Citizenship Educator

Overview

JOB TITLE: Citizenship Educator

DEPARTMENT: Education

REPORTS TO: Manager of the Citizenship Project

About The New York Historical
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution documenting over 400 years of American history through a peerless collection of art, documents, and artifacts. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment.

The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia

D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the Reiss Family Graduate Institute for Constitutional History, the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Center for Teaching Democracy, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better.

Job Summary

The New York Historical Citizenship Educators lead online civics and history lessons for green card holders through the Citizenship Project. The Citizenship Project is an initiative of The New York Historical Education designed to help eligible permanent residents pass the civics test portion of the naturalization process through online and on-site educational programming. Citizenship Educators lead classes with prescribed lesson plans under the supervision of the Manager of the Citizenship Project.

The approach to teaching and learning at New York Historical is object-based inquiry, in which material culture provides a window into the past. All new Citizenship Educators undergo training in this approach before leading their first program, and all new and veteran educators participate in monthly training sessions September through May.

Educators must be available to teach weekday evenings and Saturdays. Online courses are offered on weekday evenings (6-7pm and 8-9pm) and Saturdays (10am-12pm). In-person courses are offered at The New York Historical on Saturdays (10am-1pm).

Citizenship Educators must be comfortable teaching distance learning programs independently.

Essential Job Duties

• Educators teach programs about American history and government to help permanent residents pass the USCIS Civics Test through online and in-person classes at The New York Historical;
• Educators are expected to learn all programs by studying the provided program outlines and conducting additional research to ensure the effective delivery of content;
• Educators communicate with the Manager of the Citizenship Project to ensure all programs meet expectations;
• Educators maintain accurate records of program delivery within personal calendars and the NYH payroll system;
• Educators are responsible for day-of-program logistics;
• Educators are required to attend trainings to learn institutional pedagogy and content upon hiring;
• Educators are required to complete and submit all required paperwork including, but not limited to, program evaluations, and timesheets.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with a preferred concentration in history, American Studies, and/or political science;
• Experience teaching adults;
• Experience teaching through Zoom or other video conferencing software;
• Experience with adult English Language Learners (ELLs) strongly preferred;
• Knowledge of American history and government a plus;
• Experience in museum education and/or teaching American history/civics is preferred. Interest and willingness to be trained in The New York Historical approach to inquiry-based teaching is required;
• Bilingual candidates, particularly Spanish speakers, are strongly encouraged to apply.

Compensation

Salary: $40/hour (Teaching); $20/hour (Training and Preparation Time)

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee with or without accommodation, to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. This position will require the employee to lift, bend, stoop, walk, speak and stand for up to 6 hours in a day.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The New York Historical is an Equal Opportunity Employer.