Summer Teacher-in-Residence (STIR) Job Description (3 positions, 3 months)

This position is either residential, including tent housing and food, or non-residential, for applicants who are able to commute daily. The position begins May 24 and continues through August 20, 2021.

Interested in helping children connect with nature? 

Slide Ranch is a non-profit farm-based environmental education organization located within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, on coastal wildlands just 25 minutes north of San Francisco. The mission of Slide Ranch is to connect children to nature. We cultivate healthy bodies and minds and foster future generations of environmental stewards. By farming, cooking, caring for animals and exploring wilderness and the coast, we teach people of all ages to see the connection between their own health, a healthy food system, and a healthy environment.

As a Summer Teacher-in-Residence (STIR), you will grow as a youth and environmental leader while living and working with a dynamic group of about 20 community members on a rural, coastal farm within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. From June-August, Slide Ranch hosts 10 weeks of day camp. Summer camp participants learn to care for farm animals and an organic garden, explore wildland trails, discover ocean tide pools, cook farm-to-table, and participate in nature-based arts & crafts projects. Teachers-in-Residence lead groups of students in experiential education camp programming.

Slide Ranch is a 501c3 and throughout the summer you may lead tours and help facilitate volunteer work projects with individuals and groups during corporate, donor and community volunteer events to support the organization. Slide Ranch is located on 134 acres of coastal public parkland and it is open to hikers during daylight hours, so as a residential staff member you will share responsibility in providing basic orientation to visitors.

Apply yourself for a season of work that challenges you to grow as a person and as a professional educator. You will gain valuable hands-on experience in agricultural and environmental education and learn how to live and work in a rural setting as a member of a community.

Summer Teacher-in-Residence (STIR)

Position Summary

The Summer Teacher-in-Residence program trains emerging environmental and youth leaders through a residential, hands-on teaching position. Our teaching philosophy fosters an experiential, student-centered and nature-centered approach and the values of community and respect.

STIRs receive an initial multi-week training focused on organic gardening, animal husbandry, wildlands stewardship, residential community norms and best practices in outdoor education. Teachers will participate in creating curriculum, and potentially also photos, video clips or blog entries that appear on our website and other social media.

STIR Position Components

The central focus of this position is on teaching. Summer camp programs serve 5-13 year old campers plus teen Junior Environmental Educators. The work week typically involves 5 teaching days, with a Monday-Friday camp week within a two-week camp session.  Camp week themes include “Ocean Exploration,” “Science Investigation,” “Birds,” “Seeds,” “Pollinators” and “Food and Cooking.”

A typical work day is 8 hours and includes morning farm chores and preparation for camp, teaching a camp day from 9:30am-2:30pm, followed by clean-up, and prep for the following day. Regular afternoon sessions, led by permanent staff, blend ongoing training with hands-on opportunities to learn through work projects. These afternoon sessions include teacher meetings on curriculum, educator skill building and planning, garden and animal husbandry, and farm and environmental maintenance and stewardship. Teaching observation and coaching and mentoring by program staff complement the position.

We uphold a high standard of safety, meeting or exceeding all requirements related to Covid-19 safety protocols. Programs are held exclusively outdoors and staff, as well as students, wear masks; small camp cohorts do not mingle; and we follow a regimen of hygiene and sanitization.

STIR Training

The positions begin with a 3-week intensive training period, including introductions to the bioregion, farm chores, and foundations of environmental education practice at Slide Ranch led by Slide Ranch staff as well as outside experts. Our trainings and teaching practices are influenced by BEETLES, a program of the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley.

Farm and Community Life

STIRs are responsible for a daily, ~30 minute ranch chore. In addition, everyone shares residential community responsibilities outside of the work day, including a weekly residential chore, cooking dinner for fellow residents with a partner twice each month, and monthly resident meetings.

Desired Qualifications

Both of these positions require a collaborative and positive spirit to work with a team of teaching peers, organization staff, and residents. The successful candidate will possess a great attitude and strong motivation to experience all facets of the job as important to one’s learning and development. A successful candidate will also possess a growth mindset, with a desire to set goals, reflect, and provide feedback to the rest of the team. Applicants must be comfortable living in rustic accommodations.

• Prior experience in education or working with children.
• Desire to learn about and practice farming and land stewardship
• Awareness of multicultural environmental education and issues related to the urban environment and current local, regional and global events.
• Dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching and learning.
• Flexibility, enthusiasm, creativity, curiosity, and positive attitude.
• Eagerness to engage campers of various ages with an interactive, student-centered teaching approach.
• High level of personal responsibility in work and professionalism when dealing with the public and colleagues, including plants and animals.
• Ability to take initiative and adopt a solution-oriented approach, while understanding the value of teamwork.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to accept supervision and guidance.
• Interest in supporting nonprofit organizations, including participating in fundraising activities, volunteer programs and donor events.

Physical Requirements

Duties are performed in a hilly and rural outdoor setting and can be physically demanding, including outdoor teaching in all weather, manual labor such as shoveling, and lifting up to 40 lbs.

Compensation

In addition to a monthly stipend, we provide tent housing, local, organic food, and paid sick time.

Dates of Session: May 24, 2021 – August 20, 2021

Contact

Slide Ranch

Attn: Education Director

2025 Shoreline Hwy

Muir Beach, CA 94965