Teacher Coach (Teacher) for innovative Mountainside, NJ learning hub (Part-time)
Job Description
Who we are
Prisma is a new kind of education company driven by a singular mission: to create the next generation the world needs. We safeguard kids’ curiosity; foster their designer’s mindset, initiative, and follow through; and equip them with problem solving, communication, collaboration, and ethical decision making skills they will need to thrive in the future.
Prisma combines the flexibility of hybrid learning, the socialization of a close-knit peer group that meets daily, the support of an inspiring learning coach and the personalization of an interests-based, adaptable curriculum. We base our workshops, coaches and curriculum in the cloud so Prisma learners can access their education wherever they want to be—in a physical learning hub with other Prisma learners, in the comfort of their own home or on the road. By being cloud-based, we can access the best coaches wherever they are, collate the best curriculum resources and technologies and, eventually, give Prisma learners access to the largest, most diverse learner community in the world.
We believe that every student deserves to love school, to be able to progress at their own pace, to pursue what interests them, to have a supportive peer group and to reach their full potential.
We are led by two repeat founders whose most recent venture was bought by Google in one of its most expensive acquisitions to date. We are a well and self-funded, mission-driven company focused on scalable and sustainable growth.
What the role is
At Prisma, kids are led by ‘Learning coaches,’ not teachers, and they learn via live video and interactive experiences, not classrooms and textbooks. Most of our learners are based at home and interact with Prisma in a fully virtual model. But in some locations, including Northern New Jersey, we have in-person ‘learning hubs’ where Prisma learners can show up each day to connect in person with their mentor coach, socialize, collaborate on projects and work towards meeting their individualized learning goals.
Our New Jersey hub is open from 9 am to 1 pm Monday through Friday, and learners can use the hub as often or as little as they like (though most do choose to come every day). Prisma learners at the in-person hub participate in virtual standups, live workshops and clubs with their virtual cohort (that way they still get the benefits of belonging to a full cohort of geographically diverse kids and of accessing all our great workshops and events in the cloud).
As the in-person Learning coach for our NJ hub, you’ll be a mentor and trusted adviser to a group of ~10-12 middle schoolers. You’ll help them to set and stay on top of goals, provide them with feedback on their work and just generally provide them with guidance and mentorship so they can achieve their personal best. You’ll also be asked to organize excursions and team activities once/month on Fridays. If you’ve ever dreamed of running your own little one-room schoolhouse, of having ample time to really mentor and bring out the best in a small group of learners and you desire a part-time job where you don’t have to take your work home with you at the end of the day, this could be your dream position. Our hub is housed in Mountainside, NJ in a building with other innovative microschools so you will be part of a broader community of teachers and students.
What you’ll do
- Manage and supervise an in-person learning hub for 10-15 4th-8th graders
- Provide structure to the learners’ day and ensure they use their time productively
- Help learners to set and meet their academic goals
- Provide advice and life coaching to your mentees
- Provide feedback to your mentees on their work
- Provide updates to parents and meet with them when concerns arise
- Support each learner as they prepare for successful adult lives
- Organize a once/month excursion (parents will provide transportation) or on-site team building activity and occasional meetups for Prisma learners in the broader area
Who the ideal candidate is
You are:
- Amazing at forming positive and motivating relationships with kids (experience with 4th-8th graders is a plus)
- Skilled at creating fun, engaging in-person learning environments that kids want to be a part of each day
- Engaging and know what it takes to make learning exciting and fun for kids
- Smart, intellectually curious, quick on your feet
- Experienced working with kids with special learning needs is a plus
- Great at providing advice, inspiration and mentorship to kids
- Adaptable, eager to learn, open to candid feedback and comfortable with change
- Comfortable with the rapid pace and constant change of a startup
- Very reliable and hard working
- Comfortable interacting with parents
- A creative, open-minded thinker who questions the status quo
- Passionate about alternative models of education
- Tech savvy and a strong believer in the power of technology to enhance kids’ learning
- Comfortable working in a distributed team (now and post-COVID) and desire a job with a high level of personal agency
Beyond possessing these skills, if you also exude these traits, we want to talk with you!
- Gutsy: Unafraid to speak up, take risks and think differently
- Humble: Quick to give credit and slow to pass blame
- Can-do: Optimistic, bring solutions, not problems, and always find a way
- Team player: Care about, respect, help and speak candidly with others
- Driven: Go above and beyond to achieve our mission
How we compensate
- Competitive hourly rate
- Holidays off
