What do a Virginian poultry farmer and a New York City vegan have in common?
Is there any common ground when discussing gun control or vaccine requirements?
What role do schools play in nurturing civic engagement?
These aren’t abstract questions! We are currently seeking public school Social Studies or ELA teachers of eighth grade to join a new civic engagement initiative starting January 2023, called Building Bridges. You are encouraged to apply if you:
● Appreciate student diversity and embrace inquiry as a way to advance students’ historical and civic knowledge, and support their cultivation of democratic dispositions;
● See your own professional growth as ongoing — rooted in a constant process of learning, trying, and reflecting — and approach the practice of teaching with “an experimental, critical, and ardent mindset.”
About Building Bridges The fellowship is a 12-month commitment (January ‘23 – December ‘23), consisting of six educators, three from NYC and three from Virginia, who will be partnered for the purpose of developing civic friendship between their students through an innovative exchange model. An essential design element of the fellowship will be the creation of a professional learning community (PLC), drawing upon Bank Street College’s deep knowledge of educator development and preparation. The teacher-fellows will meet monthly for 1.5 hours with exception of June for facilitated synchronous online advisement and coaching sessions, which will support their collaborative work in the following areas:
● Designing and executing a learning module that connects to real-world issues, cultivates student voice, and builds strong relationships;
● Planning a student social-action project that addresses a common problem across the PLC’S respective communities;
● Documenting observations of student learning and growth and identifying ways to share new knowledge with a broader audience
The teacher-fellows will be given a stipend of $3,000 for their efforts. The timeline for the fellowship is as follows:
● January – June 2023 teacher-fellows meet online monthly as a PLC to explore best practices with experts in the field from New American History, Bank Street Prepared to Teach, History Co:Lab, and more.
● July 2023 teacher-fellows come together for a 2 day online retreat to build a learning module.
● September – December 2023 teacher-fellows facilitate student exchanges in their classrooms.
● December 2023 pilot ends.
At the end of the pilot, the goal is that the teacher-fellows will walk away equipped with deeper knowledge of inquiry as a primary mode of learning, as well as a more profound understanding of how collaboration — between teachers and between students — can help cultivate perspective-taking across differences and inquisitiveness to ask difficult questions, both core elements of constructive civic participation.
Application Process
To be considered for this fellowship, please submit the following documents in one PDF file. Title the PDF file “Your last name, Building Bridges Application” and email it to amckersie@bankstreet.edu by December 11, 2022 at 5PM.
1. A current curriculum vitae or resume
2. Letter of interest (1-page maximum) that summarizes your teaching philosophy and alignment with this opportunity;
3. A sample lesson that demonstrates your pedagogical style
For more information or questions contact Ali McKersie at amckersie@bankstreet.edu or Jared A. Morris at jam2380@tc.columbia.edu.
