BEAM Discovery Counselor and Teaching Assistant

For five weeks this summer, guide rising 7th graders in New York City or Los Angeles as they learn math beyond the school curriculum for the first time.

This summer, change the lives of students with exceptional potential from underserved schools: introduce students to advanced math as they take their first steps towards becoming mathematicians, scientists, and engineers.

BEAM Discovery is a summer program run by Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics in New York City and Los Angeles. Students spend five weeks discovering extracurricular mathematics for the first time.

The time commitment for BEAM Discovery counselors is approximately six weeks in total: Three days of program orientation and set-up, five weeks with the students, and two days of wrap-up. The tentative program dates are:

  • New York City: July 1 - August 9, 2024 (with July 4th off).
  • Los Angeles: June 19 - July 30, 2024.

Please click on the headings below to learn more about the BEAM Discovery program, the counselor position, and the application process.

+ General Information

Counselor Responsibilities at BEAM Discovery

As counselors, it is your job to create the unique social environment at the program and also to provide critical support for the academics. Your responsibilities will include:

  • Assisting classes by working with students individually and in small groups.
  • Attending a training class provided for counselors on mathematics and teaching pedagogy (see below).
  • Making students feel welcome.
  • Running three to five activities per week for students at camp.
  • Helping students get to and from the program.
  • Above all, being a role model to inspire the students.

Program Features

Students at BEAM Discovery take four classes, one in each of these subjects:

  • Logical Reasoning
  • Math Fundamentals
  • Math Team Strategies
  • Applied Mathematics

Counselors will TA one hour a day (or more if you're interested!), as well as tutoring in and supervising "Open Math Time," a period of the day where students can work freely on the mathematics problems of their choice. Counselors will also have the opportunity to develop other mathematical activities outside of standard classes.

One of the unique features of BEAM Discovery is that all counselors take a special course taught by BEAM faculty that covers both mathematics and pedagogy. Through the class, counselors will get support for their roles as TAs and tutors, and they will also develop mathematical content to run math activities directly for the students. In addition, counselors may have the opportunity to run one-shot math lessons with students during class time. We hope that the class will help all of the counselors grow both as mathematicians and teachers.

+ logistics

All counselors will have a "check-in group" of students that they get to know well throughout the program. Activities range from board games to sports, arts, crafts, and yoga.

Sample Counselor Schedule

8:00am-9:05amHelp transport students to campus.
9:05am-9:20amBreakfast with the students
9:20am-10:20amTA your class.
10:30am-11:30am"Open Math Time" -- help students with their mathematical work
11:35am-12:35pmUnassigned Time
12:40pm-1:00pmEat lunch with the students
1:05pm-2:05pmTake class on teaching and pedagogy.
2:15pm-3:15pmUnassigned time
3:20pm-4:20pmRun afternoon activity
4:20pm-5:30pmBring your group of students back home.
8:00am-9:05amMeet a group of students at a subway stop near their home and bring them to campus.
9:05am-9:20amBreakfast with the students
9:20am-10:20amTA your class.
10:30am-11:30amStudy hall, help students with their mathematical work
11:35am-12:35pmUnassigned time
12:40pm-1:00pmEat lunch with the students
1:05pm-2:05pmTake class on teaching and pedagogy.
2:15pm-3:15pmUnassigned time
3:20pm-4:20pmRun afternoon activity
4:20pm-5:30pmBring your group of students back home.
Counselors will be able to express preferences about which classes they TA and which time blocks they get off. Additionally, counselors will occasionally help with other duties such as data entry, preping activity materials, and setting up for lunch.

In addition to this weekday schedule, there will be approximately 3 field trips spread out through the program; we are working to ensure that these field trips happen during week days, but we may have to move some to weekends depending on venue availability. If they are on weekends, they would be no more than half-day events. 

+ Additional Details

Counselor compensation is $18/hour. We also provide breakfast/lunch on weekdays Please note that we do not arrange housing for this program, so you must have housing in the city whose program you're interested in(although we may be able to put you in touch with other counselors to room together). You can also consider our residential 7th grade program, which hires nationally and provides both housing and a travel stipend.

Other Staff

At each BEAM Discovery site, we'll have on staff:

  • 25-30 Counselors (that's you!) and Junior Counselors
  • 10 Faculty
  • 1 Guidance Counselor
  • 1 Nurse
  • 1 Director of Student Life (who will help run activities and student travel)
  • 1 Site Director (who will handle all the logistics)
BEAM 6 2016 Rubik's Cube

We especially hope that you will see the program as we do: a labor of love that reaches the students most in need, and a program with the potential to have a transformative effect on achievement in mathematics and related fields.

We are always available to answer any questions you might have, so please feel free to get in touch. We look forward to working with you this summer!

Josephine Ochoa
Director, Los Angeles Programs
josephine@beammath.org

Don Laackman
Manager, STEM Enrichment & Program Operations
don@beammath.org

BEAM 6 2017 Activities