Farm/Nature Lead Learning Guide

Position Summary

Lily Lake Homeschool Collective is looking for a Lead Learning Guide to help grow our membership and expand our program offerings.  This individual will be responsible for planning and implementing lesson plans/activities for children ages 5 and up, as well as working with Senior Leadership to manage the day-to-day operations and long-term vision of Lily Lake.  We strive to be a true collective of homeschool families so the ideal person for this role will be comfortable with a bottom-up approach and recognize that the structure and offerings of the organization may change over time as we learn what works and what doesn’t for the community. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

Operations (25%)

• Work within the core values of Lily Lake to develop additional programs to grow the services offered.
• Network within the community to help communicate our vision and offerings.
• Budgeting and long-term sustainability planning.
• Hiring/managing a small staff as the organization grows.
• Assist with building/facility maintenance and upkeep as needed.

Learning Guide (75%)

• Empower children to learn autonomously and discover their independence through leading by example and providing the tools and resources necessary to encourage self-directed learning.
• Develop “lesson plans” and activities based on the interests of the children.
• Launch and lead Socratic discussions among children of varying ages.
• Manage students’ project-based learning.
• Work with older children to support them in leading the younger children.
• Support students aged 5-16 during “learning” times: including interacting with children in a supportive, respectful, and open-minded manner, using positive language and communication, and making sure students are safe.
• Help develop, schedule and facilitate engaging real-world projects and challenges.
• Maintain open, two-way communication with parents.  We envision this as a blended homeschool model with parents free to come visit as desired and provide open feedback to our learning guide.
• Work with families to develop customized learning goals and plans.

A successful candidate will: 

• Love children: Genuinely enjoy spending time with children and watching them grow.  Have the ability to engage children who may be reluctant to participate initially.
• Be comfortable with chaos and curiosity: Curiosity naturally brings chaos with it. While boundaries are important, we also believe that kids need to be kids, which includes noise and a certain level of turmoil.
• Be kind & gentle: The world is a tough place to live in right now.  Lily Lake needs to be a place where everyone is treated with kindness, gentleness, and respect.
• Have a desire to reimagine “education”: Have training or be interested in building expertise in innovative, alternative education styles including, but not limited to nature-centered, child-led, play-based learning.  This means a successful candidate must enjoy being outside in all weather conditions and be comfortable getting dirty, wet, handling insects and all that comes with being outdoors with children.
• Be Flexible: Academic flexibility and meaningful learning means prioritizing children's interests-even if a child is ahead, behind, strong-willed, creative, challenging, quiet, gifted, or active.
• Love Nature – we prioritize time outside and providing children the opportunity to learn responsibility through caring for our animals.  Our learning guide must feel comfortable and confident meeting the needs of children outdoors no matter the weather.

This position does not require a degree in education or a teaching certificate/license, however experience managing groups of children is a must.  The individual would also have a strong background in social-emotional learning, interpersonal communication and/or educational therapy.  The Learning Guide must be willing to get CPR/First aid certified. This position requires the ability to spend considerable time on your feet, outdoors and lift up to 40 lbs.  Federal and state background checks will be required prior to hiring.

If interested, please email your resume to Cassie Tinsmon at cassie@lilylakekansas.com briefly describing your interest in the position and relevant experience.  In lieu of a cover letter, please share with us one of your favorite quotes related to children, education, learning, etc and a brief explanation of why you chose it.

Lily Lake Homeschool Collective is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status.