Learning Specialist

Brightworks School in San Francisco is Hiring World Class Educators

Position: Learning Specialist (Half Time)

Brightworks is a school that says, “Yes!” You want to send a GoPro to the stratosphere in a weather balloon? Let’s do it!  You want to build a sail car and go on a journey down an abandoned railway? Sure thing! You want to make a documentary about housing issues in the city? Alright, let’s figure it out together! We trust that children are instinctual learners, and we value partnering with them on their educational path. That is why we call our teachers “Collaborators”. To be here is to work side by side lovingly and in full support of the children who populate this place with their dreams, attempts and ideas. We ask Collaborators to think big, improvise, and learn alongside students. By taking the best practices from early childhood education and emergent, project-based experiential learning, we strive to meet students’ needs in a flexible, mixed-age environment that breaks the traditional walls between school and the community outside the classroom.  Brightworks has been at the cutting edge of learner-driven education since its founding in 2011 and we continue to push the envelope of what is possible in education.  Brightworks is in its 11th year and currently consists of ~110 students ages 5-18.

Brightworks is seeking experienced candidates for the half-time position of Learning Specialist for the 2022/2023 school year.

Basic Duties

Work with Students

• The learning specialist at Brightworks will work with a caseload of students in the implementation of learning support and student growth in the areas of communication, self-reliance, and the development of self-advocacy, academic, and executive functioning skills
• Read and interpret psychoeducational and neuropsychological reports
• Observe classes to obtain information about individual students and to provide feedback to teachers.
• Assist in developing personalized learning plans, and oversee the implementation of learning strategies so that all students can access the curriculum.
• Host an affinity space for students with learning differences.
• Help all students broaden their understanding of what learning can look like.
• Learning Specialists at Brightworks assist teachers, parents, and students in broadening their understanding of the learning process

Work With Collaborators and Families

• Participate in meetings with teachers to discuss learning support in the classroom and provide strategies and support.
• Collaborate with the Head of School and director of DEI to develop in-house professional development and source outside professional development for faculty and staff.
• Partner closely with parents of students with learning differences to keep them informed of supports in place and students’ progress. This includes facilitating meetings with student support teams, parents, collaborators, and leadership.

Compensation

Placement on our salary scale will be based on qualifications and experience. Pay is competitive and depends on expereince. Excellent benefits are offered including medical, dental, and vision insurance and a retirement plan.

Candidate Requirements

• You have experience working with students with learning differences. You have a deep understanding of progressive, inquiry-based education.  You have the experience of or a desire to teach in a setting that honors the competence and independence of children. You also have a general knowledge of state standards and milestones.
• You are committed to social justice and equity.  You see opportunities all around you to leverage conversations about identity and actively seek to create equitable learning spaces.
• You are an excellent communicator. You communicate effectively with students, parents, and coworkers. You actively listen and ask probing questions. You can communicate clearly through writing the story of your student’s learning journey.
• You know how to be candid and kind at the same time. You can hold accountability and be supportive at the same time.
• You have a strong sense of empathy. You put yourself in the shoes of students, and parents and communicate in a way that values their lived experience.
• You are a great collaborator with both students and adults. You enlist your problem-solving and communication skills, sprinkling in your high EQ and fun personality, to build strong relationships. You know the importance of leveraging divergent viewpoints for the improvement of our collective work. You hold your colleagues and students accountable, and you are receptive and humble when they hold you accountable.
• You are a lifelong learner. You have a growth mindset and you pick up new ideas quickly and think critically. You are intellectually curious and deeply committed to learning and growing.

Application Procedure and Hiring Timeline 

To apply for the position of Collaborator, we ask applicants to send the following PDF documents to hiring@sfbrightworks.org:

Cover Letter Who are you? What is your journey? Why are you excited to work with us?

Resume of relevant work and educational experiences to support your candidacy

We will start reviewing resumes on a rolling basis

Brightworks is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions based on merit. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex (including gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, pregnancy, and breastfeeding), sexual orientation (including heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality), national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, age, medical condition, genetic characteristics or information, military and veteran status, and physical or mental disability, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.

Tagged as: K-12