Garden Educator, Emerson Elementary School

Job Description

The Emerson Community Garden was established at Emerson Elementary in 2013 to create a greater opportunity for experiential science, nutrition, and community building. Through this position, the Garden Educator will plan, schedule, and deliver high-quality educational programming while developing lifelong skills in students such as food production, critical thinking, pattern recognition, nutrition, ecology and more in our outdoor classroom.  In addition, the Garden Educator will plan what crops and herbs to grow in the garden, and schedule and host volunteer events to care for and maintain the garden such as planting, weeding, harvesting, pruning, general garden maintenance and putting the garden to bed. 

This position requires strong leadership skills and a passion for working with children. The position offers the opportunity to learn about seasonal food production, outdoor education, and community building. As a Garden Educator the goal is to engage children and teachers in positive experiences that relate to growing and eating healthy food and to cultivate partnerships with schools and community members to facilitate these experiences.  

Primary Responsibilities

• Education (65%) 
  • Works closely with classroom teachers to develop lessons that support classroom teaching in a range of curriculum areas (science, social studies, mathematics, language arts, etc.) 
  • Host K-6 students for Open Garden classroom at least two days per week 
    • Engage children in positive outdoor experiences that relate to growing and eating healthy food and to cultivate our teaching gardens as safe, productive, and fun outdoor classrooms
    • Read curricula and research other resources to plan lessons
    • Use written curriculum, but adapt the lesson plans and incorporate new activities as you need to incorporate local up to date science standards
    • Incorporate hands-on activities in the garden, a snack, or a take home item in each lesson
    • Oversees and coordinates students’ hand-on experiences in the garden (planting, tending, harvesting and cooking)
  • Prepare for classes ahead of time and clean up after
    • Each class is typically forty-five mins to an hour long and typically requires a half hour of prep work and a half hour of clean up, plus additional time each week for other prep work or shopping for supplies
  • Provide a safe, active, and engaging environment for diverse youth participants that includes instruction on concepts aligned with science standards that are related to the garden. 
  • Builds involvement in and commitment to the school garden within the school community, including teachers, administrators, students, parents and community volunteers;
  • Builds capacity within the school by co-teaching with classroom teachers, and developing teacher skills in outdoor classroom management techniques
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• Gardening (20%) 
  • Maintain the garden using organic practices
  • Upkeep watering system and water by hand in the early season to ensure seedling germination and growth.
  • Maintain and repair garden beds as necessary 
  • Plant, weed, thin, prune, harvest, clean up garden throughout year
  • Harvest, record, and distribute produce to the students. Excess produce can be distributed to teachers and faculty as well as community learning centers.
  • Supervise garden volunteer activities

• Maintenance (5%) 
  • Remove garbage weekly
  • Clean and organize shed
  • Ensure shade structure stays in good working condition
  • Maintain benches and monitor for wear and tear
  • Maintain garden boxes and repair as needed
  • Maintains garden budget including potential grant writing opportunities 
  • Maintains social media, website, Eaglet articles, and bulletin board

• Additional Responsibilities (5%) 
• Prioritize safety at all times, maintain a positive attitude and flexibility through changes and unpredictable situations
• Critically reflect on each season, learn from successes and challenges they encounter, and contribute to improving the program
• Attend Relevant meetings monthly: Garden Committee meeting, PTA meeting, Check-ins with Principal and Vice principal, and School wide staff meeting. 

• Resources of Support 
  • Garden Committee: will help with planning school year and curriculum, community support, volunteer resource, activity prep, maintaining momentum for the program, and a place to bounce off ideas. 
  • PTA: Coordinate large volunteer events, budget questions, School-wide events, 
  • Wasatch Community Gardens Youth and School Director: Reach out for resources, tools for large volunteer days, connecting our school garden network, help with grant writing etc. 
  • Collaborate with Emerson Garden Committee and the PTA to coordinate volunteer events and participate in important school events. 
    • Recruit garden volunteers from student parents or other community members typically using the school newspaper, signup genius, and PTA 
    • Communicate with and Train volunteers on garden practices and working with children. Be sure to thank all volunteers and show appreciation for their support. 
    • Collect and record volunteer hours 

Qualifications

• A reliable method of transportation.
• Applicant must submit to and clear a background check in accordance with SLCSD.
• Interest or knowledge in small-scale organic food production/home gardening.
• Enjoy working with children and building community. Preferred experience working with youth ages 5-12.
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong leadership skills
• Organized and entrepreneurial
• Enjoy working outdoors in variable weather conditions
• Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident, must be at least age 18 by the start of their term and have a high school diploma or equivalent. 

Other Preferred Experience

• Familiarity with experiential education methods
• Experience with tools used in basic carpentry, landscaping, and garden work
• Knowledge of nutrition

To apply: Send resume, names, titles, and phone numbers of two professional references to emersoneaglesgarden@gmail.com Please put the subject as “Garden Educator Emerson Elementary”