Junior High Science Teacher
Project Description
This is an exciting and challenging time in the history of Liberia. The Peace Corps Education Project is supporting Liberia’s education sector during a time of reconstruction as the country aims to meet the nation’s educational goals and help ensure every Liberian child is able to obtain a quality education.
Peace Corps Liberia’s Education project places Volunteers as Junior High Science Teachers in schools teaching students 7th through 9th grade and supporting teachers in conducting and teaching hands-on science. Recently, the Liberian government adopted a national exam called West Africa Junior Secondary Certificate Examination (WAEC), which has a hands-on science component. Volunteers will support teachers in preparing students for the exam. While most of the work will depend on the needs of the school and the Volunteer’s skill set, the main focus is work alongside Liberian partners to build students' labs skills, comprehension, and critical thinking skills through basic science concepts, including:
• Life Science
• Earth Science
• Physical Science
A majority of the schools with science labs are located in larger towns and cities with populations of around 30,000. Junior High Science Teacher Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) will be responsible for teaching different grade levels in classrooms that typically have between 50-90 students in each class with very limited teaching resources. 95% of Liberian students in public schools are considered “over-age” for their respective grade level. Students in junior high will range in age from their teens to their mid-20’s.
In addition to teaching science and training teachers in hands-on science, Volunteers may engage with their schools in a variety of additional ways, including clustered teacher trainings, school improvement activities, gender-based violence education, afterschool programs, or math/science experiential learning activities.
In addition to primary sector work, Volunteers have the opportunity to engage in cross-sector programming priorities through a variety of supplemental projects. Peace Corps Liberia’s cross-sector programming priorities are gender equity and girls’ empowerment, malaria awareness and prevention, and COVID-19 awareness and prevention. Accordingly, all Volunteers will receive training in these areas and learn basic ways they can collaborate with counterparts to incorporate messaging and activities into their primary sector work.
During service, Volunteers will look for ways to work alongside community members to promote gender-equitable norms and increase girls’ sense of agency. Additionally, all Volunteers will receive training on malaria prevention initiatives in Liberia and best practices for promoting malaria prevention with their community. All Volunteers are strongly encouraged to participate in any organized anti-malaria campaigns that may occur within their regions of service.
Because a Volunteer’s work is complex and sometimes stressful, many Volunteers find constructive outlet through engaging in supplementary projects. While Volunteers are free to explore their personal interests, such as music, art, and sports through community engagement, Peace Corps Liberia works to provide basic guidance to Volunteers interested in school-based agricultural education, youth leadership development, gender equity and girls’ empowerment, malaria prevention campaigns, COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, and school-based nutrition education.
While Volunteers will spend much of their time on the activities described above, they will also be developing relationships with their community. They will be picking mangos with neighbors, learning to build a cook fire to make cassava gravy, and getting clothes made of the traditional “lappa”.
COVID-19 Volunteer Activities
As a Volunteer, you will be trained in how to best protect yourself from COVID-19 exposure and understand the impact of and steps to reduce stigma related to COVID-19. You may also have the opportunity to engage with your community on implementing or enhancing COVID-19 mitigation activities, such as COVID-19 prevention and risk reduction strategies including social distancing, hand washing, mask wearing, addressing myths and misconceptions related to these practices, and vaccine hesitancy. Activities will be tailored to address the COVID-19 circumstances in the communities where you will serve.
Required Skills
Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with concentration in any science.
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with secondary certification in science.
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in General Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Engineering.
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any physical science or any biological science or equivalent.
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with a minor or equivalent (15 semester/22 quarter hours) in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics.
Desired Skills
Additionally, Liberia strongly prefers its Volunteers have one or more of the following qualifications:
• Knowledge of basic scientific concepts in biology, chemistry, and/or physics
• Took several lab courses as part of obtaining the degree and/or advanced chemistry lab courses
• Experience teaching hands-on science activities to elementary/middle/high school students (such as through a science outreach program, summer camp, or by working as a science teacher)
• Experience teaching science lab courses to students (i.e. working as a TA in a lab course)
• Experience working in or managing a science lab (may include conducting research, working in the stockroom at a college, or working in a job that involves lab work)
• Ability to work and teach in a multi-level classroom
• Experience working with youth in unstructured or semi-structured environments or in community and organizational development
• Prior teaching experience including lesson planning, basic classroom management, student evaluation, and public speaking
• Demonstrated ability in planning, organizing, counseling on leadership within the past 5 years
• Work experience in low or under-resourced classrooms or communities
Required Language Skills
There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position.
There are 15 local languages spoken in Liberia with Liberian English spoken throughout the country. Standard English is the official language of instruction in schools; however, many teachers teach in Liberian English. Liberian English is very different in pronunciation and structure from Standard English and will require training to understand. In addition to training in Liberian English, Volunteers receive limited training in the local language relevant to their site.
Living Conditions
Housing: Volunteers can expect a variety of housing possibilities during their two years of service. Volunteer housing consists of both single and double dwelling homes, depending on the school's site and housing availability. Most homes consist of three to four rooms, including a bedroom, a common area, kitchen, and an indoor bathroom that requires bucket flushing. Volunteers should not expect to have electricity or running water in their home, and they will get their water from a nearby hand pump or well. During Pre-Service Training (PST), Trainees will stay with a host family and commute to the training center for sessions. They will have their own bedroom within the host family’s house.
Diet: The staple food in Liberia is rice. It is the base for most meals and is typically served with a sauce or “soup” made from a variety of locally grown vegetables and prepared with meat, fish or chicken when available. Cassava or “fufu” is another main staple and can be found dried, fermented, or fresh depending on the dish. Because of Liberia’s wide-spread food insecurity, access to higher nutrition foods tend to be limited and many Volunteers find the amount of carbohydrates to be much higher than they are used to. Spice and hot peppers are also common in Liberian cuisine and many dishes put even the most spice tolerant palates to the test.
Communication: All calls in Liberia are made via cellphone and most communication with staff and locals will be done through text messaging apps. All Volunteers are required to have a smart phone and will be provided with one upon arrival in Liberia. While a few Volunteers may not have service in their houses there will be places in the community to get service, which applies to both phone coverage and internet.
Transportation: Volunteers will travel via public transportation, often in the form of tightly packed taxis. Many roads and vehicles are in extremely poor condition, especially during the rainy season. All Volunteers are trained in transportation safety; however, transportation will always be a very large challenge during service. While traveling between locations, Volunteers should be prepared for old and crowded vehicles and long hours on the road.
Health & Safety: The health, safety, and security of Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) are the Peace Corps' top priorities. During the eleven-week PST, PCVs are trained on awareness and prevention activities such as handwashing, food safety, and other hygienic practices in the Liberia context. Volunteers are also given information on Emergency Action Plans and ways to keep themselves safe during service. We also provide extensive training and information on personal safety and security best practices and available resources throughout the Volunteer’s service. The Liberia team includes dedicated Medical Officers, a Safety and Security Manager, and other designated staff at Post and at Peace Corps’ headquarters, who are always available to support and respond to Volunteer health, safety, and security needs.
LGBTQIA+ Volunteers: While Liberia is generally less conservative than neighboring countries, local laws and wide-spread cultural beliefs are opposed to same sex relationships and non-heteronormative presentations and behaviors. Despite this cultural context, LGBTQIA+ Volunteers engage in safe, rewarding services. Peace Corps Liberia has designated Safe Zone staff who are trusted and trained to support LGBTQIA+ Volunteers, and who can advise Volunteers on how to safely disclose their sexual orientation and/or gender identities should they choose to do so. As part of Peace Corps Liberia’s commitment to supporting LGBTQIA+ Volunteers, all Trainees receive Safe Zone training as part of Pre-Service Training. As a general best practice, it is strongly recommended that Volunteers do not disclose LGBTQIA+ identity to other trainees, volunteers, or staff prior to receiving Safe Zone Training.
Serving in Liberia
Learn more about the Volunteer experience in Liberia: Get detailed information on culture, communications, housing, health, and safety -- including health and crime statistics -- in order to make a well-informed decision about serving.
Couples Information
Your partner must apply and qualify for the following position in Liberia:
• Junior High Math Teacher
• Primary Literacy Co-Teacher
• Health Extension Volunteer
Peace Corps Liberia welcomes applications from couples. Couples will live apart during training. At site, couples will share a home that meets the same standards for all Volunteers. There will be time during service when couples will spend days and nights apart, such as when one is attending a meeting, routine medical appointments, etc.
Medical Considerations
Before you apply, please review Medical Information for Applicants to learn about the medical clearance process.
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