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 with breakfast, then carry out morning duties, such as enthusiastically greeting 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 attend workshops and professional development sessions. In the evening, they 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

7:30 – 7:45 am	Breakfast: Enjoy a meal in the cafeteria with other TFs.
7:45 – 8:15 am	Morning Duties: Greet our students as they arrive or supervise in the gym.
8:15 – 8:25 am	Morning Meeting: Meet with the entire Breakthrough community and prepare for an exciting day ahead.
8:30 – 9:20 am	Teach Literature: 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.
9:25 – 10:15 am	Prep Period #1: Meet with your Instructional Coach for praise, prompt, and an action plan from this morning’s classroom observation.
10:20 – 11:10 am	Faculty Meeting: Recap the morning and prepare for upcoming events.
11:15 am – 12:05 pm	Teach Second Section of Literature: After a snack and elective break for students, it’s time for more academic classes. Make refinements based on how things went during Block A!
12:10 – 1:00 pm	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.
1:05 – 2:00 pm	Lunch/Meetings: One day per week, attend a professional development session led by the Instructional Coaches. Other days, have lunch with the students and interact with them at recess or in the library, or take a break with other TFs.
2:05 – 2:55 pm	Advisory/Study Hall: Work with your advisees on a wellness unit, rehearse for an upcoming All-School Meeting skit, or support your students as they get started on their homework for the night.
3:00 – 3:20 pm	All-School Meeting: Meet with the entire Breakthrough community. Watch student performances, do some Breakthrough cheers, and award this week’s Spirit Stick.
3:30 – 4:30 pm	Event Prep: Gather with your committee to prepare for upcoming events, if needed.
4:30 pm+	Downtime: Relax and have dinner. Review your lesson plan for tomorrow and assess homework. Get excited for tomorrow!