Job Description

Background/IRC Summary: Since 1999, the IRC has developed partnerships with New York City public schools, community-based organizations and local colleges and universities to support the positive development of refugee youth and their communities in New York City.  The Education and Learning Program provides year-round programming working directly with refugee youth, their parents and families, and their schools.

Job Overview/Summary: The Newcomer Youth Summer Academy (NYSA) is a six-week program focusing on preparing newly arrived refugee youth to succeed at their grade level in the New York City public school system. Up to 130 students from ages 5 – 21 from over 20 countries will participate in academic, creative arts, physical education, and social emotional learning classes. Field trips are held on Fridays.

Classroom Culture Lead Teachers play an important, highly visible role in the Newcomer Youth Summer Academy. Classroom Culture Lead Teachers work with a single class level throughout the program (K-1^st, 2^nd-3^rd, 4^th-5^th, 6^th-8^th, 9^th-10^th, or 11^th-12^th grades) providing support and continuity for their class throughout the day, week, and program. Grade level groupings are subject to change based on student enrollment demographics. Classroom Culture Lead Teachers are responsible for planning and leading daily mindfulness, facilitating small-group instruction as per the Academic Lead Teacher’s plans, working with students one-on-one, providing additional sheltered instruction support for multilingual learning, and for setting the bar and leading classroom culture, rituals, and routines.

Classroom Culture Lead Teachers are directly responsible for driving classroom culture and behavior management in alignment with Academy philosophy and classroom guidelines.  Classroom Culture Lead Teachers are primarily responsible for leading their classroom Peer Mentors and they play a critical role in ensuring consistent, timely communication among Academic Lead Teachers, Peer Mentors, Administration, and students’ families.

In addition, Classroom Culture Lead Teachers are responsible for observing, assessing, recording, and monitoring students’ individual progress on the IRC’s School Readiness goals.  This requires understanding of the IRC School Readiness indicators, gathering input from other staff to accurately assess individual students’ school readiness assets and needs, and fostering School Readiness growth through implementation of IRC’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Response to Intervention (RTI), and School Readiness Strategies.

Hours: 

·         Training: July 6^th , 7^th , 8^th : Up to 24 hours of training, 9:00AM – 5:00PM 

o    Foundational online training modules to be completed independently ahead of synchronous staff training dates 

·         Main Program: July 11^th – August 19^th, 2022: 7.5 hours per day plus 1 evening of parent/teacher conferences.  Expect 2-3 hours per week of additional external planning, grading, and assessment analysis. 

Major Responsibilities:

• Participate in the mandatory Teachers Meet & Greet (tentatively scheduled for June 23, 2022), planning sessions, pre-program All Staff trainings, and all program meetings and staff development activities, thereafter

·         Plan and lead (30 minutes x2 – x3, daily) whole-group mindfulness lessons

·         Lead weekly family-communication plan for all students in assigned class

·         With input from IRC Staff and the Academic Lead Teacher, assist in the implementation of a 6 week curriculum

·         Complete on pre- and post-School Readiness observational assessments for each student in assigned class

·         Collaborate with Academic Lead Teacher(s) in planning, coordinating classroom activities, and reviewing student progress

·         Lead classroom climate and culture in accordance with Academy philosophy and protocols

·         Drive management of volunteer Peer Mentors, young people who model effective student behavior and support students in the classroom

·         Manage dismissal protocols

·         Supervise students in cafeteria during breakfast in the event of an in-person program

·         Engage in instructional coaching cycles with the Dean of Instruction and/or the Dean of Student Support, as needed

·         Participate in weekly Classroom Culture Lead Teacher meetings lead by the Dean of Instruction, as well as all weekly whole-school events

·         Complete weekly progress reports and all required reporting on time. Comply with all IRC policies and protocols.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:  Youth Education Coordinator

Position directly supervises:  N/A

Indirect Reporting: N/A
Other Internal and/or external contacts: The Classroom Culture Lead Teacher drives guidance of Peer Mentors and will provide assessment data to the Education & Learning Manager.

Job Requirements:

·         Bachelor’s degree in Education or related field required; candidate for Master’s degree preferred

·         2+ years of classroom teaching experience, required

·         Experience teaching English Language Learners/multilingual learners is required

·         Experience teaching in New York City public schools is highly desirable

·         Strong classroom management skills and prior professional

·         Experience teaching social emotional learning, highly desirable

·         Experience working with refugee and/or immigrant populations, highly desirable

·         Ability to work independently and as part of a team

·         Highly organized, dependable, responsive, and collaborative work style

·         Fluency in written and spoken English required. Second language proficiency in relevant language highly desirable (including Spanish, French, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Arabic, Mandingo, Bambara, Wolof, Fulani, Tibetan, Russian, Urdu, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Burmese and Nepali)

·         Strength in cultural competency-building

·         Certification/experience with Responsive Classrooms or Classroom Mindfulness, highly desirable

Working Environment:  In the event of an in-person program, NYSA takes place in a centrally located public school (TBD) in New York City. In the event of a virtual program, NYSA will take place primarily on Zoom.  All applicants must be willing to relocate to New York City for the entirety of the Academy in the event of an in-person program.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires candidates who are selected for interview to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for this position.  

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity.  We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.  

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to Apply

Please go to our website and apply: https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/24505?c=rescue

Bureaus: New York. Job Categories: Part-Time. Job Types: Teacher.