Mission and Culture

Life Learning Academy (LLA) is an SFUSD charter high school for disconnected and under-resourced youth. Our mission is to create a nonviolent community for students who have not been successful in traditional school settings. LLA welcomes students into an ‘extended family’ which motivates everyone to give and receive support, develop responsibility and judgment, and build the academic, vocational, and social skills necessary to be successful. 

We have a dorm on campus that houses up to 20 students, and we offer ongoing transitional services for our alumni. With less than 60 students, LLA is a very small school which maintains a 1:6 teacher to student ratio with 6-8 students per class. We utilize a block schedule model for extended instructional periods Monday-Thursday. On Fridays, we support students through our workforce development programming.  Teachers teach 3 classes per term carrying a student load of no more than 24 students. Teachers have the freedom to create curriculum based on student needs and interests.

Why Teachers Love Working at Life Learning Academy

• Small classroom settings of 6-8 students

• Collaborative environment with a dream team

• Community immersed programming 

• Housing on campus and rental assistance stipend available

• Meals included

• Bonus opportunity

• 25 years of innovative, student centered alternative learning

• We’re growing!

• Love for this craft and passion for this work

• Alternative education setting with creative approaches 

• Professional development program available 

• Free and easy parking onsite 

For more information on Life Learning Academy, please visit www.llasf.org.

Position Profile:

Status: Full time

Location: San Francisco, California

Reports to: Chief of Programming

Position Summary: We are seeking an enthusiastic Teacher with experience and a clear passion for teaching young people Economics, American Democracy, American and World History in a manner that helps them better understand the world around them.

Desired qualifications:

All employees must possess an unshakable faith in students' abilities to learn and to develop healthy, productive, independent lives; and each staff member must demonstrate the talent, energy and commitment necessary to help transform those individual abilities into a collective reality. 

Other Requirements: 

• Bachelor's degree 

• CA Teaching Credential (Multiple Subjects or Single Subject in Social Sciences)

• Some experience in classroom instruction at the high school level

• Knowledge and commitment to supporting the needs of disconnected, system-involved youth and at least two (2) years experience working directly with this population. 

• Excellent communication skills, professional demeanor, sound judgment, and strong organizational skills. 

• Willingness to work collaboratively, but with the capacity to work independently. 

• Competency with Google Docs and Google Classroom. 

• Criminal Justice Clearance required. 

Desired skills, experience and dispositions for LLA teachers:

• Encourages a culture of mutual respect and equitable practice 

• Demonstrates content knowledge

• Commitment to understanding student academic needs and catering instruction to   meet those specific needs

• Supports students’ social, emotional, and behavioral learning needs

• Implements Project-Based Learning techniques and strategies

• Facilitates and designs effective group work & independent learning opportunities

• Provides timely feedback and collaborates with faculty to offer specialized support

• Showcases student work within the local and wider school community

• Scaffolds instructional activities that facilitate engaging and appropriate learning opportunities

Compensation and Benefits: Competitive, based on experience and market standards. LLA will contribute to costs for credentialing / internship programs / ongoing professional development.   We are open to providing relocation assistance if needed.