The teachers of Summerbridge are high school and college students who are driven and dedicated. Summerbridge serves 50 ethnically and culturally diverse summer and year-round teachers ranging in age from 15-22. The “Students Teaching Students” model allows for young people to explore their creativity, expand leadership skills, and experience a career in education.

Summerbridge looks for teachers and volunteers who have:
• High levels of enthusiasm, especially in working with children
• good written and oral communication skills
• the ability to work with a team
• the ability to work with middle school students
• organizational skills

School Year Program Volunteers
School-year volunteers are given the ability to develop strong relationships with the students over the course of the school year. Volunteer teachers are given enrichment curriculum and are encouraged to develop their own teaching style. Each Super Saturday will be united under a theme such as Poetry & Prose or Greek Festivals.  After a morning of academic enrichment, we then take fun field trips to a Mavericks game or a museum.

Summer Program Teachers
Summer session teachers devote their skills to the program full-time. They teach academic classes, facilitate activities, and serve on leadership positions.  Some may teach an elective such as Mock Trial or Muckraking Journalism, in addition to their core class in English, Math, Science, or Social Studies. Our teachers design and implement their own curriculum, and receive a rewarding and intense experience in the facets of leadership, education, creativity, and responsibility. All teachers receive a stipend (In some cases, a living allowance supplement is available). Out-of-town teachers receive free room and board.

Teachers at Summerbridge at Fort Worth Country Day School have all the responsibilities of a teacher including:

• Curriculum development
Summerbridge teachers make learning interesting and engaging. Anyone can prepare a presentation, but we encourage our teachers to make learning come alive through active participation of students and curriculum creativity. 
• Teaching up to 2 sections of an academic class
All teachers have classes in math, English, social studies, or science.
• Teaching 1 section of an elective that you create
Past electives have included ceramics, Latinos in Baseball, Improvisational Comedy and Martial Dance. The possibilities are only bounded by the teacher’s imagination.
• One-on-one mentoring with students
During the daily Study Buddies period, teachers meet with small groups of 3-4 students to check in, help them with homework, give them counseling, teach organizational skills, and generally serve as an advisor to the students.
• Leading activities
Daily periods of free choice activities give students a chance to have fun and bond with their teachers outside of the classroom.  Typical activities include basketball, dodge ball, friendship bracelets, and board games.
• Conducting parent-teacher conferences
Teachers gain the professional experience of presentation, oral communication, and problem-solving through conferences.
• Leadership positions
Part of what makes Summerbridge Fort Worth a unique and powerful experience for the teachers is the amount of leadership each person is expected to take on.  Some leadership positions include Team Leader, 8th Grade Overnight Director, Yearbook Editor, and Activities Director.
• Being a resource and role model
Teachers are able to build lasting relationships with students, giving them a glimpse into what they can achieve. Teachers build lasting relationships with faculty, learning about educational possibilities beyond Summerbridge, about working together as a team, and about the gift of giving others a wonderful learning experience


Leadership Academy (formerly known as BTHS)
The ninth-grade program at Summerbridge is run by teachers, formerly known as Mentors.  See above for more details on being a teacher at Summerbridge.

Teacher's Assistants
This program is intended primarily for students who have completed the ninth grade and are not yet eligible to work as a teacher.  Our TA's help out in the office, perform skits, assist with computer work and mailings, translate documents into Spanish, and most of all, they get hands-on experience with what it's like to work as a full-time Summerbridge teacher.  With the assistance of teachers and our professional Mentor Teachers, TA's develop a lesson and teach it by the end of the summer.