Summary

Albuquerque Academy seeks a cohort of teaching fellows for the 2024-25 academic year. Albuquerque Academy is looking to engage candidates who embrace a growth mindset in their approach to education and will bring that perspective to teaching in our 6-12 program.  We are looking for someone who is patient, engaging, and inspires a love of the outdoors and the natural world in all students, works well with colleagues, and enjoys thinking about the art of teaching outdoor and leadership education.  In addition to co-teaching a class, candidates will teach as part of an instructor team for the department’s array of experiential education trips. Diversity is a core value at Albuquerque Academy, and we seek candidates who demonstrate an abiding commitment to equity and belonging.

All teachers at Albuquerque Academy approach their work in accordance with the values in our mission and in a spirit of kindness, professionalism, generosity, and civility to all members of the community. An education at the Academy focuses on the whole child, and teachers and administrators are expected to teach well and also to function as adult mentors for students, in and out of the classroom. Our community norms, listed below, underlie our school culture, and all community members are expected to commit themselves fully to them.

1.     Value and respect the diverse contributions of each person in the community.

2.     Assume positive intent and inquire if you are left with questions or concerns.

3.     Engage in face-to-face direct conversations; be clear, open, and honest in your conversations.

4.     Be present and participate.

Strong candidates are attracted to our mission and see themselves as engaged community members. They will need to create and implement relevant curriculum in the classroom and in the field. Outside the classroom, our teachers work with students in ways that foster their growth and development into effective community members. The teaching fellow’s daily activities include classroom teaching, being available to students for assistance, communication with parents and other department members, trip preparation and deissue, leading and co-leading a variety of single and multi-day trips, and serving the school community in a variety of other ways. The teaching fellow reports to the department chair and to the division head.

The teaching fellow position in the Experiential Education Department requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.  Competence in outdoor living skills, outdoor travel and navigation, and judgment and decision-making is required. Familiarity with technical skills such as rock climbing is preferred. The Albuquerque Academy Experiential Education Department supports and enhances the school’s rigorous college-preparatory curriculum and experiential education trips are required for students in grades 6-9. Students in grades 10-12 can elect to take classroom-based electives that include a field component. Programs are offered throughout New Mexico and the Four Corners region. Detailed information can be found on the department website.

The teaching fellow will commit to full participation in all aspects of the teaching fellows program, including: regular seminars on a variety of aspects of school life with the associate head of school and professional development opportunities with the rest of the faculty as well as those designed especially for the teaching fellows cohort.  Successful fellows will seek out direct feedback and value all aspects of the mentoring offered in this position. The school commits to helping the teaching fellows embark on a job search for the following year. Should there be an opening at the Academy, fellows are welcome to apply, but there is no guarantee of future employment with Albuquerque Academy. The teaching fellows program is a one-year position.

Additionally, Teaching Fellows will participate as teachers and advisers in the Academy’s “Bridge Program,” an academic and social preparation and orientation experience for rising sixth-grade students that takes place right before school begins in early August.  Teaching fellows will have flexibility in terms of their presence on campus before August, when they will need to be physically present to participate in training and then work with students. July should be used for preparation and planning for the start of the school year, to include some meetings (can be remote) to work with their mentor-teacher and department chair.  The stipend for the Fellows program is $25,000; fellows are considered full-time employees (40 hours per week) and are therefore eligible for the full array of benefits. Fellows should expect to be on campus during the school day, and sometimes after and before school for meetings.  The experiential education department’s hours may extend beyond the typical work day during the field season.  Time off for the Teaching Fellow in January into early February reflects the extra time commitment during the field season.

Albuquerque Academy seeks to maintain a diverse and energetic faculty to work with 1182 highly capable students, including 56% students of color. We encourage applications from groups traditionally underrepresented in independent school communities.

Full job description and application portal can be found on the Academy Human Resources website.