After-School Instructor, Wilson Community School

Posted by on September 03, 2010

Job Posting:

AFTER-SCHOOL INSTRUCTOR
Wilson Community School
@ Alexander Wilson Elementary School
1300 S. 46th Street
Philadelphia, PA  19143

Program Description:
Wilson Community School is a partnership between Alexander Wilson Elementary School of the School District of Philadelphia and the University-Assisted Community Schools (UACS) program operated by the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania. Wilson Community School (WCS) staff are responsible for developing and operating all out-of-school-time (OST) programming at Alexander Wilson Elementary, including the after-school program, socialized recess program (in partnership with the West Philadelphia Recess Initiative), and the summer program (Wilson Freedom School, in partnership with Philadelphia Freedom Schools). WCS receives funding for its programs from the Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), and also works closely with Penn’s Graduate School of Education (GSE). Entering its third year of existence, WCS has quickly developed into a dynamic community school that provides quality programs that address the academic and social needs and interests of our scholars and families, and which is intricately integrated into Wilson Elementary School and the surrounding community.

The success of Wilson Community School lies in its commitment to living up to its name – to create a place where children, youth, and adults can come together in the spirit of community to explore what can be achieved and what is possible through education, service, and a sense of common purpose – and thus to truly become an institution made of, for, and by the community it serves. This commitment manifests itself in a drive to integrate WCS into the school and the community, while at the same time incorporating the school and the community into WCS. For example, WCS staff members serve as liaisons between the school-day, out-of-school-time programs, and the community, in a variety of ways – serving on the school’s Leadership Team and its subcommittees (Curriculum & Instruction, Climate, and Organizational Management); meeting with school-day faculty, administrators, and Penn partners to discuss the academic, social, and behavioral development of students; assisting in the development of school-wide initiatives, including the school-wide Positive Behavior Support Initiative; and engaging parents and family members via the Community Advisory Board (comprised of school administrators, WCS staff, and parents/family members), regular family meetings (twice per month), workshops, and special events. WCS staff is comprised of a full-time senior staff, school-day faculty, current Penn students (graduate and undergraduate) and alumni, parents, and community members. WCS programming focuses not only on developing the academic and social skills of our scholars, but also on developing a sense of community and service. Like its scholars, Wilson Community School is young and has much to offer. Like our scholars, our future is bright, with no limits on what we can achieve together.

Position Offered:
The Wilson Community School at Alexander Wilson Elementary School is looking to hire After-School Instructors for its After-School Program. The Wilson Community School After-School Program runs Monday through Friday, from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm, for the duration of the academic year (9/13/2010 – 6/17/2011). The program serves children in grades K through 6 (ages 5 through 12). The daily schedule consists of an after-school meal, an academic enrichment period (focused on literacy and math lessons), an extracurricular enrichment period (focused on activities developed through project-based learning), and homework help. Family meetings are held bi-weekly to facilitate communication and cooperation between families and the program. Field trips and half-day programming are also provided.

Position Description:
We are looking for qualified people to fill the role of After-School Instructors (ASIs). These instructors are teaching interns who serve as grade-level group leaders for academic and extracurricular enrichment in the After-School Program. ASIs lead grade-level classrooms of 10-15 scholars, and their primary responsibility is to aid and guide the academic, social, and emotional growth of their scholars. Using various curricular resources, ASIs design their own curriculum that matches and supports school-day learning goals. Lessons and activities must incorporate culturally responsive pedagogy, project-based learning, student-centered learning, and multicultural perspectives. The lessons, activities, and classroom environment should encourage and reward scholarship, creativity, teamwork, understanding, a sense of community, and respect for oneself and others.

During the academic enrichment period, ASIs teach literacy and math lessons, while also providing homework help for every scholar. During the extracurricular enrichment period, instructors lead project-based learning activities with their class, which should focus on subjects/issues that are relevant to their scholars interests and everyday lives, while also attempting to expose scholars to new experiences and viewpoints. Other extracurricular activities such as sports/play and teambuilding activities are required in order to address scholars’ physical and social growth. Instructors are assisted in the classroom by college-aged mentors from the Community Schools Student Partnership (CSSP) at the University of Pennsylvania. CSSP mentors are work-study or volunteer undergraduate students that are trained to serve as classroom assistants to ASIs and mentors to the scholars.

ASIs are required to maintain consistent communication with the families of his/her scholars in order to promote partnerships between WCS, its staff, and the community it is serving, and to ensure that WCS staff and families are working together to aid each scholar in his/her development. ASIs must give family members that pick up their scholars at the end the program day a daily update of the scholars’ performance and development. ASIs must provide families with a monthly progress report detailing each scholar’s performance and development. If an ASI has an issue with a scholar’s behavior and/or has to implement some form of disciplinary action, the scholar’s family must be contacted in person, via phone, or in writing as soon as possible.

Desired Skills & Attributes:
– Passion for working with and for youth, and a commitment to developing family and community relationships/partnerships
– Understanding of the importance of out-of-school-time programming for youth and families
– Experience teaching lessons and leading activities with elementary-aged youth
– Experience with lesson planning and project development
– Strong leadership, classroom management, and organizational skills
– Ability to be creative, think on your feet, and make learning fun
– Ability and desire to work as a member of team
– Ability to be culturally sensitive in one’s personal and professional approach to working with youth and families
– Eagerness to continually develop one’s skills as a teacher, leader, and role model for youth
– Understanding that working with youth often requires one to go above and beyond the call of duty
– A commitment to the belief that every child can succeed

Qualifications:
– Teaching experience, preferably with at-risk urban youth
– Demonstrated experience with an ethnically, socially, and culturally diverse population
– Demonstrated teaching philosophy and methods that encourage the development of active and independent learning habits
– Demonstrated ability to develop and implement curricula collaboratively
– Demonstrated ability to create and maintain a positive learning environment, manage student behavior, and mediate/resolve conflicts

Terms of Employment:
Wilson Community School is offering the After-School Instructor (ASI) position at $12 an hour for 22 hours per week: Monday – Friday, 2:30 pm – 6:30pm, with out-of-program hours allotted for mandatory prep periods, weekly staff meetings, and lesson planning.

To Apply:
If you are interested in the After-School Instructor position, please respond via email (titled “ASI Applicant – Your Name”) to the following members of WCS Senior Staff:
– Richard Liuzzi    rjliuzzi@sas.upenn.edu
– Tony Piccione    tony.piccione@gmail.com
– Kenya Shujaa    shujaakj@gmail.com

Make sure to provide the following application materials (applications that do not include all requested materials will not be considered):
– Cover letter
– Resume
– At least 2 professional references

Contact Information:
Richard Liuzzi
Director  |  Wilson Community School  |  Alexander Wilson Elementary School
Netter Center for Community Partnerships  |  University of Pennsylvania
Tel:   215.292.4297  |  Fax:  215.823.8233 / 215.573.2799
rjliuzzi@sas.upenn.edu  |  http://www.upenn.edu/ccp