Taught to Travel

6 Peace Corps Response Volunteers (PCRVs) are needed to serve as Summer Enrichment Teachers and Mentors at the Curriculum Unit with the Ministry of Education in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Recent data from reports provided by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States creates cause for concern regarding the number of students repeating grades on both the primary and secondary levels. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is among the OECS countries with the highest repetition rates, with the largest number of repeaters being in grades K and 6. The Ministry of Education has attempted to combat this issue with increased teacher training for teachers in literacy and numeracy and the implementation of the OECS/USAID Early Learners Program, which will focus on raising the levels of literacy in Grades K-3 for the next four years. Additionally, the National Library has worked to implement programs to promote and support literacy. Among the strategies that have been implemented to decrease the number of students repeating primary school grades, one of the areas needing more support is summer programs. Although there are a number of summer programs which provide various types of services to students—from academic support and leadership development to athletic engagement—there is no formal system of “summer school” which would provide a structured environment for students to gain intense, focused academic instruction by highly qualified teachers. Such a program would help students recover some of the information they may have missed during the school year and battle the “summer slide” by actually growing their skills in literacy and math during the summer. 

Summer Enrichment Teachers and Mentors, with at least a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and two years’ experience as a successful K-8 teacher, are needed to provide intense summer instruction in reading and math to students in St. Vincent. We are looking for three PCRVs to focus on reading and three PCRVs to focus on math. The PCRVs will be paired with an aspiring local teacher to whom they would provide mentorship and training. The PCRVs will also conduct individual student assessments and develop action plans, identify and/or create appropriate teaching and learning resources that for effective lesson planning and lesson delivery, and facilitate the development of mentee teachers by providing side-by-side coaching and meaningful opportunities for them to demonstrate their acquired knowledge and skills. The goal of this assignment is to build the capacity of the St. Vincent education system to effectively meet their students reading and math learning needs. 

Please note, while these are approximate departure dates and may change due to programmatic needs, we will not be able to accommodate individual or later arrivals. Only apply if you can start service the first weekend of June. There may be some flexibility in the end date of the assignment. Applications are reviewed and moved forward on a rolling basis, and they must be submitted by March 8. The posting may be taken offline prior to March 8 due to high volume, so please plan to apply as soon as possible.

Ministry of Education, Reconciliation & Ecclesiastical Affairs, Curriculum Development Unit

• Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education or similar education-related field 
• 2+ years’ experience as a successful primary/early secondary school teacher
• Experience with presenting effective, engaging lessons with very little resources
• Experience working with at-risk students or students from a developing country
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Openness to respect and learn from local knowledge as a basis to the work outlined

• Eastern Caribbean may not be able to support Volunteers with the following medical conditions: ongoing counseling.
• The following medication(s) are not permitted for legal or cultural reasons: none identified.
• Volunteers who should avoid the following food(s) may not be able to serve: none identified.
• After arrival in Eastern Caribbean, Peace Corps provides and applicants are required to have an annual flu shot and mandatory immunizations.