California Poets in the Schools’ Poet-Teacher Independent Contractor Job Summary—Mendocino County

California Poets in the Schools (CalPoets) seeks independent contractors to work on a contract or freelance basis as Poet-Teachers in Mendocino County, specifically to work at high schools. CalPoets’ Poet-Teachers are professional writers who choose to give back to their communities as Poet-Teachers. They should have demonstrated experience in the literary arts and be passionate about teaching school-aged youth in public school settings. New CalPoets’ Poet-Teachers are paired with experienced mentors to prepare for classroom placement. This is a great opportunity for poets at all stages of their careers. Poet-Teachers achieve 1-5 teaching contracts per school year.

Poet-Teacher Independent Contractor Duties and Responsibilities
• Work with a Poet-Teacher mentor in preparation for classroom placement
• Teach poetry creation in various K-12 classrooms throughout Mendocino County

Poet-Teacher Independent Contractor Requirements and Qualifications
• Demonstrated experience in the literary arts with a clear focus on poetry
• Passionate about teaching school-aged youth in public school settings
• Able to prioritize and manage your own schedule
• Bi-lingual English/Spanish highly recommended
• Significant cross-cultural experience and understanding
• Able to do great work with minimal supervision
• Strong time-management, communication, and organizational skills

Perks/Compensation
• Receive $250 stipend upon completion of mentorship
• Earn at least $70 (all inclusive) per teaching hour, once placed in a classroom, or negotiate your own rates with schools
• Gain access to some local grant funding
• Receive assistance to establish contracts with schools and classroom teachers
• Join a professional network of California poets from throughout the state
• Gain access to CalPoets’ library of lesson plans, monthly meetings, annual conferences and professional development

To Apply:
Please send a resume, a brief cover letter, and up to five of your own poems (written or performed, links ok) to meg@cpits.org.

About California Poets in the Schools:

VISION
California Poets in the Schools’ vision is to enable youth in every California county to discover, cultivate and amplify their own creative voices through reading, analyzing, writing, performing and publishing poetry.

When students learn to express their creativity, imagination, and intellectual curiosity through poetry, it becomes a catalyst for learning core academic subjects, accelerating emotional development and supporting personal growth.

Our Poet-Teachers help students become adults who will bring compassion, understanding and appreciation for diverse perspectives to dialogue about issues which their communities face.

MISSION
California Poets in the Schools develops and empowers a multicultural network of independent Poet-Teachers, who bring the many benefits of poetry to youth throughout the state.

As a membership network we offer opportunities for professional development, peer learning and fundraising assistance for Poet-Teachers in California. We also cultivate relationships with school districts, foundations and arts organizations which can fund and support our members’ professional practices.

Visit www.calpoets.org for more info.