Museum Educator
Seaport Museum New York
Organization Description:
South Street Seaport Museum, located in the heart of the historic seaport district in New York City, preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. Founded in 1967, the Museum houses an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, exhibition galleries, and education spaces, working 19th-century print shops, and an active fleet of historic vessels that all work to tell the story of “Where New York Begins.” seaportmuseum.org
Position Description:
As a South Street Seaport Museum educator, you will bring to K-12 and college students, teachers, and educators from around the city and around the world a sense of the Seaport’s history and the Harbor’s continued importance as an ecosystem and as an economic waterway. You will engage with all kinds of learners of all backgrounds through inquiry-based, student-centered instruction, seeking to explore context and create connection in every way. You will communicate with visiting teachers and chaperones, your teammates, and other departments in a way that makes complex logistics look effortless and enhances the experience for all.
Educational programs for visiting schools last from 90 minutes to 3 hours and include topics such as New Amsterdam history, Life on Board a Tall Ship, Immigration, Ocean Liners, and Estuary Ecology. Most of our programs are interdisciplinary in scope, with as much attention paid to how students are learning as to what they are learning. See our website seaportmuseum.org/learn, for more information.
Reports to:
Education and Visitor Experience Manager
Job Requirements & Responsibilities:
– Teaching programs to visiting school and camp groups as scheduled, including programs on board our historic dockside vessels, in our galleries, and on walking tours.
– Delivering content in an engaging and informative manner, with a focus on the learner.
– Supporting social and emotional learning as well as content knowledge.
– Meeting the needs of diverse learners, including different age groups, different amounts of background knowledge and experience, different ethnicities and cultures, different learning styles, and different educational and physical requirements.
– Managing time, space, and logistics, smoothly moving groups of students and adults through activities in public spaces.
– Setting up before and cleaning up after programs.
– Communicating effectively with teachers regarding their class, content, and students.
– Working collaboratively and communicating effectively within the Education Department and with other Museum departments.
– Participating as a member of a professional learning community in ongoing group and individual professional development, including regular co-observations and debrief sessions, to increase your content knowledge and skill, as well as engaging in self-study to enrich background knowledge in content areas and pedagogy.
– Learning how to teach the entire catalog of the museum’s education programs including any new programs that may come online, and being able to teach them all.
Additional Responsibilities
– At times, assisting with research and development of new programs.
Candidate Qualifications:
– Experience teaching to school-age children (pre-k -12), preferably in a museum, classroom, or outdoor setting. Though most of our programming is for grades 2-8, we do have many groups that are older and younger.
– Bachelor’s Degree in a field related to education, history, or science, OR a Bachelor’s Degree in an unrelated field with extensive experience in a related field OR equivalent relevant experience.
– Demonstrated interest in our particular content areas.
– Second language proficiency a plus.
– Experience with Access/Disability/Special Needs audiences a plus.
– Teacher certification a plus.
– Note: Educators who wish to lead sailing programs on board schooner Pioneer must have prior vessel experience. For educators who wish to develop sailing experience, the museum offers volunteer sail training on Saturday mornings within Pioneer’s operational season.
Personal Qualifications
– Applicants MUST be available Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 am to 3 pm, preferably with regular availability Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9 am to 3 pm.
– An outgoing personality with the ability to communicate well in public settings.
– Eagerness to learn new content and pedagogy.
– Understanding of and awareness of students and their learning.
– Professional and personable demeanor.
– Flexibility, positive outlook, and team focus.
– Reliability and excellent team communication skills.
– Ability to look at your work critically and reflectively and desire to continually improve practice and skills, and to thoughtfully and kindly observe the work of others.
Preferred But Non-Mandatory Qualifications
– Second language proficiency
– Experience with Access/Disability/Special Needs audiences
– Early Childhood experience
– Experience teaching science and math
– Theatrical experience
Position Type:
Part-Time
Union Status:
Non-Union
FLSA Status:
Non-Exempt
Salary or Compensation:
$22/hr
Organization or Project Website:
https://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/jobs-and-internships/
Application Info:
Email resume and cover letter with “MUSEUM EDUCATOR” in the subject line to educationjobs@seany.org.
Applications without an attached cover letter will not be considered.
No phone calls, please.
South Street Seaport Museum is an equal opportunity employer. Non-traditional applicants and/or those with suitable alternatives to the above criteria are encouraged to apply. The Seaport Museum strongly encourages applications from members of groups underrepresented in careers related to museums; we seek to foster a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as New York City and our audience.