Westland School Hiring for Elementary Garden Teacher Job at Los Angeles, CA Full Time

Westland School Job Description
Elementary Garden Teacher – Academic Year 2021-2022

Westland School, located in Los Angeles in the Santa Monica Mountains on Mulholland Drive, is a K-6 school with 130 students. Founded in 1949 on developmental and progressive principles, the school has a social studies core curriculum with specialist classes in the arts, science, woodworking, gardening, printing, dance, and a commitment to community involvement, environmental stewardship, diversity, equity and inclusivity. The tight-knit school community is noted for its vitally involved parents, and its collaborative faculty and staff. The two-acre campus, which provides a natural setting with trees and gardens, stimulates learning and nurtures childhood.

The Garden teacher at Westland is an important position that promotes sustainability, appreciation for nature, service learning, and curiosity. All teachers at Westland are called to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice at the institutional, cultural, interpersonal, and personal levels of our school community. This position reports to the Assistant Head for Teaching, Learning, and Development and collaborates often with the full administrative team and the teachers. The position begins as soon as it is filled.

The Garden Program is an integrated program, and creates the opportunity to coordinate and collaborate with the classroom teachers around the integrated social studies themes the children are working on during the year. Examples include a group studying the native Tongva people might help plant a native garden. A group studying ancient civilizations can research and plant herbs that were used for medicine or food. Westland traditionally hosts a student-run Farmers’ Market 3 times per year when families bring in backyard produce. Proceeds from it have funded soil amendments and maintenance of the garden.

The Garden Teacher is a part-time position, working for a series of class sessions throughout the school year. The work outlined is estimated to be approximately 17 days per year, each 8 hour days, that include setting up before students arrive on campus, and supporting the garden beds to be dormant over the summer months when children are not on campus. (This number includes one full planning day.)

Responsibilities for curriculum include:

• Collaboration with teachers and parent volunteers (when allowed back on campus)

• Develops and implements a year-round curriculum for gardening in Groups One through Six, (grades K-6 equivalent)
• Guides students through the propagation, planting, cultivation and maintenance of the garden, including creation and care of small garden structures.
• Carries out the garden program as agreed by and decided upon with the head teachers.
• Instructs individual children, small groups, or the whole class to carry out the curriculum.
• Works with teachers to find ways to connect garden class with the skills and knowledge students are learning in their own classrooms.

• Leads groups of students in garden jobs or exploratory academic activities.
• Models routines and rituals for all garden classes, as well as respect and curiosity for learning.
• Encourages students’ interests and talents.
• Strengthens students’ understanding of garden and kitchen connections, as well as how the food we grow affects themselves, their community, and their planet.
• Supports integrated social studies-based curriculum as designed by the head teachers.
• Maintains a creative, welcoming, safe, and orderly outdoor classroom and program.

Responsibilities for collaboration include:

• Maintains positive relationships with colleagues.
• Supports a unified approach with the head teachers in working with children, parents, program, and school policy.
• Effectively supports children, using the Westland’s mission as guide.
• Supports social and emotional growth and development of students through caring interaction, supervision, and instruction in and outside of the classroom.
• Meets with parents to plan the volunteer schedule. (Non COVID context.)
• Works on other projects to support program development as appropriate (e.g. hot lunch program, and fundraising efforts such as the school boutique and farmers’ market).

Responsibilities for facilities include:

• Researches, prepares, organizes, and cares for garden tools and materials.
• Supports year-round propagation, soil fertility, composting, crop rotation, garden planning, pruning, irrigation, and pest and disease management with organic and sustainable practices.
• Remains engaged, knowledgeable, and up to date about the garden and knows what plants are ready to harvest at any given time throughout the year.
• Maintains facilities and equipment in good working order, including: tool shed, greenhouse, irrigation system, and tools.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

• Knowledge and understanding of child development, progressive philosophy and practice.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to be self-motivated and a team player.
• Ability to provide for several levels of student ability and learning style.
• Ability to support thematically integrated curriculum and social justice and anti-bias curriculum.
• Desire and ability to embrace continuing education.
• Experience, knowledge, and a grounding in multicultural awareness and practice.
• Prior teaching experience preferred.
• Prior gardening experience required.
• COVID protocols require proof of vaccination.

Compensation and Benefits:

• $250 per day for 17 days throughout the school year, which includes one planning day.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $250.00 per day

Benefits:

• Paid time off

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

COVID-19 considerations:
We follow Los Angeles County COVID-19 Protocols for K-12 Schools.

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Los Angeles, CA 90049: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Education:

• Bachelor’s (Required)

Experience:

• Gardening: 3 years (Required)

Work Location:

• One location

Work Remotely:

• No

Work Location: One location