Classroom Culture Lead Teacher

Background/IRC Summary:  Since 1999, the IRC has developed partnerships with New York City public schools, community-based organizations and local colleges and universities to support the positive development of refugee youth and their communities in New York City.  The Education and Learning Program provides year-round programming working directly with refugee youth, their parents and families, and their schools.

Job Overview/Summary: The Newcomer Youth Summer Academy (NYSA) is a six-week program that prepares newly arrived refugee youth to succeed at their grade level in the New York City public school system. Up to 130 students aged 5 – 21 from over 20 countries will participate in academic, creative arts, physical education, and social-emotional learning classes. Field trips are held on Fridays.

Classroom Culture Lead Teachers play an important role, leading classroom culture, rituals, and routines. Classroom Culture Lead Teachers work with a single class level throughout the program (K-12), providing support and continuity for their class throughout the program. Classroom Culture Lead Teachers are responsible for planning and leading daily mindfulness, facilitating small-group instruction as per the Academic Lead Teacher’s plans, working with students one-on-one, and providing additional sheltered instruction support for multilingual learning.

Classroom Culture Lead Teachers are directly responsible for behavior management in alignment with Academy philosophy and classroom guidelines.  They are primarily responsible for leading their classroom Peer Mentors, and they play a critical role in ensuring consistent, timely communication among Academic Lead Teachers, Peer Mentors, Administration, and students’ families.

Classroom Culture Lead Teachers are responsible for observing, assessing, recording, and monitoring students’ individual progress.  This requires an understanding of the IRC School Readiness indicators, gathering input from other staff to assess individual students’ school readiness assets and needs.

Hours: 

• Training: July 5^th, 6^th, 7^th,2023: Up to 24 hours of training, 9:00AM – 5:00PM 
• Foundational online training modules to be completed independently ahead of synchronous staff training dates 
• Main Program: July 10^th - August 11^th, 2023: 7.5 hours per day (8:00am to 4:00pm) plus 1 evening of parent/teacher conferences.  Expect 2-3 hours per week of additional external planning, grading, and assessment analysis. 

Major Responsibilities:

• Participate in mandatory school programing.
• Contribute to collaborative planning sessions for all staff training and program meetings.
• Plan and lead (30 minutes x2 - x3, daily) whole-group mindfulness lessons
• Lead weekly family-communication plan for all students in assigned class
• Collaborate with IRC Staff and the Academic Lead Teacher in the implementation of a 6-week curriculum
• Complete on pre- and post-School Readiness observational assessments for each student in assigned class
• Collaborate with Academic Lead Teacher(s) in planning, coordinating classroom activities, and reviewing student progress
• Lead classroom climate and culture in accordance with Academy philosophy and protocols
• Manage dismissal protocols
• Supervise students in cafeteria during breakfast
• Engage in instructional coaching cycles and participate in weekly Classroom Culture Lead Teacher meetings
• Complete weekly progress reports and all required reporting on time

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Education or related field required; candidate for Master’s degree preferred
• 2+ years of classroom teaching experience, required
• Experience teaching English Language Learners/multilingual learners is required
• Familiarity teaching in New York City public schools is highly desirable
• Certification/experience with Responsive Classrooms or Classroom Mindfulness, highly desirable
• Strong classroom management skills
• Proficiency teaching social emotional learning
• Experience working with refugee and/or immigrant populations, highly desirable
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Highly organized, dependable, responsive, and collaborative work style
• Second language proficiency in relevant language highly desirable (Spanish, French, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Arabic, Mandingo, Bambara, Wolof, Fulani, Tibetan, Russian, Urdu, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Burmese and Nepali)
• Strength in cultural competency-building

Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors, including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget.  Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience, and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Working Environment:  NYSA takes place in a centrally located school (TBD) in New York City.  All applicants must be willing to relocate to the New York City area for the entirety of the Academy.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires candidates who are selected for interview to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for this position.  

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity.  We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.  

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.