In 2017, CAP’s board, staff and key stakeholders gathered to rethink, redefine and reimagine how to expand CAP’s reach to more children while maintaining its standards of excellence. What emerged is a fellowship model that allows CAP to reach more children in more ways while strengthening the arts throughout our community and building a sustainable future for CAP and its teaching artist fellows. Fellows will leave the program after three years as highly trained artists, professionals and educators, with the credentials, certifications or degrees needed to be competitive candidates for schools, universities and arts organizations across the country.
The Theatre Teaching Artist Fellow should be centered in strong artistic practice and have the desire to share their skills and knowledge for the benefit of children and the community. The fellow is responsible for theatre-based education in multiple schools or community sites throughout Duval County during the school year. They will need to pivot teaching plans for a variety of student populations and learning environments, including virtual settings, and be responsible for classroom management and curriculum development.
When not leading students, the fellow is responsible for overseeing the successful management of their classes, including but not limited to supply purchases and delivery, attendance tracking and reporting, and student data compilation. In addition, the fellow will dedicate time to accomplishing their three-year career goal by providing administrative support to one of CAP’s four teams – Development, Finance & Administration, Marketing & Communications or Program.
The fellow will be employed on a three-year term as a full-time employee of CAP and will report to the Senior Director of Programs. The fellowship contract has an anticipated start date of May 10, 2021, and end date of June 30, 2024.
Essential Responsibilities
Classroom Facilitation
• Provide in-person and/or virtual instruction for school aged children at approximately four sites, with classes of no more than 30 children per site, that may include public school campuses, community centers and similar locations.
• Demonstrate mastery of the skills, knowledge and practices of theatre education through original lessons; make relevant connections to classroom curricula; be willing to creatively adapt and implement as needed for student growth.
• Collaborate with site administration, such as principals, teachers or guidance counselors, to create lessons that enhance both artistic and educational goals.
• Define, evaluate and establish measurable artistic goals and objectives that can be implemented in the classroom to support student learning.
• Arrange and participate in student recruitment and manage communication with families. Ensure enrollment data for each student is collected and entered in the Active Network database.
• Nurture and maintain professional and positive relationships with classroom teachers, school administration, student families and other CAP teaching artists.
• Facilitate opportunities throughout the academic year for students to perform virtually or in person as safety allows. Assist with field trips and guest artist visits. Prepare students for all performances, including a year-end performance.
Administrative
• Administer and record paperwork, including attendance, pre- and post-program assessments, student surveys and other evaluations.
• Provide project-based support to at least one of CAP’s four teams that align with the fellow’s personal and professional goals. Duties may include, but are not limited to, assisting with fundraising mailings, providing support for special events, supporting alumni engagement efforts, participating in data collection and analysis, and contributing to the development of policies, procedures and best practices.
Professional Development
• Develop a three-year career goal and annual individual development plans.
• Seek opportunities for professional growth in areas of pedagogy, classroom management, specialty within the artform, general nonprofit management skills or other related areas.
• Develop lasting connections with community leaders, nonprofit professionals, clinicians, educators and artists throughout the Jacksonville community.
Special Events
• Provide support during special events.
• Prepare student performances for events, provide content for written communications and attend speaking engagements on behalf of CAP to assist with the organization’s development efforts.
Other
• Carry out other duties as requested in support of strategic goals.
Minimum Requirements
• Reliable transportation to and from CAP offices and program sites.
• Available via cell phone during work hours.
• Experience working with children in a structured learning environment.
• Experience implementing theatre curriculum.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Dedication to personal and professional development.
• Must pass official Level 2 background check as outlined by Florida state law and complete mandatory sexual misconduct, cultural diversity, trauma-informed education and CPR/first aid trainings.
Qualifications
• Desire and drive to expand arts education experience and skills.
• Experience using Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Classroom as platforms for virtual learning.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Dual-language speaker preferred.
• Ability to work collaboratively and cooperatively within a team as well as independently.
• Ability to maintain a positive ‘can do’ attitude; be proactive, flexible, and show initiative with projects, planning, and all activities related to this position.
• Commitment to CAP’s vision, goals and core values.