Upper Elementary Montessori Guide (5-6)

Location: Smyrna, TN

Start Date: September 2025

Schedule: Part-time to Full-time

🌿 About Arbor Learning Lab

Arbor Learning Lab is a modern microschool for curious, creative, and capable learners in grades 4–12.

We combine Montessori principles with our unique STEAAM model—Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Agriculture, and Math—to create a hands-on, flexible learning environment rooted in real-world application.

Our studios sit on a working farm in Rutherford County, TN, where students learn by doing.

From robotics to artisan crafts, garden design to field science, every week is an opportunity to grow, explore, and connect. Students work at their own pace in mixed-age cohorts, guided by passionate educators and purposeful curriculum.

We serve diverse families looking for more from education:

  • Homeschoolers seeking community
  • Students looking for a personalized alternative to traditional school
  • Learners who thrive through movement, creativity, and project-based learning

Our multi-day, multi-pathway model supports both part-time and full-time learners, blending academic rigor with freedom and flexibility. Whether attending three or five days per week, all students experience:

  • Mastery-based learning
  • Socratic seminars and innovation projects
  • Friday field studies and community connection
  • STEAAM-powered, interdisciplinary work

At Arbor, we believe:

  • 🪴 Learning should feel like belonging
  • 📚 School should feel like freedom
  • 🌱 Every young person should be seen, supported, and stretched to become who they’re meant to be

What You’ll Do

  • Lead a mixed-age (5th–6th grade) classroom using Montessori methods

  • Facilitate interdisciplinary, hands-on learning across all core subjects

  • Use 3-period lessons, practical life, and student-led projects

  • Support students in developing independence, purpose, and executive functioning

  • Guide individualized academic plans and mastery-based assessments

  • Collaborate with families and fellow guides in a values-driven community

  • Integrate nature, outdoor learning, and community-based experiences

  • Foster a safe, inclusive space where every student belongs and thrives

What We’re Looking for:

  • Montessori Upper Elementary certification (AMI, AMS, MACTE) or enrolled in a training program

  • At least 2 years of teaching experience in Montessori, project-based, or progressive education settings

  • Deep understanding of child development and multi-age learning environments

  • Strong classroom management grounded in respect, structure, and freedom within limits

  • Experience supporting neurodiverse learners and differentiating instruction

  • Skilled at designing interdisciplinary, hands-on lessons aligned with Montessori principles

  • Passionate about nature-based learning, STEAAM education, and outdoor exploration

  • Excellent communicator who collaborates well with families and team members

  • Creative, self-directed, and flexible—comfortable in a startup school environment

  • Committed to Arbor’s core values: Belonging, Curiosity, Innovation, Purpose, and Equity

Our Core Values

At Arbor Learning Lab, our core values shape how we learn, lead, and live in community. These aren't just words—we practice them daily, in every classroom, field trip, and conversation.

🌱 Belonging

We create a learning environment where every student—and every guide—feels seen, safe, and supported. We foster strong relationships, celebrate identity, and cultivate a culture of inclusion.

🔍 Curiosity

We honor questions over answers. From goat care to robotics, we design learning experiences that spark wonder and empower students to explore the world around them.

⚡ Innovation

We believe in doing school differently. That means rethinking schedules, breaking out of traditional models, and using real-world experiences to fuel growth and purpose.

🎯 Purpose

We guide students to discover who they are, what they care about, and how they can use their gifts to make an impact—on the land, in their communities, and beyond.

⚖️ Equity

We work to ensure that all learners—especially those underserved in traditional systems—have access to meaningful education, personalized support, and joyful challenge.

Why Join Arbor?

  • Small group sizes and deep guide-student relationships
  • A peaceful, nature-rich learning environment on a working farm
  • Creative freedom to co-design curriculum rooted in Montessori and STEAAM
  • Flexibility to personalize learning and meet students where they are
  • A passionate, mission-aligned team committed to doing school differently
  • Opportunities to lead field experiences, innovation projects, and hands-on work
  • Startup energy: be part of building something from the ground up
  • A school culture that values peace, purpose, collaboration, and joy

Join a team of guides who believe education should feel like belonging—for both students and educators.

📬 Ready to Apply?

We’re excited to meet guides who feel called to co-create something meaningful.

To apply, please email us with the following:

  • Your resume
  • A short note introducing yourself and why you’re interested in Arbor Learning Lab

📧 Send to: hello@arborlearninglab.com
Subject line: "Upper Elementary Guide – [Your Name]"