A Day in the Life

The Teaching Experience

There are no dull moments in the life of a Breakthrough Teaching Fellow. Teaching Fellows start the day by participating in an energizer with other TFs, then go outside to enthusiastically greet students as they arrive. Throughout the day that follows, TFs lead two sections of a rigorous academic class, meet with their colleagues and Instructional Coach, play with students at recess, and much more. In the afternoons and evenings, they attend workshops and professional development sessions, plan lessons, review student work, and then get some sleep before doing it all again. Think this is the opportunity you’re looking for? Catch a glimpse of a typical Breakthrough San Francisco day below!

 

A Typical Day in the Breakthrough Summer Program

7:45 – 8:00 Faculty Huddle: Meet with directors and other Teaching Fellows to review important information for the day.
8:00 – 8:15 Greet Students: Crank the energy way up! Dancing is encouraged.
8:15 – 8:30 Morning Meeting: Meet with the entire Breakthrough community and prepare for an exciting day ahead.
8:35 – 9:05 Advisory: Meet with your advisees for community building and conversations related to social-emotional growth and DEI. Discuss plans for Olympics on Friday.
9:10 –10:00 Teach Reading: Using Breaking Through as your starting point, teach your students the skills they need to effectively summarize texts, have a literary discussion, and create a plot diagram. Ensure that students have mastered the objective by the time they leave class.
10:05 – 11:00 Prep Period: Meet with your Instructional Coach for praise, prompt, and an action plan from this morning’s classroom observation. Use this time to get ahead on tomorrow’s lesson, track down supplies for next week’s project, and review students’ homework.
11:05 – 11:55 Teach Second Section of Reading: After a 5-minute snack break for students, it’s time for more classes. Make refinements based on how things went during Block A!
12:00 – 12:50 Department Meeting: Meet with other literature TFs and the literature Instructional Coach to discuss strategies to facilitate student understanding. Practice the next day’s lesson with the other TF who teaches the same content to the same grade level.
12:55 – 1:55 Lunch/Meetings: One day per week, attend a professional development session led by the Instructional Coaches. Three days per week, have lunch with the students and enjoy interacting with them at recess or in the library.
2:00 – 2:40 Prep Period: Collaborate with your fellow teachers to plan ahead for academic classes, advisory, or upcoming special events.
2:45 – 3:15 Study Hall: Support your students as they get started on their homework for the night.
3:20 – 3:30 All-School Meeting: Meet with the entire Breakthrough community. Watch student performances, do some Breakthrough cheers, and award this week’s Spirit Stick.
3:45 – 4:15 Faculty Meeting: Recap the day and discuss any issues, discoveries, and positive moments.
4:15 – 5:15 Workshop/Meeting Time: Reflect on your classes; learn about this week’s special event; plan with your committee or elective co-teacher; or check in on your students in the after-school program.
7:00 – 9:00 Work Time: Finalize your lesson plan for tomorrow, grade homework, and field some phone calls from advisees with homework questions. Develop your skit for All-School Meeting. Get excited for tomorrow!