Resident Teaching Fellow (AmeriCorps Position)

Notre Dame Mission Volunteers, AmeriCorps (NDMVA) is seeking applicants to serve as a Full-time AmeriCorps Member at Cornelia Connelly Center in New York City from September 2023-July 2024.

The Resident Teaching Fellow Program at Cornelia Connelly Center (CCC) is a dynamic, service opportunity for passionate individuals to spend up to two years in the field of urban education, while living and working in a faith-based community in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Resident Teaching Fellows are recent college graduates who are committed to creating social change through service immersion, particularly in New York City. From the beginning, CCC has been shaped by our fellows: men and women who believe that access to quality education for every student is at the heart of enacting social justice.

What is Cornelia Connelly Center?: Cornelia Connelly Center champions under-resourced girls, empowering them to realize their full potential from 4th grade through college and beyond. CCC offers a thirteen-year program to girls living in poverty, partnering with each student and their family from fourth grade to college graduation. Through Connelly Middle School of the Holy Child (CMS), students in grades four through eight receive a joyful, holistic education. Our Graduate Support Program (GSP) serves CMS alumnae, persistently committed to their high school success and college completion. With Cornelia Connelly Center, a young woman learns to shine - transforming her life and our world

​What does it mean to be a Resident Teaching Fellow at CCC?: Resident Teaching Fellows are AmeriCorps service members at our Center who receive professional development, training and experience in the field of faith-based, urban education. Delivering key elements of CC's program such as classroom instruction, community building activities and enrichment opportunities, Resident Teaching Fellows gain valuable exposure to the inner workings of a school and a non-profit in the Holy Child tradition. Resident Teaching Fellows are held to the same professional expectations as other Center employees, joyfully exhibiting an 'above and beyond' spirit for our students and their success. They also provide essential support to all aspects of CC's program, including taking on active roles in our summer and after school programs.

In addition to professional responsibilities, an integral aspect of the Resident Teaching Fellow Program at CCC is living in community. Through this community, the Resident Teaching Fellow Program creates an atmosphere of collaboration, support and mutual learning. Sharing a living space on the top floor of the Center, Resident Teaching Fellows commit themselves to be active and positive participants in their living community. They are expected to establish and uphold community norms and share in weekly chores. Resident Teaching Fellows share a kitchen and living area, and each have their own bedrooms.

​What are the responsibilities of a Resident Teaching Fellow?: The role of Resident Teaching Fellow Teacher is a service position. By its nature, this opportunity is demanding, requiring Resident Teaching Fellows to put the needs of those we serve above their own on a regular basis. While it is recognized that the Resident Teaching Fellows may have little or no teaching experience, they are expected to be flexible and willing to respond to the needs of our students, graduates, and Center as a whole. This includes, but is not limited to:

Academic Responsibilities

• Work with a co-teacher to design and revise unit plans & daily lesson plans to align with Common Core Standards
• and interim assessment data
• Provide timely feedback on student work and utilize data to inform instruction
• Facilitate small-group instruction to specific groups of students as needed
• With a co-teacher, develop and implement a trauma informed classroom management system that reinforces CCC values and creates a positive class environment
• With a co-teacher, work collaboratively with the learning specialist to support students with an ISP (Individualized Education Service Plan)

Non-Academic Responsibilities

• Supervise daily activities including snack, lunch, recess, study hall, etc.
• Co-lead a homeroom class and serve as an advisor to a small group of students
• Regularly communicate with parents about student progress
• Facilitate parent/teacher conferences
• Lead extracurricular activities such as social activities, sporting activities, clubs and student events as directed
• Attend and lead various Center-wide functions throughout the year, including occasional evenings and weekends
• Spend at least one summer working at CC's four-week summer camp, either in NYC or at Rosemont College

General Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with colleagues to build an excellent school and Center culture
• Demonstrate professionalism and respect at all times
• Be open to growth, seeking to constantly improve instructional practices
• Willingly receive and apply feedback
• Share unique gifts and talents to enrich the broader CCC community
• Go above and beyond to contribute to the overall Center environment
• Get things done

Training and Preparation

• Attend CCC staff orientation in August, as well as regular staff meetings
• Participate in monthly professional development opportunities which can include weekend sessions
• Attend two overnight staff retreats and one overnight AmeriCorps conference
• Attend quarterly AmeriCorps meetings with AmeriCorps Site Coordinator
• Accumulate AmeriCorps hours through the end of July assisting in summer projects

​What qualifications are required?

• Bachelor's degree with strong academic record (all majors welcome)
• Love of learning
• Passion for working with children/adolescents living in poverty
• Commitment to social justice
• Willingness to do whatever it takes to improve the lives of students in and out of the classroom
• U.S. Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident

AmeriCorps Member Benefits:

• Housing provided by the site
• Living Allowance: Because Notre Dame- AmeriCorps is partnered with the Corporation for National and Community Service, we are able to offer our members a yearly living allowance which is distributed bi-weekly over the 11 months term. The pre-tax figure for 2023-2024 is approx. $18,000.
• The Education Award: Upon completion of a service term, AmeriCorps members receive a taxable education award of $6,895. The education award can be applied to qualified student loans or future education.
• Student Loan Forbearance: Members of NDA are eligible for forbearance of federal student loans during their term of service. This means that while a member is serving, he or she does not make payments on his or her qualifying loans. In addition, the National Trust will pay the interest that accrues on the loan at the end of the term of service. For more information please visit Postponing Student Loan Payments and Getting Interest Paid
• Optional Health Insurance: We provide optional healthcare while you serve with NDA.
• Child Care: NDA members may also be eligible for child care benefits. The AmeriCorps Child Care Program covers up to the state’s local market rate for child care fees and makes payments directly to the member’s caregiver.