Job Type Temporary
Salary Details 1,462 per month, plus housing and food
Deadline Nov 14, 2020
Required Experience 0 – 1 years
Slide Ranch pasture, by the sea
Slide Ranch pasture, by the sea
Teacher-in-Residence Program
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.
Position timetable:
The 10-1/2 month Teacher-in-Residence position will run from January 22 through November 24, 2021.
(10.5 months)
Position Summary
Residential “live-on-the-ranch” paid position with cabin housing and food provided, plus paid vacation and sick time.
Slide Ranch’s Teacher-in-Residence (TIR) program fosters and inspires the next generation of leaders in education, sustainable farming and environmental stewardship. Apply for a 10-1/2 month position that supports your growth as an educator and steward, as you pursue a meaningful career.
The annual Teacher-in-Residence program trains emerging environmental leaders through a residential, hands-on teaching position that includes daily teaching as well as ongoing training in organic gardening, animal husbandry, sustainable organic farming, facilities maintenance, wildlands stewardship and nonprofit management. Our teaching philosophy fosters an experiential, student-centered and nature-centered approach, applying scientific practices, and the values of diversity, equity, inclusion. TIRs are also students in daily sessions focused on professional development and group reflection.
As a Teacher-in-Residence, you will grow as a leader while living and working with a dynamic group of 15-20 community members on a rural, coastal farm within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Teachers-in-Residence customize and lead programs for Bay Area school and community groups from a wide range of backgrounds, with special emphasis on Title I schools and under-served communities, as well as weekend family programs and summer day camps. Experiential education programs focus on exploring the farm (pasture with sheep and goats, chickens, ducks, beehives and an organic garden), trails and tide pools and cooking from the garden. Due to Covid-19 we have made significant adaptations to our programs that follow all guidelines and ensure a high standard of safety for our staff and participants. In the spring and fall, TIRs now lead our Online and Outdoor Classroom programs programs with school and community groups, as well as day programs with the same cohort for multi-week periods. During the summer, additional summer teachers join our annual teachers and lead multi-week day camps with children, 5-13 years old.
Teachers-in-Residence also learn about the operation of a nonprofit organization, help with fundraising projects, and provide support for various volunteer and fundraising events. Teachers will participate in creating curriculum, and potentially also photos, video clips or blog entries that appear on our website and other social media.
Position Components
The central focus of this position is on teaching. Programs serve preschool through adult visitors, with the majority being elementary school-aged children. The work week typically involves 5 teaching days. Program formats vary seasonally. In spring and fall, the focus is on school, community group, and family programs. Summer months are focused on our day camp program.
In addition to teaching, you will receive training in environmental education, maintaining a small farm and stewarding national park land. A rotating teaching schedule means periodically supporting garden and ranch projects, including full days when you will cover all the farm chores and milk the goats at night. Slide Ranch is a 501c3 and throughout the year you will 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 in 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.
Training
The position begins with a 3-week orientation and 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. A typical work day includes morning farm chores and preparation for program, teaching a program, and ongoing training in the form of sessions led by permanent staff, with hands-on, project-based learning opportunities and times to debrief and reflect as a group. These sessions include teacher meetings on curriculum, educator skill building and planning, garden and animal husbandry, and farm and environmental maintenance and stewardship. Several teaching observations and ongoing coaching and mentoring by program staff complement the position. Professional development days also provide opportunities for teachers to delve deeper into on-site training or visit related environmental education, farm, or urban agriculture or food systems organizations in the Bay Area. Additionally, for one week, each Teacher-in-Residence has the opportunity to design and implement an independent project that contributes to Slide Ranch and allows for deeper skill building.
Farm and Community Life
Teachers are responsible for a daily, ~30 minute ranch chore and night-time goat-milking on a rotating basis. In addition, teachers will have 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
This position requires 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.
- Flexibility, enthusiasm, creativity, curiosity, and positive attitude.
- Eagerness to engage students of various ages with an interactive, student-centered teaching approach.
- High level of personal responsibility in work and professionalism when dealing with the the public and colleagues /residential community members.
- 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.
- Filming, editing and social media experience, is a plus
- Multilingualism, especially Spanish language, is a plus.
- 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, lifting up to 40 lbs, and farm chores outside of an 8-hour day.
Compensation
In addition to monetary compensation, we provide cabin housing and food, paid vacation and sick time.
HOW TO APPLY
To Apply
No phone calls, please. Email a single PDF document including:
1) Your resume
2) A one-page cover letter (see below)
3) Contact info for 3 references
Applications are currently being accepted, until all positions are filled. For best consideration, apply by November 6, 2021. Applicants must be at least 18 years old to apply.
In the cover letter, please indicate why you are interested in this position. We encourage you to describe any professional or personal experience you think may be relevant, including working with youth, additional languages besides English, previous experience living in a residential community, and any unique skills or diversity you would bring to this team. We are also interested in any farm, garden or wilderness experience you may have. Please indicate in your application where you saw this internship posting.
Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled.
Please note that Slide Ranch aims to increase diversity in our staff and support a Teacher-in-Residence cohort that reflects the demographics of our San Francisco Bay Area community. People of all colors, cultures, class, age, genders, and sexual orientations are encouraged to apply.
Dates of Session: January 22, 2021 – November 24, 2021
Contact
Slide Ranch
Attn: Education Director
2025 Shoreline Hwy
Muir Beach, CA 94965