Lead Teacher of After School Arts Program (ASAP)

Portside Arts Center seeks Lead Teachers for our After School Arts Program.

Portside is a 501c3 nonprofit community art center located in the Port Richmond/Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia. We provide a creative and nurturing environment that empowers the artists of tomorrow and creates lifelong patrons of the arts. Through dynamic visual arts programming, we encourage students to be globally-minded citizens and fearless artists.

The After School Arts Program (ASAP) is an after-school arts experience for students in grades Pre-K through 5. The hands-on visual curriculum focuses on the seven fundamentals of art education; line, shape, form, value, space, color, and texture. Over the course of the academic year students work through each segment and build a strong foundation of visual arts skills, developmental skills and techniques. Students are also exposed to lessons in art history, arts appreciation, and multicultural awareness. Students explore a variety of visual arts forms: drawing, painting, sculpture, weaving, collage, puppetry, photography and many more. Our ASAP kids are fun, creative, thoughtful, and excited to be at our center.

We are currently seeking part-time Lead Teachers to work with us for the duration of the Philadelphia School District’s academic year. Our Lead Teachers work Monday - Friday, between 3:00 and 6:15 PM. Teachers with weeklong availability are preferred, but those with alternate schedules will also be considered. Additional hours may also be offered to work during our half and full-day camps throughout the year.

All applicants must have a passion for art and experience working with groups of children in an instructional setting.

Ideal candidates will also:

-- be organized and responsible

-- have a happy, easygoing attitude

-- be great at multi-tasking

-- have excellent classroom management skills

-- have experience creating a visual arts curriculum

-- be a team player

-- be professional

-- be communicative and maintain positive relationships with parents and colleagues

Requirements

-- must have a passion for arts and strong demonstrated knowledge of artistic concepts practices

-- must have at least 2 years experience working with groups of children in an instructional setting

-- must have or obtain a criminal background check and child abuse clearance

Curriculum

Teachers are responsible for creating their own visual art curriculum within the parameters of ASAP’s overall program curriculum. Some projects must include the following:

-- 21st century skills

-- exploration

-- process-based learning

-- artist exemplar/art history

Teachers will be asked to create an age-appropriate curriculum for students that allows them to experience many different art forms such as: drawing, painting, printmaking, clay sculpture, mosaic, fiber arts, puppetry, found object sculpture and more. We encourage teachers to show examples of artists’ work allowing students to develop an appreciation for artists, art history, and other cultures.

Teachers will plan and present 45-minute art lessons that meet curriculum standards daily.

Additional Responsibilities

-- supervise a group of up to 24 students from 3PM to 6PM with the help of an assistant teacher, and groups of 12 or less as a stand alone instructor, in both cases with strong administrative support. 

-- supervise completion of and assist students with their homework during a 45-minute homework help session.

-- walk with children to local parks and playgrounds and supervise children during play time

-- provide parents with updates on their child’s progress through Class Dojo App

-- create a warm and welcoming classroom environment

-- set up classroom at beginning of the day and cleaning up classroom at the end

-- arrive on time and leave on time

-- provide kind and constructive feedback to assistant teachers

-- proactively troubleshoot with Portside staff