Life Skills Saturday ESOL Teacher

CASA & CASA IN ACTION SYNOPSIS:

As the largest grassroots immigrant advocacy organization in the Mid-Atlantic region, CASA has over 36 years of experience organizing over 115,000 lifetime immigrant, Latino, and working class members. Founded in 1986, our model focuses on blending human services, community organizing, and strategic campaigns in order to serve the full spectrum of the needs, dreams, and aspirations of our members.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. CASA in Action endorses candidates that advance its membership’s priorities and facilitates greater engagement of Latinos and voters of color in elections. 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 multi-generation approach to education through engaging youth and their families as a whole in the attainment of educational opportunities for all. All across its footprint, CASA partners with, initiates, and fosters strong relationships between public school systems 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 CASA’s 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 provide them with otherwise unavailable educational opportunities. 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. The classes also serve to empower students to make positive and long-lasting social change within their community in coordination with CASA’s organizing and advocacy efforts in the fight for immigration reform, workers’ rights, universal equality, and social justice.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Saturday Life Skills ESOL Program is housed at CASA’s Silver Spring Welcome Center (734 University Blvd E, Silver Spring, MD 20903), CASA’s Pine Ridge Community Center (8617 Piney Branch Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20901), CASA’s Wheaton Welcome Center (11425 Grandview Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902), and CASA’s Multicultural Center, 8151 15th Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20783. A teacher’s specific worksite will depend upon the level they are assigned to teach.

The contract period for this position covers one eight-week session: Spring 2023 from 4/22/23 to 6/10/23. This position is part-time, temporary with the potential for contract renewal at the end of the Spring 2023 session. All candidates must provide proof of current COVID-19 vaccination upon acceptance of a contract offer.

The pay is $25 per hour with an average of 4 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, and proctoring and grading of bi-weekly standardized assessments. This is a contract, part-time consultant position without any benefits including no unemployment benefits. Class hours are Saturday from 9 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.

Teacher orientation will be held from 6 to 8 P.M. via Zoom on the following dates: 4/4/23, 4/5/23, 4/6/23 and 4/10/23. Additionally, an in person training will be held at CASA’s Multicultural Center, 8151 15th Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20783 on 4/12/23 from 6 to 9 P.M. It is mandatory that new teachers’ attendance all 4 days of orientation. Candidates must be available to teach all classes for the entirety of the contract period from 4/4/23 to 6/10/23.

Apply at https://wearecasa.org/careers/

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• 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 leaners 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 program staff and other instructor(s); prompt in email response.
• 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
• Highly computer literate including proficiency and experience with Google Suites (PowerPoint/ Google Slides, Google Forms, Excel Sheets/ Google Sheets, Microsoft Word/ Google Docs); comfortable communicating with students in a virtual space

including the assignment and review of homework and standardized assessments via Remind.com

• 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 new 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 Inc. and CASA in Action do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender identity, 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.

CASA has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy effective 01 February 2022, requiring COVID‑19 Booster vaccination(s) for all employees and prospective employees, AmeriCorps members, and paid or non-paid internships. In accordance with CASA's duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards, we are adopting this policy to safeguard the health of our employees, AmeriCorps members and interns, and their families, CASA members and visitors, and the community at large from infectious diseases that may be reduced by vaccinations. In making this decision, the executive leadership team reviewed recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, CASA’s Legal Counsel and local health officials. All prospective employees will be required to provide proof of COVID 19 vaccination or appropriate medical / religious accommodation documentation prior to the first day of employment with CASA. AmeriCorps member candidates will be required to provide proof of COVID 19 vaccination or appropriate medical / religious accommodation documentation at the time of presenting proof of citizenship and SSN eligibility.