Saturday Academy Instructor, 9-11Th Ela (Spring 2024)

Title: Saturday Academy Instructor, 9-11th ELA [Spring 2024]
Reports To: Senior Manager of Teaching and Learning
FLSA: Part-time, Seasonal
Location:  New York City, in-person.
Dates: Spring Semester; Exact Saturday dates of programming vary based on which Grade Instructor is placed (see specific dates below)
Compensation: $50/hr for 6 standard (required) + 6 flex (use as needed) hours per week

There will also be opportunities for Summer Academy and Fall Saturday Academy in the future.

LOCATION/HOURS

This is apart-time, in-personposition based out of New York City. All duties are expected to be performed on-site, with the understanding that government and public health guidelines will help determine the extent to which it is safe to carry out in-person and onsite activities.

About SEO Scholars

SEO Scholars is a non-profit focused on improving educational outcomes for students that come from underserved and historically underrepresented backgrounds. Our free eight-year academic program gets low-income public high school students to and through college-with a 100% college admissions rate and 90% college graduation rate. For 60 years, SEO has been an innovator in education and mentorship programs. We are on a mission to create an ecosystem of excellence in which our students can achieve their full potential.

Instructors will join SEO's community of passionate educators to implement a rigorous college prep curriculum for motivated and driven high school students.  Using our original curriculum and a student-centered, anti-oppressive approach to teaching and learning, instructors play an integral part in supporting our Scholars' journeys to a competitive college and beyond. Instructors promote depth of understanding and skill acquisition by serving as a coach and facilitator of learning. 

The Courses

Instructors will be placed in either 9th or 10th Grade. The courses offered in the Spring semester are:

• 9th Grade ELA course: Theory of Intelligence 
• 10th Grade ELA course: Critical Media Analysis
• 11th Grade ELA course:  Supplemental Essay Writing

ELA Instructors also teach our Identity and Empowerment (IE) class. SEO's IE classes are designed to prepare Scholars for academic and social success. Throughout their time in SEO's High School Scholars program, Scholars will be engaged with content in IE that will position them to develop as innovative leaders, ones who use their knowledge and experience to both challenge and inform suppositions about the world. Based on Instructors' grade placements, they will teach the following IE courses: 

• 9th Grade IE course: Personal and Social Identities
• 10th Grade IE course:   Identity and Mental Health
• 11th Grade IE course: College Research

The Sites

Saturday Academy takes place at one of our partner sites through the semester where the instructor will be placed based on the grade level they are assigned:

• 9th Grade: Baruch College, (Vertical Campus Building, 55 Lexington Ave., New York).
• 10th Grade: LIU Brooklyn, (1 University Plaza, Brooklyn).
• 11th Grade: LIU Brooklyn, (1 University Plaza, Brooklyn).

Occasionally, Orientations and/or Professional Development for all grade assignments will be held either on Zoom or at the SEO Office:

• 55 Exchange Place, New York, NY (Financial District).

Dates, Weekly Hours, and Compensation:

• Instructor Orientation:
• 9th Instructor Orientation: Week of Feb 27
• 10th Instructor Orientation: 01/27
• 11th Instructor Orientation: 01/27 

• Spring Saturday Academy: Typically, 3 Saturdays a month, exact dates vary based on which grade instructor is placed. Please note that due to our staffing needs and only seeing Scholars once a week, we cannot support more than 2 absences a semester:
• 9th Grade Saturday Academy: 
• Orientation (required): 03/02
• 8 Programming Saturdays (2 absence maximum): 03/09, 03/23, 04/06, 04/13, 04/20, 05/04, 05/11, 05/18
• 10th Grade Saturday Academy:
• Orientation (required): 01/27
• 11 Programming Saturdays (2 absence maximum): 02/03, 02/10, 02/17, 03/09, 03/16, 03/23, 04/06, 04/13, 04/20, 05/04, 05/11
• 11th Grade Saturday Academy: 
• Orientation (required): 01/27
• 8 Programming Saturdays (2 absence maximum): 2/3, 2/10, 3/9, 3/23, 4/6, 4/20, & 5/11

The Instructors are allotted 12 maximum hours per week during their seasonal employment, made up of Standard and Flex Hours.

• Standard Hours are when the instructor must be working on site with staff or students instructing a class or engaging with an instructional prep or support period:
• Saturdays, 9:00am-4:00pm (with at least a 30 minute lunch) = 6 Hours/weekly
• Flex Hours make up the additional "instructor work" educators know go into the job. This is time spent preparing for the lesson, grading, entering gradebook data, writing Scholar feedback, communicating with staff and Scholars, etc. These are hours put in outside of the required schedule and can be completed asynchronously throughout the week = up to6 Flex Hours/weekly

Key Responsibilities:

• Instruction & Facilitation - Teach three or four periods of ELA and/or Identity & Empowerment. Follow provided lesson plans and meet lesson objectives, abiding by SEO's articulated criteria for rigorous instruction and student engagement. Hold Scholars to high expectations, use protocols for student-driven discussion and group work, and promote depth of understanding via questioning. 
• Navigate Instructional Technologies - Learn and efficiently utilize our instructional technologies such as  Brightspace (Learning Management System), Nearpod, GSuit applications, and Zoom chat (instant messaging tool) in a Blended Learning environment.Content Preparation - Read, internalize, and practice all lesson plans and materials provided by SEO prior to teaching. Implement thoughtful adjustments to pacing and activities based on specific student needs. Reflect on curriculum notes from Lead Instructors and brainstorm content teaching strategies with peers.
• Grading and Record-Keeping - Calculate grades according to rubrics and stipulations in provided lesson plans. Provide actionable, growth-oriented feedback to students. Complete all grading in a timely manner (1 week turnaround) and keep the electronic gradebook up to date on Brightspace (our LMS).
• Classroom Culture - Project an energetic, engaging, and approachable persona to promote students' connection to the content, investment in the learning experience, and positive relationship to all members of the community.
• Collaboration with SEO Staffand Other Instructors - Plan and work alongside fellow instructors to build optimal experiences for Scholar learning. Collaborate with Scholars' Program Managers to communicate Scholar celebrations and/or concerns to ensure we are supporting the whole student. Attend all scheduled meetings, professional development trainings, check-ins, and debriefs and respond to all emails and Zoom chats in a timely manner. 
• Responsiveness to Coaching and Feedback - Meet with your assigned instructional coach (Lead Instructor) at least twice during the semester to receive and implement feedback and recommendations from their classroom observations. Coaching is centered on SEO's Indicators of Effective Instruction including 1) Developing Facilitation & Protocols, 2) Strengthening Content & Learning, 3) Promoting Scholars' Leadership & Self-Efficacy, and 4) Building Community. 

Competencies: 

• Mission-Driven - Demonstrated dedication to closing the opportunity gap for underserved and underrepresented students and young professionals
• Passionate about Education - A genuine love of working with high school students and a strong belief in rigorous education as a vehicle for societal change  
• Student-Centered - Alignment with an instructional philosophy that positions teachers as thinking coaches and facilitators of student learning
• Empathetic - Capacity to recognize and appreciate the lived experience of students while supporting them in reaching their highest potential 
• Growth-Oriented - Desire to grow and refine your teaching practice through instructional coaching and professional development opportunities 
• Organized & Flexible - Adept at processing and acting upon complex logistical information and demonstrates flexibility when needed
• Conscientious Communicator - Proactive, reliable, and consistent staff partner who articulates ideas clearly and effectively to both adults and students
• Anti-Oppression and Equity Mindedness - Demonstrated commitment to an anti-racist and anti-oppressive teaching and learning framework that engages diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in practice.  
• Cultural Responsiveness - Awareness of one's own cultural identity and views about difference, and the ability to learn and build on the varying cultural and community norms of Scholars and their families.
• Cultural Humility - Ability to apply critical reflection, self-awareness, and self-regulation to manage the influence of bias, power, privilege, and values in working with students and colleagues. 

Qualifications:

Required:

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in content related field
• High school classroom teaching experience
• Comfortable with and skilled at working with and navigating technological learning systems
• Understanding and practice of student-centered pedagogy
• Expertise and depth of knowledge in Advanced high school-level English and Humanities subjects
• Willingness to engage in conversations analyzing power, privilege, and oppression

Preferred: 

• Secondary Education Degree and Certification
• Knowledge and experience with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
• Certifications, PD course completions, and/or tertiary education in Instructional Technologies
• Knowledgeable with research-based, culturally responsive, equity-driven, and anti-oppressive instructional practices

The Hiring Process:

• Phase 1: Application Review
• Phase 2: Phone Screening with Talent Acquisitions
• Phase 3: 1 Hour Interview & Demo Lesson on Zoom with the Teaching & Learning team. You will receive an SEO ELA lesson plan for a Demo Lesson. You will navigate a lesson on Zoom using Nearpod, similar to one you would be teaching in-person if given the role.
• Phase 4: Update on Application and/or offer letter sent. 

Future Opportunities:

• There are potential instructional opportunities for Summer and Fall semesters 

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS 

The compensation listed in this posting reflects what SEO believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and SEO reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time.

EEOC Policy

At SEO we are committed to cultivating a team that embodies the backgrounds and experiences of the constituencies we serve and the communities we live in, and a workplace that reflects the impact we make in the world. Candidates from historically excluded and underrepresented communities - including people of color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ Community, veterans, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Equal Employment Opportunity is not just the law, it is our commitment.

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer - M/F/D/V. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other legally protected status.

If you need accommodation while applying for a role with SEO, due to a disability, please email SEO Talent.