Life Skills Evening ESOL Teacher

CASA & CASA IN ACTION SYNOPSIS:
CASA’s mission is to create a more just society by building power and improving the quality of life in working class and immigrant communities. Our vision is a future where we stand in our own power, our families live free from discrimination and fear, and our diverse communities thrive as we work with our partners to achieve full human rights for all. CASA has a sister organization, CASA in Action, a separate, but related, nonprofit organization that is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Although CASA and CASA in Action share a common goal of supporting immigrants and low-income people in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, they are separate organizations with their own board of directors.  A set of employees at the two organizations, including the person filling this position, shares their time between the two organizations.  This has no effect on salary or benefits.

DEPARTMENT SYNOPSIS:
The Education Department supports CASA’s two generation approach to education, provides supportive services to the schools. CASA partners with, initiates and fosters strong relationships between the public school system and parents, and oversees CASA’s efforts to improve educational outcomes for immigrant students and their families through coordinated interdepartmental efforts within CASA. The department also supports CASA’s expanding education policy work in strategic partnership with the Department of Politics & Communications.

The Education Department’s Life Skills ESOL (in English for Speakers of Other Languages) Program uses Popular Education and Traditional Education methodologies to address the educational needs of its adult learners and to provide them with otherwise unavailable educational opportunities.

“Popular Education is a collective and long-term educational process that empowers educator and students to apply a critical eye to the current political, socio-economic, and cultural reality in order to transform it…  Popular Education differs radically from mere training or the simple transmission of information.  It allows people to develop the critical thinking skills necessary to understand, make commitments, come up with ideas, transform, and be transformed.”  
– Ranulfo Peloso.

Lessons are focused upon concrete and practical everyday experiences.  Students, as adults, come to class with experiences they are encouraged to share and peer teach while performing tasks.  Class materials are geared towards student’s life experiences and promote both civic engagement and community empowerment.  Our classes also serve to empower students to make positive social change within their community and connect students to concrete opportunities to join other CASA members in the fight for immigration reform, workers’ rights, universal equality, and social justice.  

POSITION SUMMARY:
Due to COVID-19, the Evening Life Skills ESOL Program has temporarily transitioned from in-person instruction at Northwood High School in Silver Spring, MD to distance learning facilitated via Zoom. The fall contract period for this position covers an eight-week class session from 10/26/20 to 12/18/20.  This position is part-time, temporary with the potential for contract renewal at the end of the session. 

The pay is $25 per hour with an average of 8 instructional hours worked per week.  Teachers will also receive a $300 stipend at the end of the session if they have adhered to all administrative policy and deadlines including but not limited to the following: weekly lesson plan and daily attendance submission, proctoring and grading of bi-weekly standardized assessments, student surveying at session start, mid-point and end.  This is a contract, part-time consultant position without any benefits including no unemployment benefits.  Evening hours are: Monday to Thursday from 7 to 9 P.M.  Occasional Friday make-up classes are held from 7 to 9 P.M.  Teacher orientation will be held from 6 to 8 P.M. via Zoom on the following dates: 10/14/20, 10/15/20, 10/19/20, 10/20/20 and 10/21/20.  It is mandatory that new teachers’ attendance all 5 days of orientation.  Candidates must be available to teach all four evenings of class and all Friday make-up classes for the entirety of the contract period from 10/14/20 to 12/16/20. 

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Facilitate ESOL lessons via Zoom for adult students with limited digital literacy who will be participating in the class using the Zoom app on their phones.
• Create engaging and practical lesson plans for working adults that include materials, culture, and technology of relevant to their authentic life experiences.
• Develop class activities that deepen learners’ understanding of social justice and builds power and leadership from within CASA’s immigrant and working class members. 
• Teach functional English grammar and conversation skills to adult learners of diverse professional and educational backgrounds.  Teaching is done in the target language and focuses on giving the learner opportunity/purpose for communicating.  
• Evaluate student needs and progress by monitoring student work, providing opportunities for conversation. 
• Record and update class attendance and student data on a daily basis. Provide electronic copy of updated attendance to management team at the end of each week.
• Proctor and grade CASA’s life skills ESOL pre-test at the start of the session and four life skills ESOL post-tests over the course of the session.     
• Administer periodic quizzes and conduct information assessments throughout the session to ensure that lessons address relevant student needs and that the learners have acquired the target language skill.
• Keep students informed of CASA services and events. 
• Outreach students with poor attendance via telephone to encourage them to return to class.  Maintain a minimum average attendance rate of 70%.   
• Maintain constant communication with other instructor(s) within the ESOL Program to share ideas and best practices.
• Participate in periodic teachers’ meetings and trainings as scheduled and incorporate training materials into future ESOL lessons.  
• Other duties related to the position as assigned by the supervisor.

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION/LICENSURE:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in related field
• TESOL certificate preferred

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Experience as a facilitator and/ or in adult continuing education
• Effective in leading dynamic and engaging ESOL lessons that focus on communicative, group-oriented tasks
• Comfortable hosting Zoom meetings and using features such as screen share, audio share, breakout rooms
• Highly computer literate including proficiency and experience with Google Suites (PowerPoint, Google Forms, Excel Sheets, Microsoft Word); comfortable communicating with students in a virtual space including the assignment and review of homework and standardized assessments via Remind.com
• Have consistent and reliable computer and internet access; prompt in email response
• Excellent English skills both spoken and written
• Extremely punctual and able to meet programmatic deadlines
• Comfortable working both independently and as part of a team
• Energetic and effective in student outreach
• Experience working with learners of limited educational backgrounds and study habits
• Able to embed lessons pertaining to low level computer literacy skills into daily ESOL themes
• Flexible teaching style and ability to successfully execute a lesson plan that accommodates a variety of learning styles so as to ensure that all students progress at the same pace
• Energetic and extremely patient when working with self-conscious learners
• Respectful of all cultures and believe that everyone is capable of learning a second language

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

ADA: The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

OSHA: An ESOL Teacher is not to handle any human body fluids, biological agents, laboratory chemicals, or be exposed to hazardous materials such as noise, asbestos, or carcinogens.

CASA de Maryland, Inc. and CASA in Action do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender identity (if known), age, mental or physical disability, ancestry, marital status and national origin.
This job description will be reviewed periodically as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity.  Essential and marginal job functions are subject to modification. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.