Middle School Program Instructor

Location:

Oakland, CA

Employment Type:

Seasonal, Part-Time, Non-Exempt Season:
School Year (approximately August–May)

Reports to:

Site Coordinator/Manager About Oakland Leaf Oakland Leaf was founded in 2001 by a collective of East Oakland educators intent on empowering youth voice. For more than 25 years, Oakland Leaf has evolved into a highly regarded leader in youth development and out-of-school time learning. We facilitate culturally relevant expanded learning programming for approximately 1,300 K–12 East Oakland students through seven after school programs at public elementary and middle schools, one paid internship program for high school students, and two 5-week summer camps.

Our programming emphasizes social and emotional learning, creative expression, critical thinking, leadership development, social justice, and college and career readiness grounded in our core values of Love in Action, Cultivation, Community, Youth Voice, and Critical Thinking.

Position Overview The Middle School Program Instructor is the frontline heartbeat of Oakland Leaf's expanded learning program at the middle school level. .This role is responsible for facilitating engaging, youth-centered activities for 20 middle school aged students, building authentic relationships with every child in their class, supporting students' social-emotional development, and contributing to a site culture that is warm, inclusive, and full of life.

Students in 6th through 8th grade are navigating identity formation, peer relationships, puberty, increasing independence, and real community stressors and pressures that do not stop at the school door. The Middle School Program Instructor understands this and shows up every day committed to being a positive, consistent, values-aligned presence.

For someone who is passionate about working with young children, wants to make a real difference in the lives of Oakland youth, and is looking for a meaningful entry point into the field of youth development or education, this is an opportunity to do work that matters.

Specific Duties & responsibilities

Activity Facilitation & Curriculum Delivery (40%)Implement and facilitate engaging, developmentally appropriate, and culturally responsive curriculum for assigned middle school student groups following Oakland Leaf's program framework and daily schedule

Prepare for activities in advance including gathering materials, reviewing curriculum lesson plan, and arriving ready to deliver a high-quality experience for students every day Bring creativity, energy, and genuine enthusiasm to activity facilitation including facilitating experiences that spark curiosity, invite participation, and reflect the interests and identities of the students in the group

Deliver assigned curriculum with fidelity including any enrichment content, social-emotional learning activities, or structured programs assigned by the Site Coordinator/Manager.

Adapt activities in real time based on student engagement, group dynamics, and the natural energy of the afternoon staying responsive and flexible while maintaining structure and purpose

Relationship Building & Youth Development (30%)Build authentic, caring, and consistent relationships with every student in the assigned group including learning names, interests, strengths, and challenges, and showing up as a trusted adult presence every day Create a group environment where every 6th to 8th grade student feels seen, welcomed, and excited to participate especially students who are shy, new to the program, or struggling to connect

Support the identity development, leadership, and critical thinking of middle school youth, creating space for youth voice, honest conversation, and meaningful choices within the program

Hold boundaries clearly and consistently, responding to middle school testing behavior, peer conflicts, and challenging dynamics with firmness, warmth, and a restorative rather than punitive approach

Navigate the complexity of middle school social dynamics with skill, understanding peer pressure, group identity, and adolescent behavior well enough to respond effectively rather than reactively

Maintain professional, warm, and culturally…