Co-Teaching Artist

Co-Teaching Artist with By Discovery, Art Enrichment Program

2025/26 School Year and Option for Summer 2026

The Co-Teaching Artist position is a wonderful opportunity for those who are passionate about their art practice and enjoy working with children, grades K-5. Preferred applicants have teaching or teaching assistant experience for 1 or more years and an undergraduate degree in art or art education. Preferred applicants will also excel in 3 of the following studio arts: drawing, painting, printmaking, collage/mixed media, ceramics, sculpture and fiber arts. Additionally, the ideal candidate will be both caring and comfortable helping children problem solve, in relation to a project or by encouraging prosocial behavior when children experience disagreements. Promoting kindness and safety, in the studio and at play (indoors or on the playground), is especially important.

Position Requirements:

1. Work independently and as part of a team to develop and document (via Google docs/sheets/slides) engaging, skill building, process-based art projects with Co-Teaching Artists and the Program Director via weekly meetings (2 per week, 2 hours each, typically on Mon/Fri. Please note: For the additional “Wednesday only” position at Lincoln, meetings are more flexible, 1-2 times per month)
2. Create and share slide presentations to introduce students to artists, artwork, concepts, techniques and to facilitate discussions
3. Create art project samples to motivate students and to create a benchmark for project goals
4. Clearly demonstrate techniques, supply usage, and project clean-up steps for each lesson presented
5. Submit project supply lists for approval and purchase by the Program Director
6. Communicate closely with Program Director and with By Discovery families via email to share information about special project needs, scheduling changes such as field trips, special exhibition opportunities, changes in the child pick-up location, and other topics that arise, including behavior management strategies if needed
7. Supervise and support the Teaching Assistant/Volunteers/Substitutes in their responsibilities (project preparations, project assistance, student clean-up, supervision of snack, outdoor play, etc.)
8. Take student attendance daily and verify absences with parents/caregivers or the school administration if needed
9. Complete an accident report on the date of occurrence should there be a student injury and share with the Program Director, who will share with the School Principal
10. Complete an incident report for behavioral concerns/actions on the date of occurrence and share it with the Program Director, who will share with the School Principal
11. Document student artwork and share with the Program Director to post on social media
12. Be a mentor and promote kindness and safety in the studio and on the playground
13. Encourage prosocial behavior and redirect students who lose focus
14. Complete weekly timesheets (via Google spreadsheets) for payroll
15. Be willing to engage in other capacities that will facilitate the safe and efficient delivery of the program
16. Candidates must submit to a background check and complete Red Cross First Aid Training and Mandated Reporter Training.
17. Must be willing to make a commitment for the remainder of the school year, thorough June 2, 2026. Summer is optional, yet preferred, for 2 or more weeks, TBD.
18. Training begins prior to the start of the school year, potentially as early as the week of Aug 4th, with flexibility as to the days and times.

Additional Qualifications:

1. BA or BFA degree in visual art or education OR can demonstrate ability in one or more of these areas

2. Strong work ethic (punctual, dedicated, engaged, focused)

3. Excellent rapport with children (enthusiastic, patient, nurturing, attentive)

4. Strong interpersonal skills (flexible, empathetic, strong listener, positive demeanor and can manage conflict)

5. Ability to climb 2 flights of stairs, with frequency, during child pick-up

2025/26 School Year Open Positions & Location:

1. M-F: Lincoln Elementary School: 1111 N. Grove, Oak Park, IL 60304
2. W only: Lincoln Elementary School: 1111 N. Grove, Oak Park, IL 60304

The School Year position requires on-site work at the studio/school, on-site work for weekly studio staff meetings, and work from home, including communication with program director/staff on some weekends (texts/emails), should a timely matter require a clarification (this is rare).

School Days and Times: Everyday, M-F, Part-Time:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 2:45 - 6:15/6:45pm (3.5 to 4 hours per day)

Wednesday: 2:15 – 6:15 pm (4-4.5 hours)

Project Prep: Projects require prep prior to the start of the session (organizing supplies for each table to have ready to go; precutting materials to size or other alterations) and post project prep (photographing or displaying artwork, organizing drying racks, cleaning and organizing materials. This is factored into the times above. Students depart by 6pm each day, allowing Co-Teachers 15 to 45 minutes for end of day cleaning and project prep for the following day. This may vary widely, depending on the project.

Departure Time Note: Occasionally, if there is a student injury or behavior incident that needs to be communicated to parents at child pick-up, the accident/incident report must be written prior to staff departure that day, and this may impact a staff member’s departure time.

Weekly Studio Staff Meetings: SCHOOL YEAR

Lesson Planning/Project Samples: Monday afternoons, 12:30pm-2:30pm (2 hours per week)

Lesson Planning/Project Samples: Friday afternoons, 12:30pm-2:30pm (2 hours per week)

Please note: There are a number of Monday holidays that require our staff meeting date to fall on a Tuesday or other day of the week, as determined by the collective availability of our staff..

Work From Home: lesson plans are typically written outside of meeting times and some samples are created or completed at home: (estimate of 1-4 hours per week)

Estimated Total Weekly Hours:

M-F School Year Position: 25-26 hours

Summer 2024 Position: 28.5 hours

Summer 2026: 44 Lake Street Studio - 10 Weekly Sessions

June 8 - Aug 14 (Staff select either morning or afternoon session, not both)

1. Morning session (7:30am to 1pm) or (8:00am to 1pm)
2. Afternoon Session (12:00pm to 4:30/5:00 pm)

Staff are hired as W-2 employees, and this is a part time position, with compensation starting at $20 per hour.

Paid Time off: Employees receive up to 40 hours of paid leave, 1 hour per every 40 hours worked, under the Paid Leave for All Workers Act

Retirement Savings Plan: Employees can participate in the Illinois Secure Choice Retirement Saving Plan. Contributions (5% of wages) are made by the employee, not the employer, and are deducted from the employee’s paycheck.

2025/2026 Work Calendar Notes:

1. By Discovery follows the Oak Park District 97 School Calendar Aug 20, 2025 to June 2, 2026
2. Some holidays, school breaks and no school attendance days are non-work days and compensation is not offered, unless there are scheduled lesson planning days that are mutually agreed upon by the Teaching Artists and Program Director.
3. The summer schedule may have flexibility, depending on the collective preferences of our staff. Ideally staff schedules will be completed in late April 2026 for the summer term. Summer camp programming is offered for 10 weeks, June 8 to August 14.

Other Information:

Oak Park is accessible via the CTA green and blue lines

Please visit our website at https://www.bydiscovery.org/ to learn more about our organization

When applying for this position: please specify your interest in the full week position: M-F or the Wednesday only position. Also please indicate your interest for summer 2026 employment.

To Apply:

Interested individuals may send an email with a resume and cover letter that specifically addresses the ways in which they meet the position requirements and qualifications to Jocelyne Adkins, Program Director, at jocelyne@bydiscovery.org. Based upon the quality of the responses and the qualifications of the applicant, individuals will be selected to interview.

By Discovery is a program of By Discovery, LLC that offers children opportunities for growth and exploration through creative project-based learning in art.