Teacher-in-Residence Program

The application process for our 2022 annual Teacher-in-Residency will open in July.

Interested in helping children connect with nature?

Slide Ranch is a non-profit farm-based environmental education organization located within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, on coastal wildlands just 25 minutes north of San Francisco. The mission of Slide Ranch is to connect children to nature. We cultivate healthy bodies and minds and foster future generations of environmental stewards. By farming, cooking, caring for animals and exploring wilderness and the coast, we teach people of all ages to see the connection between their own health, a healthy food system and a healthy environment.

Position timetable:

The 10-1/2 month Teacher-in-Residence position will run from January 22 through November 24, 2021. The 3-month Summer Teacher-in-Residence position will run from May 24 - August 20, 2021. Applications will be accepted from February 1- March 1, 2021.

Summer 2021 Teacher-in-Residence Program

Summer Teacher-in-Residence (STIR) Job Description (3 positions, 3 months)

This position is either residential, including tent housing and food, or non-residential, for applicants who are able to commute daily. The position begins May 24 and continue through August 20, 2021.

Interested in helping children connect with nature?

As a Summer Teacher-in-Residence (STIR), you will grow as a youth and environmental leader while living and working with a dynamic group of about 20 community members on a rural, coastal farm within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. From June-August, Slide Ranch hosts 10 weeks of day camp. Summer camp participants learn to care for farm animals and an organic garden, explore wildland trails, discover ocean tide pools, cook farm-to-table, and participate in nature-based arts & crafts projects. Teachers-in-Residence lead groups of students in experiential education camp programming.

Slide Ranch is a 501c3 and throughout the summer you may lead tours and help facilitate volunteer work projects with individuals and groups during corporate, donor and community volunteer events to support the organization. Slide Ranch is located on 134 acres of coastal public parkland and it is open to hikers during daylight hours, so as a residential staff member you will share responsibility in providing basic orientation to visitors.

Apply yourself for a season of work that challenges you to grow as a person and as a professional educator. You will gain valuable hands-on experience in agricultural and environmental education and learn how to live and work in a rural setting as a member of a community.

Summer Teacher-in-Residence (STIR) Position Summary

The Summer Teacher-in-Residence program trains emerging environmental and youth leaders through a residential, hands-on teaching position. Our teaching philosophy fosters an experiential, student-centered and nature-centered approach and the values of community and respect.

STIRs receive an initial multi-week training focused on organic gardening, animal husbandry, wildlands stewardship, residential community norms and best practices in outdoor education. Teachers will participate in creating curriculum, and potentially also photos, video clips or blog entries that appear on our website and other social media.

STIR Position Components

The central focus of this position is on teaching. Summer camp programs serve 5-13 year old campers plus teen Junior Environmental Educators. The work week typically involves 5 teaching days, with a Monday-Friday camp week within a two-week camp session. Camp week themes include “Ocean Exploration,” “Science Investigation,” “Birds,” “Seeds,” “Pollinators” and “Food and Cooking.”

A typical work day is 8 hours and includes morning farm chores and preparation for camp, teaching a camp day from 9:30am-2:30pm, followed by clean-up, and prep for the following day. Regular afternoon sessions, led by permanent staff, blend ongoing training with hands-on opportunities to learn through work projects. These afternoon sessions include teacher meetings on curriculum, educator skill building and planning, garden and animal husbandry, and farm and environmental maintenance and stewardship. Teaching observation and coaching and mentoring by program staff complement the position.

We uphold a high standard of safety, meeting or exceeding all requirements related to Covid-19 safety protocols. Programs are held exclusively outdoors and staff, as well as students, wear masks; small camp cohorts do not mingle; and we follow a regimen of hygiene and sanitization.

STIR Training

The positions begin with a 3-week intensive training period, including introductions to the bioregion, farm chores, and foundations of environmental education practice at Slide Ranch led by Slide Ranch staff as well as outside experts. Our trainings and teaching practices are influenced by BEETLES, a program of the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley.

Farm and Community Life

STIRs are responsible for a daily, ~30 minute ranch chore. In addition, everyone shares residential community responsibilities outside of the work day, including a weekly residential chore, cooking dinner for fellow residents with a partner twice each month, and monthly resident meetings.

Desired Qualifications

Both of these positions require a collaborative and positive spirit to work with a team of teaching peers, organization staff, and residents. The successful candidate will possess a great attitude and strong motivation to experience all facets of the job as important to one’s learning and development. A successful candidate will also possess a growth mindset, with a desire to set goals, reflect, and provide feedback to the rest of the team. Applicants must be comfortable living in rustic accommodations.

Prior experience in education or working with children.
Desire to learn about and practice farming and land stewardship
Awareness of multicultural environmental education and issues related to the urban environment and current local, regional and global events.
Dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching and learning.
Flexibility, enthusiasm, creativity, curiosity, and positive attitude.
Eagerness to engage campers of various ages with an interactive, student-centered teaching approach.
High level of personal responsibility in work and professionalism when dealing with the public and colleagues, including plants and animals.
Ability to take initiative and adopt a solution-oriented approach, while understanding the value of teamwork.
Excellent communication skills and ability to accept supervision and guidance.
Interest in supporting nonprofit organizations, including participating in fundraising activities, volunteer programs and donor events.
Physical Requirements

Duties are performed in a hilly and rural outdoor setting and can be physically demanding, including outdoor teaching in all weather, manual labor such as shoveling, and lifting up to 40 lbs.

Compensation

In addition to a monthly stipend, we provide tent housing, local, organic food, and paid sick time.

To Apply

No phone calls, please. Email a single PDF document including:

1) Your resume

2) A one-page cover letter (see below)

3) Contact info for 3 references

Applications are accepted starting February 1, 2021, until all positions are filled. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. Applicants must be available for the entire duration of the session (5/24-8/20) and be at least 18 years old to apply.

In the cover letter, please indicate why you are interested in this position. We encourage you to describe any professional or personal experience you think may be relevant, including working with youth, farm or other environmental work, additional languages, previous experience living in a residential community, and any unique skills or diversity you would bring to this team. Please indicate in your application where you saw this posting.

Please note that Slide Ranch aims to increase diversity in our staff and support a Teacher-in-Residence cohort that reflects the demographics of our San Francisco Bay Area community. People of all colors, cultures, class, age, genders, and sexual orientations are encouraged to apply.

Dates of Session: May 24, 2021 – August 20, 2021

Contact

Slide Ranch

Attn: Education Director

Julie.Hartman@slideranch.org

2025 Shoreline Hwy

Muir Beach, CA 94965

Annual Teacher-in-Residence Job Description (10.5 months)

Position Summary

Residential "live-on-the-ranch" paid position with cabin housing and food provided, plus paid vacation and sick time.

Slide Ranch’s Teacher-in-Residence (TIR) program fosters and inspires the next generation of leaders in education, sustainable farming and environmental stewardship. Apply for a 10-1/2 month position that supports your growth as an educator and steward, as you pursue a meaningful career.

The annual Teacher-in-Residence program trains emerging environmental leaders through a residential, hands-on teaching position that includes daily teaching as well as ongoing training in organic gardening, animal husbandry, sustainable organic farming, facilities maintenance, wildlands stewardship and nonprofit management. Our teaching philosophy fosters an experiential, student-centered and nature-centered approach, applying scientific practices, and the values of diversity, equity, inclusion. TIRs are also students in daily sessions focused on professional development and group reflection.

As a Teacher-in-Residence, you will grow as a leader while living and working with a dynamic group of 15-20 community members on a rural, coastal farm within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Teachers-in-Residence customize and lead programs for Bay Area school and community groups from a wide range of backgrounds, with special emphasis on Title I schools and under-served communities, as well as weekend family programs and summer day camps. Experiential education programs focus on exploring the farm (pasture with sheep and goats, chickens, ducks, beehives and an organic garden), trails and tide pools and cooking from the garden. Due to Covid-19 we have made significant adaptations to our programs that follow all guidelines and ensure a high standard of safety for our staff and participants. In the spring and fall, TIRs now lead our Online and Outdoor Classroom programs programs with school and community groups, as well as day programs with the same cohort for multi-week periods. During the summer, additional summer teachers join our annual teachers and lead multi-week day camps with children, 5-13 years old.

Teachers-in-Residence also learn about the operation of a nonprofit organization, help with fundraising projects, and provide support for various volunteer and fundraising events. Teachers will participate in creating curriculum, and potentially also photos, video clips or blog entries that appear on our website and other social media.

Position Components

The central focus of this position is on teaching. Programs serve preschool through adult visitors, with the majority being elementary school-aged children. The work week typically involves 5 teaching days. Program formats vary seasonally. In spring and fall, the focus is on school, community group, and family programs. Summer months are focused on our day camp program.

In addition to teaching, you will receive training in environmental education, maintaining a small farm and stewarding national park land. A rotating teaching schedule means periodically supporting garden and ranch projects, including full days when you will cover all the farm chores and milk the goats at night. Slide Ranch is a 501c3 and throughout the year you will lead tours and help facilitate volunteer work projects with individuals and groups during corporate, donor and community volunteer events to support the organization. Slide Ranch is located in 134 acres of coastal public parkland and it is open to hikers during daylight hours, so as a residential staff member you will share responsibility in providing basic orientation to visitors.

Training

The position begins with a 3-week orientation and training period, including introductions to the bioregion, farm chores, and foundations of environmental education practice at Slide Ranch led by Slide Ranch staff as well as outside experts. Our trainings and teaching practices are influenced by BEETLES, a program of the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley. A typical work day includes morning farm chores and preparation for program, teaching a program, and ongoing training in the form of sessions led by permanent staff, with hands-on, project-based learning opportunities and times to debrief and reflect as a group. These sessions include teacher meetings on curriculum, educator skill building and planning, garden and animal husbandry, and farm and environmental maintenance and stewardship. Several teaching observations and ongoing coaching and mentoring by program staff complement the position. Professional development days also provide opportunities for teachers to delve deeper into on-site training or visit related environmental education, farm, or urban agriculture or food systems organizations in the Bay Area. Additionally, for one week, each Teacher-in-Residence has the opportunity to design and implement an independent project that contributes to Slide Ranch and allows for deeper skill building.

Farm and Community Life

Teachers are responsible for a daily, ~30 minute ranch chore and night-time goat-milking on a rotating basis. In addition, teachers will have residential community responsibilities outside of the work day, including a weekly residential chore, cooking dinner for fellow residents with a partner twice each month, and monthly resident meetings.

Desired Qualifications

This position requires a collaborative and positive spirit to work with a team of teaching peers, organization staff, and residents. The successful candidate will possess a great attitude and strong motivation to experience all facets of the job as important to one’s learning and development. A successful candidate will also possess a growth mindset, with a desire to set goals, reflect, and provide feedback to the rest of the team. Applicants must be comfortable living in rustic accommodations.

Prior experience in education or working with children.
Desire to learn about and practice farming and land stewardship.
Awareness of multicultural environmental education and issues related to the urban environment and current local, regional and global events.
Flexibility, enthusiasm, creativity, curiosity, and positive attitude.
Eagerness to engage students of various ages with an interactive, student-centered teaching approach.
High level of personal responsibility in work and professionalism when dealing with the the public and colleagues /residential community members.
Ability to take initiative and adopt a solution-oriented approach, while understanding the value of teamwork.
Excellent communication skills and ability to accept supervision and guidance.
Interest in supporting nonprofit organizations, including participating in fundraising activities, volunteer programs and donor events.
Filming, editing and social media experience, is a plus
Multilingualism, especially Spanish language, is a plus.

Physical Requirements

Duties are performed in a hilly and rural outdoor setting and can be physically demanding, including outdoor teaching in all weather, manual labor such as shoveling, lifting up to 40 lbs, and farm chores outside of an 8-hour day.

Compensation

In addition to monetary compensation, we provide cabin housing and food, paid vacation and sick time.

To Apply

No phone calls, please. Email a single PDF document including:

1) Your resume

2) A one-page cover letter (see below)

3) Contact info for 3 references

Applications are currently being accepted, until all positions are filled. For best consideration, apply by November 6, 2021. Applicants must be at least 18 years old to apply.

In the cover letter, please indicate why you are interested in this position. We encourage you to describe any professional or personal experience you think may be relevant, including working with youth, additional languages besides English, previous experience living in a residential community, and any unique skills or diversity you would bring to this team. We are also interested in any farm, garden or wilderness experience you may have. Please indicate in your application where you saw this internship posting.

Sorry, we are no longer accepting applications for the 2021 annual positions.

Dates of Session: January 22, 2021 – November 24, 2021

Contact

Slide Ranch

Attn: Education Director

Julie.Hartman@slideranch.org

2025 Shoreline Hwy

Muir Beach, CA 94965