Writing Instructor

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Type: Part-time (2 Saturdays per month)

Wage: $25.00/hr

Contract: December 2024 - May 2025

Location: Long Island City, Queens.

Company Description:

Legal Outreach is a non-profit organization that prepares urban youth, grades 9-12, from underserved communities to compete at high academic levels. Our mission is to foster vision, develop academic and professional skills, enhance confidence, and facilitate the pursuit of higher education. Please see www.legaloutreach.org for

additional information about our services, and view our website prior to

applying for the position.

Job Description:

The Saturday Writing Classes (SWC) are a core component of Legal Outreach's College Bound, a rigorous academic program that prepares students for admission into and success in competitive colleges and universities. We are seeking writing instructors with experience teaching or tutoring at the high school and/or college levels who can set high expectations for and inspire underserved minority youth.

Job Responsibilities:

• Attend paid staff training dates online in Dec. 2024.
• Teach one class in the Saturday Writing Program from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (meets every other Saturday). Those hours will generally include teaching to a group of 10-12 students and individual meetings with selected students from that same group. There will also be paid staff meetings with the Director, after each class.
• Lead students through the process of writing a 10-page college-level research paper on the educational achievement gap in the United States.
• Attend staff meetings following Saturday Writing Class (3 p.m. to 4 p.m.).
• Provide formal, edited feedback on essays following a rubric.
• Commit to teaching on every Saturday Writing Class date.
  • Class dates for the 2024-25 academic year are January 4 & 18, February 1 & 15, March 1, 15, & 29, and April 12 & 26.

Curriculum:

The Legal Outreach SWC curriculum follows a progression: Freshman Grammar, Sophomore Introduction to Essay Writing, Junior Thesis Development, and Senior Research Paper. Seniors spend September – December focusing on college applications.

Seniors will plan, write, and revise a 7-10 page college-level research paper over the course of 10 sessions. The topic will be the achievement gap between different groups of students in the American school system. Students will read texts that introduce them to basic ideas about the education and achievement gap in the United States. They will then research the subject on their own and write an essay that helps us understand and offers solutions to the problem.

We will provide instructors with as much curriculum as they need to lead their students through the course: weekly assignments, worksheets and exercises, a syllabus, a method for writing the paper, etc.

The pedagogical goal of the Senior Research Paper is to prepare students for the types of research-based writing they will be expected to perform in college. Students who successfully complete the Senior Research Paper with B's (85) or higher will be eligible for $750 - $1000 college scholarships from Legal Outreach.

Applicants:

Teaching applicants must be college graduates with professional experience in writing, teaching, editing or a related field. Instructors should be conversant with the fundamentals of expository writing and the research process, and be able to implement writing pedagogy creatively and rigorously in the classroom. Teaching applicants should be college graduates with professional experience in writing, teaching, editing or a related field who want to make a difference in the lives of New York City youth.

Because of the subject matter of this assignment, we particularly seek applicants with backgrounds in Education, History, Sociology, and related fields, although we will consider applicants from all formal disciplines who are comfortable leading students through a research paper. This is an excellent opportunity for a teacher, Masters or PhD candidate, or professional writer to join a team of dedicated writing staff and make a difference in the lives of New York City youth.

Legal Outreach is an equal opportunity employer, and women and minorities are encouraged to apply as are all candidates with experience working with diverse student populations.

How to apply

Send an email to dbautista@legaloutreach.org that follows the guidelines

below:

1. Use APPLICATION FOR SENIOR SWC INSTRUCTOR as your subject.
2. Attach a cover letter, references list, resume (1-2 pp. only), and writing sample (3-5 pp. only).
3. Confirm that you can commit to attending every class date listed in the job description.