Instructional Coaches must love teaching young people and must be inquisitive, innovative, enthusiastic, creative, flexible, and willing to take the initiative needed to ensure teachers’ success. Their most important responsibility is spending time with teachers, discussing classes, curriculum, and pedagogy. Breakthrough is a workshop in education: teachers are here to learn as much as they are here to teach. We do not expect perfection from our young teachers, but we do demand hard work and an openness to (and even eagerness for) criticism. More than anything, we need Instructional Coaches to hold teachers accountable for their teaching, to talk very honestly with them about their strengths and weaknesses, and to provide the support and resources they need to become stronger teachers.

The Instructional Coaches will work closely with one another, the program’s Directors, and Breakthrough teachers. A stipend of $3000 will be awarded to each Instructional Coach. The position is part-time four days a week from 8 to 12. Your support, dedication and professionalism will serve as a model for these young, impressionable teachers.

In addition to working with individual teachers, Instructional Coaches will provide training and resources to their departments during daily department meetings. Breakthrough provides curricula, a lesson planning model, and frameworks for observations and department meetings. 

In short, Instructional Coaches are the guardians of Breakthrough Santa Fe’s academic program during the summer session. They ensure that what happens in the program’s classrooms is of high quality and that it is meeting students’ needs. They help our teachers meet our program’s high expectations, and they hold our teachers accountable when they do not. Role modeling their love of and commitment to teaching, Instructional Coaches often inspire our young faculty to pursue careers in education. Instructional Coaches are an integral part of Breakthrough Santa Fe’s summer session leadership team, and they are the only administrators solely devoted to ensuring that the program’s teaching and classes are rigorous, engaging, and of high quality. Instructional Coaches often report that they learn as much about teaching as do their young charges!

Please do not hesitate to contact Yesi Bermejo for any additional information ybermejo@sfprep.org