Hockaday Seeks to Hire Assistant Director of Debate and Forensics
A few weeks ago, we posted a job listing on behalf of The Hockaday School for a new Director of Debate and Forensic Activities. They are now looking to hire an assistant. Below is a message from Cathy Murphree, the Assistant Head for Academic Affairs and Provost.
Available Position: Assistant Director of Debate and Forensic Activities, Interim Position 2014-2015
Department: Fine Arts
Date Posted: April 8, 2014
Start Date: August 2014
The Hockaday School is an independent, college preparatory day and boarding school for girls of strong potential and diverse backgrounds who may be expected to assume positions of responsi- bility and leadership in a rapidly changing world. With an enrollment of more than 1,000 students, The Hockaday School is the nation’s largest pre-kindergarten through grade 12 independent girls’ school. Ranked among the country’s finest college preparatory schools, it was founded over a century ago and continues today to build on its original four cornerstones: Scholarship, Character, Courtesy, and Athletics.
The Hockaday School is seeking a full-time Assistant Director of Debate and Forensic Activities, Middle and Upper Schools, interim for the the 2014-2015 school year. The Hockaday School educates young women to assume positions of responsibility and leadership in a rapidly changing, interconnected world. Hockaday teachers strongly support single-gender education and understand how girls learn best. They value and respect their col- leagues, further School-wide, divisional, and departmental goals, and demonstrate a commitment to the ideals expressed in the Tenets of Faculty Excellence.
POSITION DESCRIPTION:
The Hockaday School Debate program has a strong tradition and has historically earned top ratings and been highly visible at the national level. The successful candidate will lead a program with the following goals:
To support students in becoming life-long, persuasive communicators with highly developed skills in listening, argumentation, analysis, and oral delivery
To allow students to understand and take both sides of an issue while always appreciating the context, the practical realities, and the moral underpinnings of what they argue or present
To develop students’ confidence to speak up with conviction, advocating for themselves and for others, including those who have no voice
To promote high standards of research and intellectual preparation that allow each student’s assertions to be made with conviction
To utilize debate and extemporary speaking skills as preparation for roles of leadership and dedicated community service
To join other programs in the School in supporting critical thinking, richness of language, the power of rhetoric and effective public speaking, and a passion for philosophical inquiry
QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:
The ideal candidate will hold at minimum a Bachelors degree; have several years experience debating or coaching debate with the primary focus of Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum; be willing to travel to local, regional, and national competitions; and have extensive experience coaching and mentoring students while building their confidence and expertise. He/she will be dedicated to and enjoy working with students in and out of the classroom and to building an effective working relationship with the Director, supporting team travel arrangements and assisting with communications with parents. This full-time position will involve teaching debate classes, analyzing cases, coaching practice rounds, and chaperoning students on debate trips. The Assistant Director will also help organize and host Hockaday’s Debate Tournament in November.
Hockaday teachers also serve as advisors to small groups of students and are expected to be involved with students in co- and extracurricular activities, as well as in the life of the School community.
Qualified candidates should send a cover letter, a résumé, statement of philosophy, and copies of college transcripts via email to:
Christi Finegan
The Hockaday School
11600 Welch Road Dallas, TX 75229
recruitment@hockaday.org