Overview
We are seeking a passionate, credentialed Lower Elementary Co-Guide to join our team. At Hillsboro, our classroom guides are true partners — both co-guides share responsibility for a mixed-age classroom community of students ages 6–9, collaborating on planning, shared vision, and the ongoing work of knowing each child deeply.
In this role, you will plan and deliver authentic Montessori lessons rooted in the Great Lessons and the emerging second plane; support the transition from concrete to abstract across mathematics, language, and cultural subjects; observe and track individual student progress across the three-year cycle; maintain a carefully prepared environment; and build strong relationships with families navigating their child’s first years in elementary.
Lower Elementary students are in one of the most dynamic transitions in development — imagination is catching fire, the reasoning mind is beginning to stir, independence is expanding, and the capacity for real community life is taking hold. If you love this plane — the explosion into culture, the growing moral awareness, the child who arrived still very much a six-year-old and leaves ready to take on the world — this community is for you.
This is a full-time position joining a school community that is purposeful, growing, and deeply committed to doing Montessori right. You will have the support of a genuine co-guide partner, an engaged faculty, dedicated leadership, and families who are true partners in their children’s education.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required
- AMS or AMI Montessori credential for Upper Elementary (ages 6-9)
- Deep understanding of and genuine commitment to Montessori philosophy and the
second plane of development - Reflective practice — a habit of observing, learning, and growing as an educator
- Collaborative spirit and strong communication with colleagues and families
Preferred
- Minimum 5 years of Montessori classroom experience (credential is the priority; strong
candidates with less experience are encouraged to apply) - Holding both Lower and Upper Elementary credentials is a plus
- Experience facilitating going-out experiences, long-cycle research, and student-led
projects - Experience working in a co-guide or collaborative, equal-partnership teaching model
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive private Montessori school salary, commensurate with credentials and
experience - 100% employer-paid health and dental insurance for employees; 50% for family
members - 50% tuition benefit for employee children attending The Hillsboro School
- Relocation assistance available and negotiable for the right candidate
- A close-knit, mission-driven community entering an exciting new chapter with a new
campus
Please submit the following to cedwards@thehillsboroschool.org or call (205) 864-7330:
- Cover letter describing your Montessori philosophy, your relationship to the second
plane of development, and what draws you to Hillsboro - resume
- Copy of AMS or AMI credential
- Three professional references
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply promptly.
We look forward to welcoming a guide who believes, as we do, that when students are known,
respected, and given work that honors where they are developmentally — they rise to meet it.
Who We Are
The Hillsboro School is an intentionally human developmental community — a place where
children are respected as whole people, adults engage in reflective practice, independence
is cultivated gradually and intentionally, work is meaningful, community responsibility
matters, and learning is connected to real life, real people, and real purpose.
Founded in 2017 and located in Helena, Alabama, Hillsboro is a nonprofit Montessori
community serving students from early childhood through secondary levels. We are
growing — both in enrollment and in the depth of our program — and are completing a
new campus purposefully designed to support authentic Montessori learning environments.
Families consistently describe Hillsboro as a place where students ask hard questions, take
on real responsibility, and do work that genuinely matters — where teachers truly know
each child and where curiosity, moral reasoning, and character are developed alongside
strong academic skills. We are accredited through AISA and deeply committed to authentic
Montessori implementation.
Our Approach
At Hillsboro, education is not a one-size-fits-all process. Our core beliefs shape everything
we do:
Development is not linear — we meet each child where they are
The environment itself teaches — the prepared classroom is central to learning
The reasoning mind is honored — Upper Elementary students are capable of
sophisticated inquiry, moral thinking, and sustained research
Relationships are foundational — students, guides, and families are genuine partners
Authenticity matters — in our Montessori practice and in our community culture
