Farm and Garden Teacher

Farm and Garden Teacher

At Children’s Day School, what you learn and who you become are equally important.

Children’s Day School (CDS) is a welcoming community in the big city, a farm and garden among urban streets, an advocate for change and uplifting progressive values, an independent school with down-to-earth values, and an institution that is always asking how we can do this better.

We strive for balance so students become both academically successful and grounded. They leave CDS confident, with the humility to listen and the resolve to speak up for what they see as right.

CDS is a co-educational preschool through eighth grade school serving over 470 students in the Mission Dolores neighborhood of San Francisco, California with two campuses, two sheep, and lovely people.

To learn more about CDS, visit our website at www.cds-sf.org and specifically our Farm and Garden program here.

Job Summary

The Farm and Garden Teacher will lead, teach, and support in the farm and garden in partnership with the Farm and Garden Program Manager.  Teaching practice at CDS is rooted in inquiry. Students will develop agency over their own learning and teachers will help to facilitate the integration of topics and concepts throughout the curriculum to best develop skills as competent learners through the years.

The farm and garden lies at the heart of our campus and is an important part of our program and curriculum. As a specialist teacher, and with the support of the Farm and Graden Program Manager, it will be your responsibility to collaborate with core classroom teachers to create integration opportunities, through the lens of science, environmental and social justice, and outdoor education.

Primary Responsibilities

Essential Practices of a CDS Educator

​CDS Educators have identified and aligned on five essential teaching practices to guide instruction and learning in the classroom. Applicants should excel in using these practices and be able to apply them to curriculum and unit design across all content areas they are responsible for.

Classroom Leader and Curriculum Thought Partner

• Co-lead the development and implementation of the Farm and Garden Program curriculum so that it is both accessible to a diverse population of students and meets the intended learning goals of the program.
• Tailor and develop curriculum to support student learning, preschool through fourth grade.
• Provide hands-on, inquiry-based learning with an integrated approach to creatively embed concepts and themes into the curriculum.
• Work alongside the Farm and Garden Program Manager to plan and develop inquiry-based curriculum and outdoor learning opportunities for students. This can occur through frequent and open communication as well as planned weekly collaboration meetings.
• Manage collaborative learning groups and demonstrate effective and proactive differentiation strategies to meet the needs of a diverse learning population.
• Nurture a culture of social justice, inclusion, and action in the outdoor classroom through the curriculum, conversations, and community-based learning.
• Develop and implement learning assessments and approaches that will consistently and continuously provide a basis for giving students feedback and reporting student progress.
• Design purposeful assessments and performance tasks to best understand student learning, track progress and student’s development of skils, and share learning goals throughout projects
• Maximize the opportunity to facilitate the social, emotional, and academic growth of students in the farm and garden by nurturing learners’ connection to nature.
• Demonstrate and model cultural competence; proactively address mistakes and misunderstandings with curiosity and a learner stance; continue ongoing learning about how racism, stereotypes, and bias continue to shape children’s lives and experiences
• Intentionally integrate topics of social justice into the Farm and Garden Program curriculum including food justice and environmental justice
• Co-lead and provide opportunities to highlight the Farm and Garden Program curriculum, including Back to School Night, classroom blogs, and bulletin boards
• Support the Farm and Garden Program Manager with keeping curriculum documentation up to date
• Ensure timely communication with parents/guardians and core classroom teachers through calls, emails, and classroom blogs
• Pursue professional development that is aligned with professional goals and school-wide initiatives to model and practice continued learning
• Support in writing curriculum narratives & complete student checklists on progress reports bi-annually

Farm and Garden Care and Maintenance

• Care for farm animals by maintaining a healthy environment including mucking barns, providing clean food and water, and proactively communicating questions or health concerns to the Farm and Garden Program Manager
• Support in planning, organizing, and maintaining our seasonal vegetable garden
• Assist in the organization and upkeep of the teaching kitchen: pantry, fridge, culinary equipment
• Be “on call” to respond to animal emergencies (including weekends)
• Oversee “morning farm chores” with groups of students at the start of the school day

Division Wide Collaboration

• Partner with the Lower School Division Head, Grade Level Team, Learning Specialists, and Counselors to advocate for student learning and well-being.
• Partner with the Lower School Division Head, Director of Curriculum and Innovation, Team Leads, and other leaders on campus to set goals, respond to feedback, and focus on professional growth and development.
• Attend weekly division meetings, grade-level team meetings, and as needed meetings with families to update or check in on student progress and development.
• Build strong collaborative partnerships with specialist teachers to integrate curriculum and support student learning inside and outside of the classroom.
• Partner with CDS team to continue to grow the Farm and Garden Program and collaborate with all three divisions, and the Boys and Girls Club to improve programming, student experiences, and learning opportunities.

Whole School – CDS Team

• Engage actively in the CDS professional learning community by forwarding schoolwide initiatives and strategic priorities
• Partner with admissions and advancement as needed to promote the CDS program and mission
• Find opportunities to lead and contribute by joining committees, leading affinity groups, and collaborating with colleagues to sustain our commitment to innovation and ongoing learning

Position Requirements

• BS/BA (required)
• Demonstrated successful experience with inquiry-based models of elementary teaching
• Demonstrated experience with curriculum development and/or oversight
• Acumen in 21st-century learning skills and issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Demonstrated knowledge, skills, and habits within whole child learning practices – a focus on core academics and SEL development
• Strong communication skills and solutions-oriented mindset
• Proficiency in the use of technology, Google Suite, and managing multiple platforms for the purpose of organization and curriculum implementation
• Experience with farm animal care and organic vegetable gardening
• Experience with outdoor education, specifically teaching preschool through fourth grade in a school garden context

Compensation

Annual salary is $61,405 – $124,622. Salary is based on qualifications and experience. Excellent benefits are offered including medical, dental, and vision insurance and retirement plan.

CDS is an equal opportunity employer. Our community is diverse in many ways, inclusive of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender spectrum, age, ability, and more. We welcome and value the same in our faculty and staff.

Contact Information

http://careers.cds-sf.org/

Tagged as: K-6, Preschool