Teaching at Student U

“STEP INTO THE U”

Applications are now open! Once your application is submitted, your materials will be considered in the order they are received.

APPLY NOW

Student U’s Summer Academy is a core component of our college access and success programming for students. Summer Academy is a huge part of our organization, and it takes a lot of dedicated individuals to make it work daily. Our teachers are committed to helping our students feel success and growth by providing thoughtful, intentional academic experiences and sharing their own excitement around academic content. The impact Student U teachers have in the classroom is not only empowering students to discover their best selves but supporting them to become leaders that will transform our city.

Teach at Summer Academy

Build your resume and workforce experience in our Student U's Summer Academy

8-Week Summer Program (Full-Time)

- 2 Week Teacher Training where you’ll learn or gain additional experience in:
  - Classroom Management Techniques
  - Restorative Practices
  - Being an Anti-Racist Educator
  - Being a Trauma-Informed Educator
  - Plus, community building with your teammates and more!

- 5 Week Summer Academy with Students
  - Teach MS or HS students a Core or Elective class
  - Receive individualized mentorship from a veteran Durham educator
  - Work with a team of teachers to develop the best ways to support your students
  - Plus Talent Shows, Olympic Day, Spirit Week, and more!

- 1 Evaluation Week
  - Shared your summer learnings
  - Gain Feedback from mentor reachers
  - Complete Comprehensive Evaluations for your students

SUMMER ACADEMY TEACHER CONTENT AREAS

**All teachers will host Homeroom for a group of students at the beginning of each day.

Important Summer Academy Dates

April 22, 2023 - Staff Launch
June 17, 2023 - Family Day
June 12-23, 2023 - Teacher Orientation, 8am - 4pm (in person)
June 19, 2023 - Student U Closed (observing Juneteenth Holiday)
June 26- July 28, 2023 - Summer Program (in person), approximately 9 hours daily, +1 hour weekly staff meeting on Tuesdays.
July 31- Aug 2, 2023 Evaluation Week, 8am - 4pm (in person)

Middle School Teachers

Core Subjects (ELA, Global Connect, Math, and Science):

All core subject classes implement a curriculum designed specifically for Student U’s Summer Academy by a team of experienced educators within the Durham Community. Core subject teachers will be responsible for creating the teaching tools that will accompany each lesson (powerpoints and handouts for each day), teaching the curriculum developed for their course, and evaluating student growth using the pre-and post-assessments created for each course. Below is an overview of the curriculum implemented in each content area at Summer Academy:

English Language Arts (ELA)

ELA classes at Student U’s Summer Academy empower students to explore their own identities and communities through reading, writing, and developing critical thinking skills. The ELA curriculum challenges students to become critical consumers of literary and informational texts while fostering the skills required to express themselves, their ideas, and their knowledge in writing.

6th Grade Focus: Exploring Identity
7th Grade Focus: Myself and My Community
8th Grade Focus: Social Justice

Global Connect

Global Connect classes at Student U’s Summer Academy work to equip students to interrogate several historical time periods and identify the impact of power on the development of systems, structures, and narratives. The Global Connect curriculum creates a space for students to honor their heritage, ancestry, and identity. Students further their historical inquiry skills by examining, analyzing, and synthesizing information to create evidence-based arguments.

6th Grade Focus: Exploring Ancient Civilizations
7th Grade Focus: Global Issues and Social Change
8th Grade Focus: United States History

Math

Math classes at Student U’s Summer Academy work to develop tools that students can use to process, model, reason, and deepen their understanding of the world around them. In each grade, the curriculum focuses on building a conceptual understanding of key math skills necessary to become confident, thoughtful mathematicians and problem-solvers in their classrooms and in the world around them.

6th Grade Focus: Fractions and Ratios
7th Grade Focus: Ratios and Proportionality
8th Grade Focus: Equations and Inequalities

Science

Science classes at Student U’s Summer Academy work to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and habits necessary to excel as scientists, while empowering them to ask questions with confidence and curiosity. Students engage in hands-on learning and experimenting with the aim of viewing themselves as scientists and developing an enthusiastic and eager approach towards exploring the community and world around them.

6th Grade Focus: Ecology and Astronomy
7th Grade Focus: Genetics and Human Body
8th Grade Focus: Evolution, Genetics, Disease

High School Teachers

Core Subjects (ELA, Global Connect, Math, and Science):

All core subjects have a curriculum that has already been created by experienced teachers within the Durham Community. Core subject teachers will be responsible for creating the teaching tools that will accompany each lesson (powerpoints and handouts for each day), teaching the curriculum developed for their course, and evaluating the students using the pre- and post-tests created for the course. Applicants can view the course descriptions and sample lesson plan below.

Language and Literature

Argument & Advocacy (9th grade)

Students will engage in a book study of Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy to think critically about how knowledge can provide an entry to advocacy for others facing injustice, specifically in Stevenson’s case of criminal justice reform. As students read the text together, they will analyze Stevenson’s claims, writing style, use of evidence, and argument. Students will also analyze complimentary works, from podcasts to poems, to aid in their understanding of the use of language and writing as a form of advocacy. Throughout the course, students engage in a weekly writing workshop to craft their own arguments and claims, using elements of voice and writing learned from their book study and discussion. Sample Lesson Plan

Activism & Abolition (10th grade)

Students will be exposed to models of activism and abolition from across the world and in our own community. By studying examples of activism from people their age, students will come to recognize and identify the various elements of activism and how young people can play a vital role in advocating for change. They will spend time exploring various issues of injustice and inequity and considering which they are most personally invested in. This unit culminates by empowering students to develop their own written forms of protest and activism. Sample Lesson Plan

Spanish for Native Speakers (all grades)

Students will build skills in reading and writing Spanish while analyzing how Spanish is used globally, how it varies from country to country, and how culture and identities can also vary from country to country. Students will also zoom out, analyzing injustices the Latinx community faces in the United States and beyond, as well as how they can use their voice and power to fight those injustices. Sample lesson plan

Ethnic Studies

Black Studies (9th grade)

Students will co-create a safe learning space to grapple with the historical evolution of the Black community. This course is intended to encourage students to wrestle with the historical context of “how we got here as a nation” and critically question the traditional master narrative of Black History. As students navigate through this course, they develop language to name the evidence and roots of white supremacy, racism, oppression, and institutional power within our current sociopolitical context. Students will examine the particular impact of Black women and LQBTQ+ folx within and throughout the historical narrative of the Black community. Sample lesson plan

Latinx Studies (9th grade)

Students will examine the complex and intersectional histories, cultures, and identities of different groups of Latinx peoples. They will explore how race and racism continue to be powerful forces in our society. This class promotes critical thinking about race, gender, class, immigration, identity, and sexuality. This course will also include bilingual materials and promotes the thoughtful inclusion of the Spanish language into course materials and possibly discussion. Sample lesson plan

Communities of Change (10th grade)

Utilizing foundational knowledge established by the other high school Global Connect courses that center analysis of power, history, and identity as it relates to communities of color, students will explore and practice using research to promote change in their communities. Through Youth Participatory Action Research, students will identify specific issues they would like to investigate an issue that impacts their community, design a community-based research project, and practice data analysis and synthesis. Students will also explore how to utilize their research to make a positive impact on their community. Sample lesson plan

Mathematics

Pre-Math 1: Functions

Students entering Math I will conceptually and algorithmically master and use functions fluently to model real-world situations. This Math 1 unit focuses on understanding multiple representations of functions, particularly transferring knowledge of linear relationships into function notation and ideas of graphical representations of functions. In their final projects, students dive deep into relevant social issues, using function language to understand and articulate how a relationship has changed over time. Sample lesson plan

Pre-Math 2: Quadratics

Students entering Math II will begin by solidifying their understanding of transformations and the rigid and non-rigid motion of figures. From there, students move into “all things quadratics.” With an end goal of solidifying both conceptual and algorithmic understanding, students will use graphs to explore real-world problems that require the use of quadratic equations. Students will also work to be able to find the solution to a quadratic equation in three different ways: by factoring, quadratic formula, and completing the square.

Pre-Math 3: All the functions

Students entering Math III will begin with a review of “all things functions,” first distinguishing between different types of functions learned through Math II. Students will spend time solving real-world relevant problems that require the use of linear, quadratic, exponential, and square root functions, solidifying their understanding before they move into Math II (where more complex functions become the focus). The course wraps with a review of basic right triangle trigonometry.

Elective Subjects:

Each elective teacher will teach a self-developed course to our rising 9th and 10th-grade students. Elective teachers will be responsible for developing their curriculum in the spring, creating the teaching tools/resources that will accompany each lesson, teaching, and evaluating the students using pre- and post-tests.

Art

Wellness

Science

Student U wants students to develop an awareness of the role of science in economic and social progress, to be motivated to acquire knowledge of scientific facts and principles, and skills in scientific methods of problem-solving, and to discover and develop special talents of pupils in scientific fields. Teachers should design their course using content from Earth Science, Biology, and/or Chemistry. Ideally, we would like lesson activities to involve a combination of demonstrations, lectures, discussions, and student experiments.

Still have questions? Here are some frequently asked questions and answers.

What is Summer Academy?

Summer Academy is a 5-week, full-day program for our rising 6th-10th grade students that includes academic programming, enrichment opportunities, intentional community building, and exposure to college and career options.

Where does Summer Academy take place?

Our Summer Academy takes place at Durham Academy Middle School, at 3116 Academy Road in Durham, NC. Students come from all over Durham to attend our programming!

If I am hired as a teacher this summer, will I really be teaching, or will I be more of a teaching assistant?

You’ll be a teacher! As a summer teacher at Student U, you will be asked to complete the responsibilities professional teachers do every day, including lesson planning, managing a classroom, assessment, and parent communication. We will provide you training and support for all of these responsibilities!

Do I need to have teaching experience in order to be a successful teacher?

No! While we love to work with experienced educators, you are not required to have previous experience in order to apply. We often hire summer teachers for whom this will be a first time working with middle schoolers or high schoolers, and will provide you with the training and support you need to teach students this summer.

Do I have to be an education major to apply or know that I want to be a career teacher?

No. We welcome all those who are committed to a Durham where all students succeed, whether you are a community member, college student, current teacher, aspiring teacher, as long as you are excited by working with our students!

Are the dates for the summer flexible?

Unfortunately not! We know that summer is a busy time, but we really work to prioritize the five weeks we have with students. We expect teachers to be present for our full summer with students.

Is housing provided?

We do not currently provide housing for our summer teachers. However, we have a warm and helpful community, and if you are in need of finding housing for the summer, we will work to connect you with someone who might have leads!

I’m coming from a nearby location (Chapel Hill, Raleigh) but I don’t have a car. Can I still apply?

Yes! We can’t provide transportation for you, but will connect you with another employee where possible to help you get to Student U each day.

What does this job pay?

All un-licensed Middle School & High School teachers at Student U get paid at a rate of $18/hour. Licensed Middle School and High School teachers get paid at a rate of $22/hour. Mentor and Interventionist positions are paid at a different rate.

What COVID precautions are being set in place to keep students and staff safe?

At Student U safety is our top priority! We recommend all students and staff are masked during the duration of the day. We have decreased large group gatherings, and most larger events have been scaled down, handled virtually, or moved outdoors. We have our own supply of masks and sanitizing materials for both students' and staff use.

English

Chinese (Simplified)