Junior Instructor Program

    Leadership opportunity for students.

    “Back when I was very young, I wanted to teach. And unfortunately, the opportunities around me were limited. So, when I grew up and created Athena’s, I knew I needed to provide students who have that desire with an outlet to teach. From there, the Junior Presenter Seminar Series and Junior Instructor program (discussed here) were created. What a pleasure it is to help aspiring teachers make their dreams a reality!”
    ~ Dr. Kirsten Stein

    Enrollment

    Available

    ***This is a leadership opportunity for Athena's students. Our Junior Instructors create and teach courses with live webinars. Current students, more information is located in the Social Center (linked in Step 2 below)!***

    Step 1: Register Your Student

    Step 2: Enroll Your Registered Student

    Student with a magnifying glass & butterfly illustrating Junior Instructors
    Content LevelsGrades 7-8 • Junior High
    Grades 9-10 • Lower High School
    Grades 11-12 • Upper High School
    Additional ComponentsLeadership Opportunities

    Do you have a strong desire to share knowledge with others? Do you have a passion that you would like to share?  You may want to apply to become a Junior Instructor!

    Our Junior Instructors are gifted teens with a desire to share knowledge and spark interest in their favorite subjects. They are self-motivated, self-starters who are committed to going through the process to learn how to navigate Athena’s behind-the-scenes and build a course.

    After working through a guided process, our Junior Instructors create a full-fledged 8-week course. The guided process can be completed in one of three ways: independently, independent study with Dr. Kirsten, or through attending Dr. Kirsten’s year-long course, From Learners to Leaders: Developing Effective Teaching Skills (available for fall enrollment).

    Just like the teachers at Athena’s, our Junior Instructors tailor their courses to meet the needs of gifted students. After their course is created, our Junior Instructors teach their course at Athena’s!

    Skills Junior Instructors practice:

    • Executive functioning.
    • Professional communication.
    • Research.
    • Course creation.
    • Presentation creation.
    • Public speaking (in a live webinar with voice & chat only–no video).
    • Computer skills (e.g., through creating an advertisement for their presentation).
    • Helping students learn more about the course topic.
    • And more!

    Click the links below to learn more about our current Junior Instructors and their classes:

    If you are an Athena’s student and would like to pursue becoming a Junior Instructor, begin by reviewing the Junior Instructor information in the Social Center at Athena’s.

    What to expect as a Junior Instructor–Junior Instructors will:

    • Complete the guided Junior Instructor process.
    • Research their chosen topic.
    • Create an 8-week course with 50-minute presentations.
    • Create a classroom with curated assignments and activities.
    • Teach the course after going through the entire guided Junior Instructor process.

    Please note:

    • The topic, classroom, presentations, etc., must be approved by Athena’s administration and meet accreditation requirements.
    • Students must work through a guided Junior Instructor process to proceed.
    • Although this leadership opportunity is student-led, Junior Instructors must have parental support.
    • The Junior Instructor’s parent must go through the parental part of the Junior Instructor process and moderate all of the Junior Instructor’s webinars.

    Before considering this opportunity, students should: 

    • Be at least 12 years of age when beginning the process of becoming a Junior Instructor.
    • Be responsible and organized.
    • Have taken at least two 16- or 32-week courses at Athena’s.
    • Go through the Junior Presenter application process with their parent.
    • Have the motivation to create an 8-week course* with 50-minute presentations and teach it to students.
    • Have the knowledge and the ability to research independently.
    • Be supported by a parent.

    *Please note that the topic, classroom, presentations, etc., must be approved by Athena’s administration and meet accreditation requirements.