Middle School Collaborator (Teacher)

Brightworks School in San Francisco is Hiring World Class Educators

Position: Middle School Collaborator (aka teacher)

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. We are 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 investigate how we can help the homeless? 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 hands-on, 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 is in its thirteenth year and currently consists of ~110 students ages 5-18.

About the Position

Brightworks is seeking experienced candidates for the teaching position of  Middle School Collaborator (aka teacher) for the 2024/2025 school year. The Collaborator will be responsible for mentoring and designing interdisciplinary projects for a group of 12 middle school-age students.  During the school year, there are two Arcs that include an Exploration, Expression, and Exposition phase.  During the six-week long Exploration Phase collaborators design an interdisciplinary inquiry-based project that has the markers of high-quality project-based learning. Collaborators support students and write reflections for student-led conferences after each exploration phase.  During the seven-week Expression Phase, Collaborators support students, executing and sharing their own personal projects.  After Expression, Collaborators support their students in reflecting on their projects and do their own reflections.  Additional responsibilities include but are not limited to attending middle school and whole staff meetings, engaging in professional development, attending school events, and supporting admissions open houses. Collaborators engage in deep power and privilege work and commit to creating a learning environment that is anti-racist, gender inclusive, and overwhelmingly welcoming to students of all backgrounds and orientations.

Candidate Requirements

We are seeking candidates for the position of Collaborator (AKA Teacher):

• You have experience working with middle school-age students. You may have a subject specialty but you are comfortable designing an interdisciplinary curriculum.
• You are a creative curriculum designer.  You leverage student interests, real-world problems, and professional tools/experts to design engaging interdisciplinary projects that drive student learning.
• 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 project manager. You have a strong work ethic and can help students pace out projects and create accountability structures that help them reach their goals.
• You are comfortable with ambiguity. You are intellectually curious and have a strong sense of agency.
• You are comfortable not always having or knowing the answers.
• You are a great collaborator with both students and adults. You enlist your problem-solving and communications 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.

Compensation and Benefits

Placement on our salary scale will be based on qualifications and experience. Our scale ranges from $69,132 – $100,000. Excellent benefits are offered including medical, dental, vision,  life and disability insurance, and a retirement plan with a 4% match vesting immediately.  Additional benefit stipend offered for dependants. Paid time off in addition to time off to pursue Professional Development opportunities.

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? What’s the last project that excited you?
• Resume of relevant work and educational experiences to support your candidacy
• We will start reviewing resumes on a rolling basis

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

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, Middle School