can teach to a diverse population of students who possess a wide range of learning strengths and challenges. Most importantly, the McLean Substitute Teacher will subscribe to our Core Values, our Mission, and our Philosophy.

Interested applicants should send a résumé to fengelking@mcleanschool.org.

It’s no surprise that McLean’s teachers and staff are as happy to be here as the students we teach: we all feel supported in our efforts to learn, stretch and grow. It’s a culture that can be hard to come by… which is one reason our faculty tends to stick around! Here are a few of the other reasons:

Reason #1McLean “Magic”

There’s something about this place that’s hard to put into words, but you know it when you feel it. An energy, a culture, a certain type of confidence that comes from having a job you love and being surrounded by people who feel the same way.

Reason #2Our Mentorship Program

You’re always encouraged to change and modify your approach based on what is best for each child. And you don’t have to figure that out all on your own. There’s a wealth of resources from mentor teachers who support you all the way.

Reason #3Flexibility in What We Teach and How We Teach It

Teaching the way kids learn requires flexibility you won’t find in most school settings. And it’s one thing to say ‘hey, do what you need to do,’ but another to actually provide the structure and professional support to make that possible. And knowing I have the trust and confidence of my colleagues means everything to me.

Reason #4Professional Perks

We work hard, but we get to have fun, too. We are fully encouraged to enjoy the weight room, yoga, fitness classes, mindfulness programs, our wonderful lunch offerings, and more. This is a place that supports us fully: mind, body, and soul!

Reason #5Location

Our proximity to DC opens up experiential learning opportunities and is just a great place in general to live. From the Smithsonian to Congress, free cultural events, and parks, the Greater Washington area is packed with places and programs that enrich my professional and personal experiences.

Reason #6We Prioritize Professional Development

This is a culture of learning, and that includes the faculty. When it comes to professional development, McLean is generous and encouraging. It creates a sense of excitement, like we’re incubating new ideas all the time and making our best practices even better. As an educator, I couldn’t ask for more.