Golestan is a progressive independent school that uses an interdisciplinary approach (EL Education) to teaching.

Golestan is looking to hire a part time (20 hr/wk) School Gardener/Garden Teacher for our elementary and ideally also preschool programs. This person will be working four to five days a week with classes in the school gardens and farm. This person will also be in charge of the maintenance and upkeep of the garden and farm areas, including care of our school rabbits. Teaching hours will include Mon-Thurs early afternoons, additional working hours to be determined during the hiring process. This is a position for the 2023-2024 school year. 

Our garden program offers a hands-on opportunity to practice our commitment to environmental stewardship. Students learn multiple ways to grow food; they prepare, plant, care, harvest, compost and reflect in our outdoor learning gardens and farm space. By reflecting on the origin and effect of our choices, we teach awareness through sustainable gardening practices. The food we grow is tasted fresh in the gardens, used in cooking classes and by the kitchen team for school lunches and snacks.

As the Garden/Farm Teacher, this person will be responsible for:

TEACHING

• Planning and teaching 8-12 garden-based outdoor classes per week during the school year. During the summer the garden teacher would ideally continue to teach preschool classes and will potentially support the Golestan’s Summer Camp program with additional garden classes. 
• Providing weekly updates to the teachers (1 to 2 sentences per class) and reading the teachers’ weekly newsletters to stay informed of the class expeditions. 
• Periodically meeting with the Elementary Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Preschool Director to discuss scope and sequence of garden classes. 
• If multilingual, incorporating a second language into transitions and class instruction whenever possible.  
• Attending monthly all staff meetings.

GARDEN/FARM MANAGEMENT

• Leading the management of the school garden/farm and animal care through direct work and/or coordination of volunteers, staff and students to plant, water, weed, mulch, etc.
• Caring for our school animals, which currently consists of three rabbits that live in two different hutches. This includes coordinating volunteer care over weekend and school breaks and any necessary veterinary care. 
• Planning and coordination of garden work with parent volunteers through weekend work parties and other events.
• Maintaining and organizing the school’s gardening supplies/tools (seeds, soil amendments, tools, etc.) in a tidy way for all teachers to access and in compliance with Preschool Licensing Safety Standards.
• Harvesting or coordinating the harvest of food for the school kitchen. Coordinate with the school chef on best times to deliver produce and their crop preferences.
• Working with the Director of Facilities to mitigate campus pests such as wasps and rodents. 
• Maintaining gardens to remain in compliance with our Wildlife Habitat Garden Certification.
• Maintaining all outdoor plants and trees on the campus, including front entryway garden, hayaat, koocheh (driveway), outdoor classrooms, and school farm. 
• Coordinating with school management to ensure maintenance of fence line vegetation, hillsides and sidewalk strips.  
• Periodically meeting with the Executive Director to discuss maintenance and planting plans for campus gardens. 

The ideal candidate must: 

• Have knowledge and skills in organic and permaculture gardening practices
• Have knowledge of or willing to gain expertise in irrigation systems, fruit tree care and rabbit care
• Have at least two years of experience teaching elementary aged students in a garden or classroom setting
• Have excellent planning and classroom management skills
• Embody the school values, we are kind, we are thoughtful and we are courageous, through direct, open, honest and gentle communication with colleagues, students and families
• Have a deep love of experiential outdoor learning
• Be organized and flexible
• Be open to feedback
• Be innovative and willing/able to think outside the box
• Be deeply kind, warm, nurturing, and empathetic

Preferred Qualities:

• Have knowledge of botany, environmental science, health/nutrition, food systems, and food access, traditional ecological knowledge, environmental education, anti-racist & anti-bias teaching practices
• Fluency in a second language

Our environment is very intimate and hands on, both with the children and with our colleagues.  We work very closely together across grades in a very loving, positive, and family-like setting.

Benefits of working at Golestan:

Golestan isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life!  All staff enjoy the benefits of working in a kind, loving, and respectful environment, in addition to family style lunch prepared by our chef and delicious treats in our beautiful staffroom.

Please email resume and cover letter to jobs@golestankids.com for immediate consideration.