Part-time Instructor, Unpacking the Past

Posted by University of Pennsylvania on July 9, 2018

Do you have a passion for education and learning? Do you love working with middle school students? Are you a natural at engaging groups and getting kids to imagine and explore? If so, we hope you will apply to work as a Part-time Instructor in the Penn Museum’s Unpacking the Past program.

With a remarkable collection of objects from around the world and a dedication to continuous research and fieldwork, the Penn Museum brings to life some of the greatest evidence and mysteries of human existence. Housed in the Museum’s Learning Programs Department, Unpacking the Past provides free outreach and Museum-based lessons to middle school teachers and students from Philadelphia public schools. We use hands-on, multi-sensory, and object-based teaching techniques to bring school curriculum to life by helping students find connections between their lives and those of ancient people and challenging them to participate in the process of “unpacking” the past.

As a Part-time Instructor, you will be part of a team of five educators who travel to schools around the city and facilitate field trip programs at the Museum. To give you an idea of the scope of the program, we facilitated over 800 outreach lessons, museum workshops, and gallery tours, reaching over 6,000 students last school year alone. This is a year-round position and you can expect to teach about 15-20 hours per week whenever school is in session.

As a Part-time Instructor, you will be part of a team of five educators who travel to schools around the city and facilitate field trip programs at the Museum. To give you an idea of the scope of the program, we facilitated over 800 outreach lessons, museum workshops, and gallery tours, reaching over 6,000 students last school year alone. This is a year-round position and you can expect to teach about 15-20 hours per week whenever school is in session.

We work with students who represent a diversity of races, cultures, languages, learning styles, and abilities. Many of these students have never visited the Penn Museum before and we prioritize making them feel comfortable and welcome in this new setting. As part of the Unpacking the Past team, you will play a meaningful role in fulfilling our mission to make the Museum open and accessible to all.

Job Responsibilities:

• Work ~20 hours/week (mostly between hours of 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM
• Learn background content on ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, and Mesopotamia
• Facilitate a variety of museum workshops and gallery tours to middle school groups from Philadelphia schools
• Teach outreach lessons in schools throughout the city
• Communicate with a wide variety of partners, including teachers and fellow Museum educators
• Be a collaborative and participatory team member of the Learning Programs Department

Qualifications:

• Teaching experience with diverse learners in classroom settings
• Ability to manage students in a classroom setting
• Bachelor’s Degree preferred
• Driver’s License and ability to drive throughout Philadelphia
• Real passion for learning new things
• Self-starter and on-your-feet thinker
• Ability to build rapport quickly with groups of students
• Supportive teammate, flexible
• Clear and effective written and oral communication skills
• Organized, responsible, punctual
• Bilingual a big plus!

To apply:

Send resume and cover letter detailing your interest in the position to schools@pennmuseum.org. Deadline to apply is August 16, 2018.