Job Overview
The role of the Teacher-Mentor is the high calling to sacrificially serve the next generation of our city through executing the complete model of Elevate Indianapolis by investing a balanced 50/50% teaching students during the school day and outside the school day life on life year-around mentoring. The specific workflow of your position depends on the season, specific concentrations, experience level, class load and caseload assignments and administrative responsibilities (including professional development, team leadership, and planning). Elevate Indianapolis strives to introduce students to new experiences through Mentoring, Pathways to Purpose, Service Learning and Sports and Adventure. The Sports and Adventure Lead will plan and coordinate opportunities for students in the community and with community partners.
Teacher-Mentors work with Elevate Indianapolis to serve the organization’s mission to build long-term, life-changing relationships with urban youth, equipping them to thrive and contribute to their community. Elevate Indianapolis is expanding and looking for a few strong youth advocates. This position will serve with the team at Arsenal Tech High School, Shortridge High School, George Washington High School and/or Purdue Polytechnic High School.
Organizational Values
Teacher-Mentors will be expected to operate in line with our values, which are:
- VISION– We plan for and commit to a better future.
- COURAGE– We take risk to do good.
- INTEGRITY– We live out our values consistently.
- RESPONSIBILITY -We fulfill our commitments faithfully.
- POSITIVE WORK ETHIC– We work with all of our heart.
- RESPECT– We honor ourselves, others, and the world around us.
- CARING– We meet others in their place of need.
General Teacher-Mentor Responsibilities:
- Teaching — Teaches and manages classroom professionally in accordance with Elevate Indianapolis standards and training utilizing the Elevate USA curriculum.
- Administration — Keeps records and reports as necessary. Administration is accurate, consistently turned in on time, and contains minimal errors.
- Attendance — Participates, is attentive, and is present on time to meetings, classes, and activities.
- Bonding — Establishes, builds and sustains mentoring relationships with students in caseload to produce positive holistic life-change in urban youth.
- Modeling — Serves as positive role model and leader for Elevate Indianapolis students to demonstrate outstanding ethics, organizational values, character qualities, and behavior.
- Representation — Represents Elevate Indianapolis in a professional manner in the classroom, during site visits, at community collaborations, and at community functions.
- Professional Development — Participates in and is attentive with learning opportunities as assigned or pursued.
- Fiscal Management — Ensures that funds are used properly and for the allocated purposes according to policy.
- Programming — Develops and implements programming that promotes the overall mission of Elevate Indianapolis according to the Elevate USA model.
- Dashboard — Provides accurate weekly inputs to the Thriving Youth Dashboard Salesforce app, aligned with SMART goal objectives as identified by organizational leadership. Maintains and reports on metrics for and pipeline as required.
- Flexibility — Fulfills other responsibilities as assigned with respectful, team attitude.
- Community Collaboration — Embraces our holistic mission as executed through vetted out, proven partnerships with community organizations. Engages volunteers from area businesses and community organizations to invest in our students towards their holistic development according to the Elevate USA model.
Specific Position Responsibilities:
- Teaching —Serves as the lead teacher for Elevate classes, preparing engaging lessons in a timely manner using Elevate USA curriculum with minimal modifications.
- Mentoring case load — Serves a caseload primarily comprised of same gender students
- Cultivate relationships with and coordinate communication among Elevate staff and High School Administration. Attend meetings with the school to represent Elevate as needed. Proactively disburse information from the school to appropriate Elevate staff.
- Ensure that academic check-ins for all classes are executed well and are a productive use of staff and student time.
- Cultivate pipeline & classroom culture by ensuring that the Elevate classroom is functional, well decorated, kept clean, and is adequately supplied to provide a welcoming environment for learning and relationship development.
- Supporting establishing staff culture—model and encourage communication, professional dress, planning and execution of engaging lessons, and development of relationships with and participation in activities with students and staff.
- Attend Huddle meetings at least weekly at an established time with high school TMs in your pipeline to review lesson objectives, division of responsibility for lesson execution, lesson preparation, classroom culture goals, and specific schedule needs for the week. Add those meeting times to the Elevate Indy Team Calendar.
Essential Job Qualifications
- Education — Four-year college education or two-year post-secondary degree and teaching experience preferred, but not required.
- Experience — Minimum two years’ experience in youth service; certifications or education in youth services preferred.
- Commitment — Willingness to provide 24/7/365 availability to support student relationships for year-round position (including summer programs); NOTE: This is a 12-month position.
- Driver’s License — Valid Indiana Driver’s License and Proof of Insurance
- Travel/Overnight Experiences — Willingness to attend professional development and student programming that might be overnight and out of state as required.
Required Competencies, Abilities & Skills
- Ability to connect with urban youth; urban youth experience preferred.
- Mastery of communication skills including written, verbal, and presentation.
- Willingness to be coached and eagerness to learn new information.
- Personal relationship skills allowing employee to manage and work with wide variety of people, professionals, and students.
- Passion and commitment to help positively change culture and graduation rates in IPS.
- Ability to work and contribute to a team environment.
- Ability to manage variety of projects and goals along with personal and team responsibilities.
- Software skills including: Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and email.
- Ability to drive and transport students/staff using 15-passenger buses and seven- passenger mini-vans.
- Completes annual 360 review performance process.
- Other duties as assigned.
Benefits
- Pioneering opportunity to provide hope for urban youth through dynamic relationships, highly effective in-class experience, after-school/summer programs, and planning for the future.
- Salary range of position: $45-$55k
- 100% employer-paid health/dental/vision/life insurance for employee (opportunity for employee to pay premium for spouse/family coverage)
- Paid Time Off accrued according to staff issue handbook, 10 paid holidays and selected compensation/personal/bereavement days off.