Teacher Naturalist

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Position Summary

Native Plant Trust is seeking capable, organized, patient, and enthusiastic educators to promote awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the botanical and natural world in school programs at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA, focused on plant life, habitats, and weather and climate.

About Our School Programs

Native Plant Trust offers program for schools that promote awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the botanical and natural world through experiential and inquiry-based learning. Our programs meet the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering curriculum standards. We currently offer four programs for schools: Seeing Green for grades Pre-K-K; Exploring Plants and their Homes for grades 1-2; Plant Survival and Adaptation for grade 3; and The Life of a Plant for grades 3-4. Each school visit to the Garden is one hour long and is accompanied by pre- and post- classroom activities. Programs take place on weekdays between May and October.

Responsibilities

• Lead school programs on weekdays from May through October 2020
• Participate in training sessions on Wednesdays, 4/15 and 4/22
• Learn and deliver the school program curriculum creatively, energetically, and skillfully to groups of approximately 10 students
• Monitor your group in all types of outdoor environments and listen for key safety concerns and alerts
• Appropriately and skillfully communicate with other Teacher Naturalists, the Public Programs Coordinator, and the Public Programs Director
• Assume additional related duties as requested

Qualifications

The successful candidate will:

• Be available to work 1.5 hour shifts, as needed, from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 1-3 days a week (preferably 3) on weekdays from May through October 2020
• Have BA or BS or working toward one, preferably in education, environmental studies, environmental science, botany, conservation, natural resources, biology, or earth science
• Have previous experience as an educator, preferably with ages 4-10, plus familiarity with inquiry-based learning
• Be able to deliver curricula aligned with state standards
• Be creative and engaging and able to adapt the curriculum to engage students as necessary
• Have excellent verbal and written communication skills, demonstrated interpersonal skills, and ability to work cooperatively and independently
• Be flexible, dependable, responsible, and organized
• Have demonstrated ability to promote, embrace, and respect ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity and to accommodate physical and intellectual disabilities
• Pass a criminal background check (e.g., CORI)
• Be able to lift 30 pounds and lead walks on trails
• Have a valid driver’s license and the ability to learn to drive a golf cart

Compensation

Rate of Pay: $15 per hour

Training Stipend: $75

Important Dates

• Applications will be accepted until April 1, 2020
• Training takes place on April 15 and 22, 2020. Teacher naturalists are required to attend both sessions.
• School programs begin in May 2020

Application Instructions
To apply, please submit resume and cover letter to education@NativePlantTrust.org by April 3, 2020