Earth Friends Lead Teacher

~ The Irvine Nature Center is a non-profit educational organization that offers programs of environmental studies and natural science to children and adults of the greater Baltimore area. ~

Its mission is to inspire appreciation and respect for the natural world, to increase awareness of environmental issues, and to encourage individuals to sustain earth's ecosystem. for more information, please visit our website.

Position Overview

Earth Friends Homeschool Program at Irvine Nature Center is seeking a reliable, enthusiastic Earth Friends Lead Teacher to join our team for the upcoming school year. A love of nature, working with young children and a nurturing spirit are musts.

We are seeking an educator to lead nature-based classes for children ages 5-14 for the Earth Friends Homeschool Programs. Educator must be experienced working with elementary age students and have a love of nature and hands-on learning. Educators are responsible for the safety of the students as well as for planning and implementing daily lessons.

Educators must have excellent communication skills as they also work with families to dialogue about students. The leader should be well versed in Nature Pedagogy and possess substantial teaching experience working in outdoor or alternative settings. Candidate should be deeply committed to values of sustainability and conservation and have a solid understanding of developmentally appropriate practice. This position reports to the Head of Earth Friends Homeschool Programs.

Majors: Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Environmental or Outdoor Education or related fields.

Time Commitment: Up to 15 part-time hours to be determined with additional teaching opportunities in other ECE programs for the right candidate.

Responsibilities

• Establish a safe learning environment for children to flourish physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively in nature
• Plan and implement nature-based curriculum which includes handling live animals, trail walks, and unstructured nature exploration and play
• Supervise and support teaching aides, interns or volunteers
• Collaborate with other teaching staff to establish a cohesive approach to Earth Friends
• Dialogue with your supervisor and families about children’s progress, needs and concerns
• Perform on-going documentation of the children’s learning processes
• Contribute to weekly email and blog posts with photographs, activities or anecdotes
• Attend required on-going professional development courses for enrichment
• Attend monthly Irvine staff meetings when available

Qualifications

• Education, Early Childhood Education or Environmental Education referred
• Familiarity with homeschool education
• Current CPR Training, First Aid or Wilderness Survival Training
• Experience working with children, especially in alternative or outdoor settings
• Basic computer experience for sending emails, word processing and uploading photos
• Must be able to lead hikes up to two miles long daily

Compensation: Commensurate with experience

To Apply

Please click "Apply" below to upload your cover letter, resume and the name of three professional references to:

Karen Madigan

Director of The Nature Preschool

Irvine Nature Center

11201 Garrison Forest Road

Owings Mills, MD 21117

 

(phone) 443-738-9223

(fax) 410-902-8210