We’re hiring an instructor to run Game Design Studio, a class where kids build their own video game using Scratch, the free block coding platform from MIT. Kids snap colored blocks together to make characters move, keep score, and react. No typing code. It runs in a browser on our Chromebooks.
Most of our kids are between 7 and 11. Groups are capped at 12.
What you’ll do
- Teach the class. About an hour per session, in the afternoons.
- Follow the plan. We give you the goal and the Scratch blocks for every session.
- Manage 12 kids at once. Circulate and ask questions instead of fixing their code.
- Close with a share. Two or three kids show their work every session.
- Report weekly. Who came, what worked, who’s ahead or behind.
- Run the showcase. Families come in and play the games at the end of the cycle.
What we’re looking for
- Experience teaching kids. Classroom, afterschool, camp, tutoring, church program. This matters most.
- Scratch skills. You should be able to build a working game in Scratch yourself, or be willing to learn before you start.
- Someone who follows a plan. We wrote the curriculum. You run it and tell us how it’s going.
- Comfort with a loud room. Kids get excited when their game works.
- Spanish is a plus. Many of our families speak Spanish.
- Background Clearance: All instructors must be cleared by the NYC Department of Health (fingerprinting) before starting. We’ll guide you through the process.
Schedule
Afternoons, Monday to Friday, between 2:00 and 6:00.
Flexible days — tell us what works and we’ll build the schedule around you.
Why Minds at Play?
- You choose your days: Pick the afternoons that work for you.
- Steady weekly hours: Once you're assigned a class, it's yours every week until the term ends. No hunting for gigs.
- Paid every week: Directly by Minds at Play. No middleman.
- One location in the Bronx: No running across boroughs.
- One point of contact: Questions get answered by the person in charge.
- Everything you need, ready: Materials, space, and support so you can focus on teaching.
- Your ideas welcome: Bring your projects; we'll help you shape them for kids.