Farm-Based Educational Instructor
- Date Posted January 19, 2018
- Location Woodbridge, CT
- Category Agriculture / Education
- Job type Part-Time
Company description
Massaro Community Farm is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of agricultural heritage. We oversee a 57-acre parcel of land operated collaboratively between the Town of Woodbridge and a Board of Directors comprised of local citizens. This land, formerly owned by the Massaro Family, now serves as the base for a 150-member CSA. The farm also provides a series of education and family-related events throughout the year. Our mission is to keep farming, feed people and build community. We want visitors to experience the farm and open community space as an exciting place to explore, and to discover how people, food, and the environment are interconnected.Job description
Massaro Community Farm is in search of per diem teachers for the 2018 program year. Teachers will lead/assist farm-based field trips and outreach programs for the k-12 age group.
Massaro Community Farm, Inc. is a nonprofit certified organic farm in Woodbridge, CT. Its mission is to Keep Farming, Feed People and Build Community. The farm fulfills its mission by offering the sale of produce to seasonal subscribers, to restaurants and at farmer’s markets. The farm offers farm-based education for youth and adults, and holds community building events each year. The farm maintains a commitment to donate at least 10% of its weekly harvest to hunger relief agencies. It donated over 10,000 pounds of food during 2017, and more than 53,000 pounds of food to date.
Farm-based educational programming includes farm field trips in spring (April-June) and fall (September-November), and a summer camp in August. Most teaching takes place Monday-Fridays between 9am-1pm, with occasional exceptions, and includes leading hands-on activities on topics around agriculture, food and the environment. The farm also hosts farm group educational visits from summer camps in June and July. Lesson plans and materials are provided, but instructors are welcome to contribute ideas for programming. Trips are planned well in advance and all teachers will be given a schedule of teaching opportunities.
We strive to provide quality farm-based education for students from Woodbridge and numerous other surrounding towns, regardless of the school or student’s ability to pay for such programming.
The ideal teacher will:
- Have some experience leading children in educational activities, preferably in an outdoor setting
- Be comfortable working in a variety of weather conditions on the farm (24 hours advance notice will be given in the event of a weather cancellation)
- Be willing to lead lessons based on outlines and materials provided
- Work with groups of up to 15 students from a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds
- Be comfortable receiving educational materials in electronic format, and navigating Google applications (gmail, docs, drive, sheets)
- Be willing to lift up to 25 pounds for the set-up/break-down of materials/supplies for lessons in the garden
- Be willing to pass a background check
- First aid training a plus, but not required
Teachers will be paid as independent contractors at the rate of $13.50/hr. Interested candidates should send their resume (including references) and a cover email to education@massarofarm.org.
Compensation
this position is: hourly, under $15/hrApplication instructions
Deadline
no deadline