Announcing The Teachers Guild Fellowship

Create Change For and From Your Classroom

We are excited to announce the launch of our Guild Fellowship. Guild Fellows are creating change for and from their classroom. Throughout the one year Fellowship, you’ll design an innovative solution, share it across your school or district, and be a part of a cohort of 10 exceptional educators from across the U.S. who believe in the power of teacher ideas to transform education from the ground up…All from your current classroom.

We think this might be you!

The Time For Teachers is Now

Teachers have the greatest impact on students. But their innovations go unseen and their expertise goes unrecognized. Together, with all of you, we want to change that. Through this Fellowship, teachers will be at the heart of designing the future of education from their current classroom. As one of only 10 selected Fellows, you will tap into:

• Personal Growth: Mentorship and training to grow into a creative leader with an exceptional cohort of teacher-innovators
• School Transformation: Opportunity to impact your school and district directly from the classroom, with support from an incredible team around you
• Nationwide Education Leadership: Influence the next generation of learner-centered ideas through privileged access to The Guild network of optimistic educators and leading partners

What Does It Take?

A year-in-the life of a Guild Fellow

Fellows will meet two times a year in-person, and receive virtual training, mentoring, and checkpoints with the Guild team throughout the school year. We know teachers already put in a lot of time, expect to contribute roughly 4–6hrs/week to the fellowship outside of your classroom.

• Creative Leadership Institute: Two day in-person cohort kickoff to grow as a creative leader at IDEO, San Francisco offices.
• Design and Integration Training Series: Six virtual fall and spring trainings focused on Learner-Centered Design and Teacher-led Integration.
• Design Reviews: Two check-ins, facilitated by Guild staff, to share your design and integration plans with your school leadership, and receive support and feedback to grow your idea.
• Community of practice calls: Reflect monthly with your cohort and collectively problem-solve.
• Idea Capstone: One day in-person summit to share your idea, and celebrate each others’ journeys throughout the year.
• Gallery Showcase: Publish your design journey and idea on The Guild solution gallery and on The Guild’s Medium publication.

Who will we look for?

We only have spots for 10 educators across the country. We think it’s you!

• Learner-centered teachers who can demonstrate a history of successful innovation in their classroom
• Teachers who influence beyond the classroom, with evidence of leadership success in their school
• Teachers with a bold idea they are passionate to grow and spread in their school
• Support from your principal or district official who believes in your growth and wants to help you share new ideas
• Current K12 US educator with 3+ years of experience; we will prioritize teachers who serve in Title I schools, and you do not leave your classroom or school to be a Fellow!

Application Process

The application journey

• Application closes Friday, June 9th
• Those selected to move forward will interview and submit letters of reference by June 2nd.
• Fellows announced June 14th!

The Origin Story — Why Fellows Now

The past year has taught us so many lessons in what it takes to support teachers and their ideas to make lasting change for students today.

The concept of the Guild Fellowship was born out the many insights our current cohort of coaches have provided to us since we launched. They have been core to our experience, helping to define what The Guild is today, driving the development of hundreds of solutions, and pushing us to respond to teachers’ greatest needs. The Guild Fellowship is our coaching program 2.0 — it incorporates the insights from the past with our dreams for the future. Our questions for the future are:

1. How might we transition from connections to relationships? Relationships will be core to the Fellowship experience. We will provide training and support to Fellows as they build trusting relationships with teachers across our community while nurturing local relationships in their school contexts as they spread their big idea.
2. How might we engage a diverse community of educators? We know that if we want to surface the best ideas in education, we must attract and support a diverse community of teachers who feel welcomed to grow and learn side-by-side. Our Fellows will represent the diversity of American classrooms today, with different backgrounds, experiences, and from a variety of school environments.
3. How might we establish new, creative teacher leadership pathways? We’ve seen that ideas come to life with support, collaboration, and pathways to share beyond one classroom.

We’re very excited for The Guild Fellowship and hope you apply! The time for teachers is now — you are the innovators education has been waiting for.

Click to apply to be a Guild Fellow Today!

P.S. Want to know more about The Guild?

Meet The Teachers Guild:

The Teachers Guild believes teachers are the innovators education has been waiting for.

However, while teachers have the greatest impact on our students, their innovations go unseen and their expertise goes unrecognized. The Guild is changing that. We are a teacher-driven community that is mobilizing educators across all 50 states to tap into their creativity and become designers. Our members are improving the quality of education and rate of innovation in their classrooms and schools, ultimately improving student outcomes. By designing, learning and leading, our teachers are creating systemic change for and from their classroom, while becoming a nationwide creative force that is addressing our students most pressing learning needs.

The Teachers Guild is an early stage non-profit of Plussed at Riverdale Country School that’s being incubated by IDEO’s Design for Learning Studio. To learn more visit www.teachersguild.org.