Bushwick School for Social Justice (BSSJ)

The Bushwick School for Social Justice (BSSJ), a New York City Department of
Education small high school, began as an idea imagined by a small group of
committed educators in partnership with New Visions for Public Schools,
Brooklyn College, The Institute for Student Achievement, and Make the Road
New York. Currently in its fifth year, BSSJ remains a place where a highly
motivated, creative, and exceptional staff of teachers continues to shape
the future of our school and our students.
Last June, we graduated our first senior class, sending well-prepared
students to colleges, universities, and post-high school programs across the
region. Due in part to this success and the school's ability to improve the
graduation rate three-fold over previous campus graduation rates, BSSJ has
recently received the NYCDOE Chancellor's "Excellence Award" and was
declared a "diamond in the rough" by the *New York Post*.
At BSSJ, our teaching community differs from traditional educational
approaches. The school provides collaborative opportunities through grade
level and advisory faculty teams, which meet weekly to share strategies for
greater success. Our staff also collaborates on the creation and
presentation of professional development projects, guided by the idea that
teachers are *professionals* and each has experience and knowledge to
benefit the whole. As a result, educators are much more active in
developing the curricula they teach and identifying areas where they wish to
receive further instruction and support.
Our commitment to providing a high quality, college preparatory education
for our students is critical to our social justice mission, which is alive
in so many ways in our classes. For example, during a unit on the Age of
Exploration, our global history students put Christopher Columbus on trial
for his crimes against humanity. Our Senior Social Justice Seminar visited
corrections facilities to analyze the criminal justice system. Our science
department conducted a school- wide project day investigating global warming
where students suggested possible solutions. With the help of our partner,
Make the Road New York, students designed and implemented social action
projects in all of our grade 9 advisory classes. Each year we continue to
refine our social justice mission and bring it to life in our classrooms.
We are currently seeking highly-qualified *Science*, *Social Studies*, *
Spanish*, *English*, and *Math* educators for the 2008-2009 school year.
This year, we are also looking for a social studies teacher to implement the
school's Social Justice Seminar capstone course. Topics covered in the
course include a critical analysis of the criminal justice system, including
trips to New York State Correctional Facilities, the jury system, the death
penalty, globalization, Fair Trade, personal finance and the economics of
education and health care.
I have also attached some information about our school. To apply, send a
resume and cover letter to teachbssj@yahoo.com.
Please forward this email along to exceptional teachers!
Sincerely,
Kate Weiss
Hiring Committee
Social Studies Teacher