Elementary / Primary Social Studies Teacher

Social Studies Guide - Elementary/Primary

Dates: August 24 - November 28, 2026 (14 weeks)

Location: Jelsa, Croatia

About The Field School of Hvar

The Field School of Hvar is an independent enrichment program located in Jelsa, on the island of Hvar, Croatia. We bring together children ages 3 through 15 from around the world for a year-round academic program grounded in experiential learning, close reading, and deep engagement with literature, history, and the natural world. Small groups, meaningful work, and genuine community are at the heart of everything we do.

Our curriculum is organized based on a chronological story of Western human development. In the fall of 2026, we will be centered in pre-history and Ancient Greece.

About the Role

The Social Studies Guide will lead history and humanities labs for our Lower Primary (8 children ages 7 and 8) and Upper Primary (10 children ages 9 and 10) groups. You will meet with each group twice per week for afternoon sessions of approximately three hours each.

Each session begins with a read-aloud from a narrative history, followed by student narration. The second part of the lesson is hands-on, student-led group work: exploring the discipline of historical anthropology through a study of ancient clothing. Ultimately, learners will use what they glean from ancient civilizations to reimagine their own apparel through our Zero-Kilometer Schoolwear project. Your role is to anchor the session in historical context, teach children how to conduct research, and guide the conversation between study and practice.

Social Studies Program

Central Question

The guiding inquiry — shared with the older groups across the school — is: what is beauty? How have human beings throughout history used personal appearance to navigate social belonging? Elementary learners approach this question concretely, through observation and making, while allowing space for more personal and philosophical reflections. The practicum work is the primary vehicle for this inquiry.

The fall will center on the island’s earliest inhabitants: mesolithic hunter-gatherers, neolithic early farmers, Illyrian tribesman, and finally Greek colonists, who established the town of Pharos, now called Stari Grad. The island is rich with material evidence of this period - in the UNESCO-protected ager landscape, museum holdings, and ruins.

Session Structure

Each three-hour afternoon session follows a consistent rhythm, with companion activities calibrated by age level:

• 30 minutes: Read-aloud from Story of the World, accompanied by a coloring sheet connected to the civilization or event discussed
• 60 minutes: Critical Thinking — research and design thinking related to schoolwear project
• 60 minutes: Craft/Experiential — developing prototypes using techniques (sewing, natural dyes, simple construction) based on historical practices
• 30 minutes: Student narration and discussion

Schedule and Responsibilities

Teaching Days

The school day runs 9:00am–4:00pm. Social Studies and Biology practica take place from 1:00pm–4:00pm, preceded by a faculty hour from 12:00 - 1:00pm. During the faculty hour, teachers manage documentation, communicate with the administrative team, and prepare materials for the following day.

On Fridays, you will help students prepare and present a brief summary of the week’s work for parents. This is a valued part of how we keep families connected to their children’s learning.

Non-Teaching Day

One day each week (equivalent to one day in five) is reserved for non-teaching work, divided among three activities:

• Planning and administration — curriculum preparation, collaboration with other guides and specialist fellows, and coordination with the administrative team
• Workshop for local children — a free or low-cost offering for children from the Jelsa community who are enrolled in Croatian public school and cannot participate in the full program
• Workshop for community adults — open to Field School parents and local adults, connecting the school’s activities to a wider audience

Assessment and Documentation

There is no formal grading. Instead, you will be expected to:

• Conduct entry and exit skill and knowledge assessment to support internal planning
• Maintain ongoing observational notes on each student’s development
• Issue a brief weekly summary of work covered with each group
• Contribute to ongoing program assessment — what’s working, what needs adjustment

The administrative team manages parent communication, disciplinary matters, and family concerns. Teachers are not expected to interface with parents beyond the Friday presentations, community workshops, and everyday pleasantries. Our communication policies are described in detail in the staff handbook.

About You

We are looking for someone who brings several of the following:

• A contagious love of history and the ability to bring the ancient world to life for young children
• Confidence reading aloud to a group and facilitating the narration and discussion that follow
• Interest in project-based learning.
• Comfort in leading student research.
• Eagerness to teach craft skills and supporting open-ended student creativity.
• Warmth and adaptability within a small, close-knit school community

This is an ideal role for a specialist in living history, a museum educator, classicist, an art or craft teacher, a Destination Imagination or Odyssey of the Mind coach, or a classroom history teacher.

Other Details

• Fluency in English is required. Croatian is not required but warmly welcomed.
• This position can be combined with another part-time role in order to create a full-time position, if that is of interest.
• We are open to hiring on a permanent basis.
• Benefits: All benefits and protections in accordance with Croatian law
• Right to work: Candidates must have the legal right to work in the European Union
• For more information about our program, visit www.fieldschoolhvar.org

All benefits and protections in accordance with Croatian law.

Up to two full scholarships for children or close relatives attending the program.

English fluency is essential.