Instructional Support Math Mentor Teacher (New York City Regional Institute 2018)
Job Description
Institute Team Summary
In the summer of 2018, Teach for America – New York will host its second regional Institute in partnership with Relay Graduate School of Education. Institute will provide students from across the city access to a rigorous and relevant summer program that will put them on an accelerated path to academic and personal success in the fall. To get there, we strive to create the conditions that empower our teachers to know students, cultivate community within their classrooms, engage students in rigorous and relevant content and challenge inequity throughout and long after their corps experience. Our teachers will experience credit-bearing graduate level courses taught by professors and master teachers that develop their pedagogical skills and deepen each teacher’s content knowledge through frequent, deliberate opportunities for practice, coaching from mentor teachers deeply steeped in the student-facing curriculum and New York City context, and Teaching for Educational Equity (TEE) Seminars that develop the mindsets and dispositions necessary to challenge, inspire, and support their students to be the leaders New York City needs. Upon completion of the six week NYC Institute, teachers emerge ready to learn and willing to engage in the wonderful challenges that education affords those who commit to the honorable profession.
As a part of this model, we seek to hire an outstanding team of Mentor Teachers (MTs). An MT’s primary purpose is to welcome corps members (CMs) into a community of NYC educators and serve as their primary coach during institute. MTs coach and mentor corps members in group and individual settings to develop their instructional judgment and maximize their impact on student achievement. MTs will work in collaboration with colleagues at their school site such as a Lead Mentor Teacher (who leads instructional sessions at each school site), two Directors, Programs (who facilitate Teaching for Educational Equity Seminars focused on Leadership- and Racial Identity- Development), and the Relay Faculty member (who leads sessions that teach foundational teacher knowledge and skills). Together, they will train and develop corps members in the knowledge, skills, and judgment necessary to become teachers who lead students to meaningful outcomes in academic and personal growth.
Teach for America seeks qualified individuals to serve as Mentor Teachers in all content areas and grade levels.
Scope of Role
Each Mentor Teacher works closely with one classroom and a cohort of 4-6 corps members. This role has a significant impact on their development as teachers and plays an important role in the achievement of their students. The Mentor Teacher operates as the teacher of record in the corps members’ classroom. Mentor Teachers are driven by the desire to continue learning as an educator and grow in their leadership of other teachers.
Responsibilities
Provide a rigorous and relevant summer school experience for students (30%):
- Work alongside corps members to set up and maintain a productive learning environment
- Internalize the student facing curriculum and model excellent teaching of the institute curriculum at designated points over the summer
- As the teacher of record, take responsibility for the outcomes of students and any summer school administrative tasks required by the summer school site
Coach and mentor teachers over the trajectory of their development over the summer (50%):
- Build one-on-one relationships with CMs and regularly prompting reflections such that CMs are aware of their growth over time
- Internalize the desired CM outcomes and use a variety of coaching methods to help CMs reach those outcomes
- Observe corps members’ classroom teaching and providing feedback and/or coaching aligned with the Relay coursework and TEE seminars through weekly debrief conversations and in-classroom coaching
- Providing planning support to corps members by reviewing corps members’ lesson plans and providing feedback and/or coaching at select times over the summer
Participate as a strategic member of your summer school team (20%):
- With other staff members, determine a plan of support for those CMs and determining which staff members are best-positioned to provide that support. For instance:
- 1-1 rehearsal time
- Co-teaching with a CM
- Connecting CMs to differentiated support from other staff members
- Assessing the impact of various intentions
- Engage actively in selected sessions led by Lead Mentor Teachers, Teaching for Educational Equity (TEE) Seminar Leaders, and Relay faculty (asking/answering questions throughout), as well as support them by:
- Collecting evidence of classrooms, taking anecdotal notes, communicating and identifying trends in corps member development to support facilitators in shaping Deliberate Practice, coursework, and TEE Seminars
- Productively aiding CM planning by working with a designated small group of CMs (based on grade-level/ subject, specificities of content, or skill) and accurately sharing observations, outcomes, and trends from that planning time with the Lead Mentor Teacher orTEE Facilitators, so that he/she can ensure sessions are data-driven and reflect corps member development needs
- Productively supporting practice teaching by observing subsets of CMs and offering feedback that is aligned to the core practices of focus and/or the unique needs of the individual CM in that moment
- Leverage your talents to respond to school-wide trends, which may include facilitating Differentiated Sessions or leading other school-wide or small-group initiatives
Ability to travel and participate during all components of institute is required for all staff members. This includes:
- Spring Training: From March 2018 – June 2018, ability to attend once a month weekend-long training conference, participate in weekly conference calls and check-ins, and complete related independent preparation.
- Summer Institute: From late June to mid August, ability to work some evening and weekend hours. While we strive to make the institute day as efficient as possible, Institute is a fast-paced environment and may require extended hours. This past summer, staff members in this role sometimes worked 11-12 hours a day.Skills
- Demonstrated ability to connect with adult learners quickly and build strong working relationships across lines of difference as well as ability to develop a strong group culture
- Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Strong knowledge and understanding of instructional practice in their content area
- Orientation to and experience with Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
- Effective verbal communication skills
- Entrepreneurial thinking, ability to make adjustments
- Ability to influence and motivate adult leaders
- Maintain positive outlook, flexibility, and sense of possibility in stressful situations
- An orientation towards social justice and desire to engage in conversations with others around issues pertaining to race
Approach to Work
- Excited about being a coach or resource for others
- Enjoys applying energies to developing others
- Enjoys being part of a team
- Ability to navigate ambiguity with openness and scrappiness!
- Deep commitment to Teach For America’s mission and Institute’s commitments to getting know students, engaging students in relevant and rigorous content, creating community, and challenging inequity
Experience
- Bachelor’s degree required
- New York State Teacher Certification Required
- Two years or more of teaching experience by the start of the institute required
- Quantifiable success as a classroom teacher, with demonstrated student success in academic, cultural, and personal growth outcomes
- Experience working with new teachers in professional development settings, including observing other teachers and giving feedback and facilitating group discussions required
Benefits and Compensation
Mentor Teacher compensation is competitive, and may varies depending on previous institute experience. Teach For America may provide room, board, and some travel for non-local staff members.
How to Apply
Apply Now In order to be considered for this position, you must submit an online application and complete the following steps:- Submit an online application. This includes: uploading your resume (maximum length two pages) and a cover letter (maximum length one page) that states why you want to work at institute this summer, in this role specifically and 2-3 things you would want to say you had accomplished in this role by the end of institute
- Complete the “Reference Request Form” which you will receive via email
