Environmental Education Assistant

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Audubon New York’s For the Birds! is an elementary education program that teaches environmental awareness and appreciation of nature through the study of birds. During a 4, 8 or 16-week session, public school students in grades two through five, learn about their natural environment through classroom lessons, outdoor walks, a field trip to a natural area with significant bird habitat, and a conservation project designed to provide bird habitat in the local community. For the Birds! (FTB!) is aligned to New York State’s performance standards in Math, Science and Technology, and English Language Arts.

Volunteer Opportunities

For the Birds! provides various opportunities for volunteers to be involved with the program. With several schools participating across three boroughs over the course of the school year, there is an opportunity awaiting anyone desiring to take part. The following is a list of each of the volunteer positions available for volunteers throughout the year:

• Assistant Teacher
• Field Trip Assistant
• On-call Assistant

Each volunteer position requires its own set of responsibilities, which allows our volunteers to apply for the position best suited to their desires and availability.

• Assistant Teacher
  • Accountable to: Lead Teacher
  • Responsible for: assisting Lead Teacher in providing all lessons; ensure all students are involved in the lesson; recording lesson concepts on easel paper; assist with outdoor walks and indoor activities.
  • Time Requirement: full length of school program (4/8/16 weeks)

• Field Trip Assistant
  • Accountable to: Program Coordinator
  • Responsible for: attending FTB! outings on school grounds or field trips to local parks; help lead small groups of students through specified areas to search for and study birds/bird activities.
  • Time Requirement: Occasionally throughout the semester.

• On-Call Assistant
  • Accountable to: Program Coordinator
  • Responsible for: attending classroom lessons and/or field trips when needed as a substitute for Assistant Teacher or Field Trip Assistant.
  • Time Requirement: Occasionally throughout the semester.
    

Volunteer Qualifications

Volunteering with For the Birds! has one essential requirement: a love of nature and a desire to share it with students. Our program is unique in that a thorough knowledge of birds is not essential to begin volunteering. Our experience has been that those who volunteer with FTB! for any length of time, acquire their knowledge of birds as they teach and attend workshops and trainings along the way. In fact, there is no better way to learn than to be the one that teaches!

However, we do adhere to a graduated strategy of training our volunteers:

• Observation: new volunteers begin by observing lessons in the classroom. He/she is not responsible for assisting during the lesson, but simply observes the lesson format and how the Lead Teacher and Assistant Teacher work together.
• Initiation: After observing several lessons, the new volunteer will begin to assist with indoor activities and outdoor walks, as he/she feels comfortable. This provides experience working with the students during a lesson, while not taking on the responsibility of leading the lesson.
• Activation: After a period of initiation, working with students consistently and learning the various lesson formats, a new volunteer is then ready to step into the role of Assistant Teacher. This means that the volunteer will be responsible for attending each weekly lesson/field trip, and assist the Lead Teacher in leading the lessons.

Volunteer Requirements

Prior to performing any services with Audubon New York’s For the Birds! Program, all volunteers must fill out and sign the following forms:

• Volunteer Application
• Confidentiality Agreement - Required by National Audubon Society
• Background Check - Required for all Volunteers working with children
• Volunteer Agreement - Required by For the Birds!

These forms are necessary for Volunteers to participate with FTB!. All information is kept securely within the confines of Audubon New York/National Audubon Headquarters.