Teacher-in-Residence

~ Slide Ranch provides farm-based environmental education to Bay Area youth and families that focuses on the principles of sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship. By cooking, gardening, caring for animals and exploring the coastal ecosystems, visitors of all ages see the connection between themselves, a healthy food system and a healthy, resilient environment. ~ 

Position Overview 

The Teacher-in-Residence program trains seven emerging environmental educators through a 10.5 month residential, hands-on, diverse teaching internship that also includes daily teaching responsibilities with ongoing training and experience with organic gardening, animal husbandry, sustainable building and facilities maintenance. Three additional teachers join for a shorter internship during the summer. In addition to teaching duties, all of these interns actively participate in running the farm. 

Teachers-in-Residence customize and lead each program to meet the learning needs of groups of diverse ages, ethnicities, and cultures. Programs serve pre-K through adult visitors, with the majority being elementary school-aged children.

This is a residential "live-on-the-ranch" position - housing and food provided plus a monthly stipend and health insurance. 

Responsibilities  

• Apply yourself for 10-1/2 months 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 while living and working with a group of about 18 people in a rural setting.
• Teachers plan and lead experiential education programs that include the exploration of our farm (pasture with sheep and goats, chickens, ducks, bee hives and an organic garden), trails and tidepools.
• The central focus of this position is on teaching. The work week typically involves 5 teaching days. Most programs are 1 day visits (10am- 2pm) but we also offer overnight programs, in which teachers work with the group for two days and lead a camp fire.
• Program formats vary seasonally. In spring and fall, the focus is on school, community group, volunteer and family programs, with a Tuesday- Saturday work week. Summer months are focused on our day camp program, with a Monday-Friday work week.
• In addition to teaching, you will build skills maintaining a small farm and stewarding national park land.
• A significant component of farm work complements the position and provides opportunities for you to develop basic skills in organic gardening, animal husbandry, and building.
• A rotating teaching schedule means that roughly one week per month your work will focus on supporting garden and ranch projects, including one weekend day per month when you are responsible for all the farm chores.
• You may substitute teach or support programs during this week as needed.
• Throughout the year, you will also lead tours and supervise work projects with individuals and groups during corporate, donor and community volunteer events.
• Slide Ranch is public park land and open to hikers during daylight hours, so as a residential staff member you will share responsibility in providing basic orientation to visitors. 

Training: 

• The internship begins with a 3 week orientation period, including introductions to residential systems, farm chores, and basics of environmental education at Slide Ranch. A typical work day includes teaching a program from 10am-2pm, followed by an afternoon session from 3:15-5pm led by permanent staff that blends ongoing training with hands-on opportunities to learn through work projects.
• These afternoon sessions include teacher meetings, garden and animal husbandry sessions, and facilities maintenance/farm labor.
• Several teaching observations and mentoring by program staff throughout the year complement the position. About once a month during the school year, a professional development day provides opportunities for teachers to visit related environmental education, farm, or food justice organizations in the Bay Area.
• Teachers-in-Residence will gain experience teaching diverse students and working with volunteers in a farm-based education context, and receive an introductory-level foundation to organic gardening, animal husbandry, and building/tool use.
• Teachers-in-Residence also learn about the operation of a nonprofit organization, help with fundraising projects, and provide support for various volunteer, donor and fundraising events during the internship.
• Teachers will participate in creating online curriculum, including video clips or blog entries that will appear on our website and other social media. 

Farm and community life: 

• Teachers are responsible for daily ranch chores outside of the 8-hour work day, and nighttime goat-milking on a rotating basis.
• In addition, teachers will have residential community responsibilities outside the work day, including a weekly resident chore, cooking dinner for fellow residents twice each month, and a monthly resident meeting. 

Qualifications  

Desired Qualifications: 

• Prior experience in education or working with children.
• Flexibility, being a team player, and having a positive attitude and sense of humor.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to accept supervision and guidance.
• High level of personal responsibility in work and professionalism when dealing with the public.
• Interest in building a sustainable nonprofit organization, including participation in fundraising activities and donor events.
• Ability to take initiative and adopt solution-oriented approach to problems.
• Love of children and nature. 

Additionally: 

• This position requires patience and trust working with a team of teaching peers and organization staff.
• The successful candidate will possess a great attitude and strong motivation to experience all facets of the work as important to one's learning and development. 

Physical Requirements: 

• Work can be physically demanding and includes manual labor such as shoveling, lifting up to 40 lbs., and farm chores outside of an 8-hour day. 

Additional Information 

Slide Ranch Background:

Slide Ranch is a nonprofit educational farm and environmental preserve, where cultivated lands meet coastal wild lands. Located on the rugged Marin County coast just a thirty minute drive north of San Francisco, Slide Ranch is both isolated from and accessible to the urban Bay Area.

The land of Slide Ranch has a rich history in connecting people to food. The Miwok once fished and foraged for food at this site, and in the late 19th century Portuguese dairy farmers purchased the land and produced milk and butter for residents of San Francisco.

In 1969, 134 acres of magnificent coastline were rescued from commercial development by our founder, Doug Ferguson, who purchased the land and donated it to the Nature Conservancy. The Slide Ranch nonprofit organization was established the following year and, in 1975, Slide Ranch became one of the first Park Partners in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

For over 40 years, Slide Ranch has been teaching children and families about the sources of food that nourish us and cultivating an environmental awareness of our planet's resources. Slide Ranch is committed to providing hands-on opportunities for learning about food, farming, and environmental stewardship and sustainability. We serve more than 8,000 visitors a year, with a special emphasis on low-income, urban populations who have limited opportunities for nature-based learning.

Bay Area school and community youth groups come to Slide Ranch for day or overnight field trips year-round. For many, this experience is a first encounter with the farm animals and gardening, and their first opportunity to explore wild ecosystems. More than half of these groups receive scholarships.

Slide Ranch also offers 10 weeks of summer day camp, weekend family programs, volunteer opportunities for both individuals and business and community groups, and various special events. Slide Ranch programming happens year-round. Slide Ranch is also open to the public for drop-in visitation dawn to dusk, 365 days a year.  

Compensation: Housing, healthy food, monthly stipend of $500, health insurance, potential additional scholarship funding, and an opportunity to live with a group of people in a beautiful, rural setting. Applicants must be comfortable living in rustic accommodations. 

To Apply 

• Please use the email address below to send your resume, contact info for 3 references, and a personal statement by September 20, 2014. (Dates of Session: late January 2015 - early December 2015.)
• In the personal statement, indicate why this position is of interest to you. Describe any relevant experience in education, additional languages to English, previous experience living in a residential community, and any unique skills or diversity you would bring to this team.
• In your application, please note any prior experience with environmental education, diverse populations including English language learners, gardening, farm animals, speaking Spanish, music, performance, cooking and community living.  
• We are also interested in any farm, garden or wilderness experience you may have had.
• Please indicate in your application where you saw this internship posting.
• Please note that Slide Ranch values diversity in both our programs and our staff. People of all colors, cultures, class, age, genders, and sexual orientations are encouraged to apply.  

Note: We will begin reviewing applications after Sept 20th. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. Visit our website for more information. 

You may also mail or fax your applicaiton materials to:

Program Manager
2025 Shoreline Hwy.
Muir Beach, CA
94965 

~ Equal Opportunity Employer Slide Ranch provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran, in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Slide Ranch complies with all applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. ~