Destination Imagination Instructor

Overview

The Destination Imagination (DI) Instructor will lead the DI program for students in grades 3–5. This role is designed for a faculty member passionate about fostering creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills through project-based learning and competition. The Destination Imagination Instructor will oversee and coach a team of seven students, guiding them through the DI challenge process and preparing them for the NY Eastern Regional Tournament.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the building-level point person for all DI activities, communication, and logistics.
• Recruit and support student participation in DI, ensuring diverse and inclusive involvement of students in grades 3–5.
• Communicate regularly with students, families, administration, and the district-wide DI Coordinator.
• Collaborate with other staff members to integrate DI principles into broader school initiatives when possible.
• Coach a DI team of seven students, fostering creativity, critical thinking, teamwork, and perseverance.
• Guide students through the DI challenge selection, solution development, and presentation preparation process.
• A Destination Imagination (DI) team needs to meet at least once a week, for about 1–2 hours, but the frequency and duration of meetings typically increase closer to the tournament date.
• The exact meeting schedule—including when, where, and how often the team meets—is ultimately determined by the team members and their Destination Imagination Instructor.
• Teams typically begin meeting once a week beginning in mid-October to start working on their chosen challenge.
• Coordinate weekend team sessions, if necessary, as well as attend at the regional tournament, at a minimum.
• The Instructor would be compensated at the event chaperone rate for any tournament other than the regional tournament, provided that the tournament takes place outside of the school district.
• The Destination Imagination Instructor will also help handle registration, permission slips, budgeting, and tournament-related paperwork.
• Ensure all materials and team paperwork are submitted by the established deadline.
• Attend and support the team at the regional tournament.