MetWest High School

A
Big Picture Learning
school in the
Oakland Unified School District
314 E. 10th St. Oakland CA 94606

510-451-5902

info@metwest.org

www.metwest.org

MetWest Is Hiring: STEAM Lead Teacher Position Available for 2016-2017

METWEST HIGH SCHOOL OVERVIEW
MetWest High School
is a small Oakland public high school currently serving one hundred sixty students. In conjunction
with their advisors, each student studies core academic skills with a cohort of twenty peers, and also design an
individualized learning plan focused on their interests, passions and goals. The core of each students learning plan is an
internship that gives students a deep sense of how their interests play out in the adult world, and provides an authentic
environment and audience for their work. Our curriculum is designed to teach students the academic skills and habits they
need to successfully complete rigorous, complex, real world project work. Our work is rooted in commitment to social and
environmental justice and we equip our students with a framework for understanding local and global issues in terms in
terms of institutional, interpersonal, and internalized oppression and institutional, community, and personal libratory
action.
MetWest High School is a partnership between the Oakland Unified School District and the Big Picture Learning network
based in Providence, RI. For more information on Big Picture Learning, go to:
www.bigpicture.org
. Our own website can be
found at w
ww.metwest.org
.
College and Career Prep through Real World Learning:
While MetWest is focused in part on students pursuing their
passions in the workplace, it is not a vocational school. Rather than training students to follow a particular career path, the
internship structure is designed to foster students intellectual development through hands on experience, and to develop
habits of responsibility and initiative-taking in their education. Our students spend two days a week working with a mentor
at an internship of their choosing, learning professional expectations, communicating effectively with adults from different
backgrounds, and producing real world work. In addition to their integrated coursework at MetWest and their
individualized, internship-based projects, many of our students take courses at Laney College. We expect all of our
students to continue their education after high school, and internships, projects, and community college experiences are
important opportunities for them to envision possible paths for their lives after MetWest.
Our educational philosophy
We learn best in the context of being known well.
Real relationships between adults and young people are crucial to
their academic development the personal qualities of integrity, empathy, and a true sense of purpose in their lives. To this
end, each Advisor works with a core group of 20 students for 2 years, and maintains regular contact with their families and
we strive to cap class sizes for all instructional staff at 20. Additionally the school gathers weekly as a family for student led
assemblies focussed on social and community issues that students are facing.
We learn best when we are pursuing our own passions and interests.
We design and teach curriculum that is related
to students experience and that helps them understand the world they are living in. Whether that means investigating the
different environmental impacts local freeways have on surrounding neighborhoods, or analyzing
Oedipus
to make sense of
human motivation, we work to connect curricula to students lives and experience.
We learn most deeply when we connect mind work and hand work.
High schools in this country have
traditionally separated mind learning and hand learning, yet we know that in order to learn things deeply, we need to study
1
MetWest prepares young adults to recognize and take advantage of all resources to further their personal well-being and the well-being of their communities. Our graduates will
have the skills, habits, knowledge and networks to overcome obstacles to their success, access four-year colleges, engage in fulfilling work and contribute positively to our world.

MetWest High School

A
Big Picture Learning
school in the
Oakland Unified School District
314 E. 10th St. Oakland CA 94606

510-451-5902

info@metwest.org

www.metwest.org

and try them out. Our students take this powerful opportunity when they study health and the causes of premature birth
while interning at Highland Hospital, or when they study Government while interning with a member of City Council.
We work harder when our work has real meaning and value to others.
Two days a week, students are doing real
world work that supports their internship site. At the end of each quarter, our students demonstrate their learning through
formal public exhibitions. They answer questions and receive feedback from a panel of peers, teachers, parents, mentors,
and community members.
We learn best from empowered teachers and leaders.
Students know when adults are being real and when they are
being fake. For educators to be inspiring leaders for young people, they need both a significant degree of autonomy over
curriculum so they can teach from their passions, from their heart, and based on their best thinking about the world and
about their students. And if students to believe that their schools, as institutions, are serving their best interests, then their
teachers must believe that as well. To this end, we strive to involve as many staff as possible in decisions regarding
schedule, calendar, staffing, space, discipline, budget, and other key policies. We know that this is essential to maintaining
an all-star team of powerful educators.
The STEAM Lead Teacher Position
Thanks to the generosity of Oakland voters in the 2014 passage of Measure N, we are embarking on the development of a
brand new STEAM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Art/Math) program that will complement the rich project based
learning already happening in our humanities, and learning through internship programs.

We are seeking a full time scientist/teacher/leader to help us develop an integrated, creative, 21st
Century STEAM
program. We are not looking for just a science teacher, but for someone who has VISION, and the energy to create an
innovative approach to science and technology education in a small school, loving school environment that is hungry to
grow in this direction.

Candidates will have to be either already certificated, or able and willing to become a certificated teacher. The ability to
inspire, motivate, and develop strong supportive relationships with urban high school youth is a key characteristic we will
be looking for. Ours is a very special school, that we love and care about deeply, and are looking for someone who will be
excited about the unique opportunities we offer.
The schools vision is for an integrated program that melds and intertwines the key foundational concepts and skills of the
traditional core science disciplines (biology, chemistry and physics) with computer science and digital literacy, human
health and nutrition, environmental awareness, and technology (coding, CNC and robotics, and 3D design and
fabrication).
As the STEAM lead teacher you would not be expected to teach all of the above content. There will be additional staff
engaged in the project including another part time science teacher, part time nutrition/garden-to-table instructor, and likely
a part time robotics specialist. However, your role would be to both lead classes and provide coordination among the work
of part time instructors, holding it to a vision that you refine.
Curriculum would have to be written, courses constructed, equipment and tools acquired, and space designed. It is an

exciting opportunity and challenge for us to be able to offer our students a robust, relevant, 21st
Century STEAM
program.

2
MetWest prepares young adults to recognize and take advantage of all resources to further their personal well-being and the well-being of their communities. Our graduates will
have the skills, habits, knowledge and networks to overcome obstacles to their success, access four-year colleges, engage in fulfilling work and contribute positively to our world.

MetWest High School

A
Big Picture Learning
school in the
Oakland Unified School District
314 E. 10th St. Oakland CA 94606

510-451-5902

info@metwest.org

www.metwest.org

If this challenge also excites you as an educator, and as a human being, contact us to find out more about this unique,
exciting opportunity.
Early Onboarding Opportunity:
Should we identify the right applicant this spring, we have reserved funds to bring her/him on board on a part time basis
immediately to get a feel for our community and begin program design work!
How do I apply?
Ultimately, applicants will need to submit the documents below, however we encourage you to reach out immediately via
email to careers@metwest.org to arrange a site visit and begin to get a sense of whether this would be the right match!
1) A resume
with references
2) A cover letter that describes:
a) Your vision for the position
b) Why you would be a good fit at MetWest
c) How you have supported improved student achievement for African American and Latino students
d) Ways you have participated in a professional learning community
e) Your beliefs about the role of education in social change
3) Two letters of recommendation (one from a recent supervisor and one from a student or students parent)

3
MetWest prepares young adults to recognize and take advantage of all resources to further their personal well-being and the well-being of their communities. Our graduates will
have the skills, habits, knowledge and networks to overcome obstacles to their success, access four-year colleges, engage in fulfilling work and contribute positively to our world.