Job Title: GreenKids Prince George’s County Educator
Department: Environmental Education
Supervisor: GreenKids Director
FLSA Status: Nonexempt
Standard Hours: approximately 10 hrs per week during the academic year September-June. Teaching hours take place during the school day (8:30am-2:30pm)
Compensation: $26 per hour
Telework: This position is fully remote, but requires weekly travel to schools
Best consideration deadline for applications: 8/18/2024

Nature Forward is looking for a passionate educator who is ready to deliver hands-on environmental lessons to students in Prince George’s County! The educator will be responsible for leading GreenKids lessons for PGCPS elementary classes, as well as co-leading professional development for teachers. GreenKids delivers in-school and after-school environmental education programs across southern Maryland, DC, and northern Virginia. Lesson content for this position will focus on delivering the dynamic 5-part Stormwater Stewards curriculum, with other lessons as needed to help support MD Green School certification. ranges from teaching about watershed health and the impacts of stormwater pollution, to learning about recycling while students make their own recycled paper, to observing worms and creating a compost bin to study decomposition and soil health. Many of the lessons are conducted outside, using the schoolyard environment as the classroom.

In addition to direct lesson instruction, the GreenKids Prince George’s County Educator will work with the rest of the GreenKids team to develop new lessons and professional development offerings for teachers. They will serve as the primary point of contact for coordinating and scheduling lessons with PGCPS schools.

Nature Forward seeks an educator who brings experience working with a diverse range of learners and who is able to adapt their instructional style to meet the needs of all students. A large portion of the student population is Spanish-speaking, so ability to deliver bilingual lesson instruction in Spanish, as well as in English, is strongly preferred.

As a part-time non-exempt employee, the GreenKids Prince George’s County Educator will be eligible for workers compensation, unemployment insurance, Nature Forward program discounts, and Nature Forward naturalist shop discounts. 

Position Summary

The GreenKids Prince George’s County Educator is a part-time environmental education specialist who delivers hands-on watershed lessons to Title I elementary school students in Langley Park, Edmonston and Adelphi that include visible stormwater runoff experiences and meet the County Climate Action Plan goal of prioritizing “climate literacy and professional development by including them in the curriculum for students and teachers.” This position will also address actions students can take to prevent stormwater pollution, assist with Maryland Green School certification or recertification, and offer training for Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) teachers in how to use their outdoor classrooms to instruct about watersheds and other environmental literacy topics.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  • Schedule and teach hands-on GreenKids environmental education lessons at elementary schools in line with organizational and program values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.
  • Schedule and deliver the 5-part Stormwater Stewards curriculum at each participating school.
  • Collaborate with school system partners to enhance environmental education at schools
  • Maintain and track GreenKids Prince George’s County supplies
  • Assist GreenKids Director to review and revise curriculum
  • Assist GreenKids Director to design and deliver professional development for educators
  • Submit monthly progress reports with documentation of all GreenKids Prince George’s County activities

 

Qualifications/Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field (or equivalent experience)
  • Experience working with children in an educational or camp setting (experience in environmental education preferred)
  • Experience with culturally responsive, inclusive, or adaptive teaching techniques preferred
  • Ability to work independently
  • Excellent verbal and written (including electronic) communication skills
  • Proficiency in Spanish strongly preferred
  • Curiosity about the natural world

Physical Requirements

  • Ability to lift bins of lesson materials up to 40lbs.
  • Ability to drive and access to a car that can transport large bins of lesson materials
  • Ability to speak, hear, and use a personal computer for standard business communications

All employment policies are outlined in our employee manual.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter by email to jeff.chandler@natureforward.org with the subject line “Application for GreenKids Prince George’s County Educator”