Living Classrooms Jobs in Silver Spring, MD (NOW HIRING)

About Living Classrooms  

Founded in Baltimore in 1985, Living Classrooms Foundation is a Baltimore - Washington, DC nonprofit that disrupts the cycle of poverty and helps our community become safer, stronger, and healthier by building skills for life. Living Classrooms inspires children, youth, and adults to achieve their potential through hands-on education, workforce development, health and wellness, and violence prevention programming. Living Classrooms has developed a distinctive competency in experiential learning - learning by direct experience - or what we call "learning by doing." We utilize our environmental campuses, athletic fields, community centers, and historic ships as "living classrooms." We work with one child, one teen, one adult, and one family at a time to identify existing barriers towards success and provide resources and opportunities to help each person reach their full potential, thus supporting stronger family units and more resilient communities.  

While each of our program areas is distinct, in combination they create a powerful synergy. Our maritime heritage sites create opportunities for employment training. Our education programs use our environmental and maritime resources as living learning laboratories. Our employability programs create stronger communities that are better prepared to exercise environmental stewardship. 

About BUGS  

BUGS (Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students) is an outdoor environmental education program that focuses on the urban environment. Students at The Crossroads School learn about gardening, urban ecology, the watershed, environmental and social justice issues, sustainability, and cooking and nutrition through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) style learning. BUGS complements the school day and gives Crossroads students the opportunity to develop and apply new knowledge and skills to real-world situations relating to the environment around them through hands-on activities and project-based learning.  

The mission of the BUGS Program is to provide purposeful, nature-based education to youth in their local environment, encouraging them to understand, respect, connect to, and enjoy the natural world around them.  

As part of the Living Classrooms Foundation, BUGS students are "Learning by Doing", and using the manmade, natural, and maritime environments as "living classrooms." BUGS provides students with meaningful opportunities to apply academic and social skills and allows time and space for students to grow as individuals and as a community influenced by the world around them.  

The Garden and Environment Educator will teach about best growing and cultivation practices; innovative garden and habitat building practices; benefits and sustainability of various crops, other plants, agricultural resources, and food sources; plants that are culturally relevant to our students and families; food and agriculture justice; land and water environments in regard to agriculture and human interactions with them; agricultural and gardening practices that affect the health of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding habitats; how to protect and restore native habitats in an urban setting; climate change and climate resilience in regards to food sources and habitats; and help students develop plans to implement gardening-based action projects, conservation activities, or stewardship projects that benefit the health and well-being of people, plants and animals, and the surrounding environment.  

This position follows a typical Monday-Friday work week but requires occasional weekend work. This position reports to the BUGS Program Director.  

General responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:  

This program requires all staff to participate in the BUGS Annual Student-Run Farmer's Market, which is always held on a Saturday.  

 Maintain garden beds in the greenhouse and outside raised beds.  

 Maintain any indoor or classroom growing spaces, including worm bins and aquaponics tanks. Daily and seasonal care and maintenance of program growing facilities including the greenhouse, vegetable and herb gardens, pollinator and flower gardens, non-traditional growing and garden spaces, and compost bins.  

Collaborate with students to create a year-round growing plan for the vegetable gardens and the greenhouse, accounting for student preference, cooking class, food pantry staples, plants that represent different cultures and growing regions, plants to be used for lessons or experiments, and plans that experiment with new plants or growing techniques.  

Partner with other BUGS educators to create collaborative lesson plans.  

Plan and execute general environmental education lessons to include habitats, watersheds, urban environments, etc.  

 Guide students when making goods for the Farmer's Market, including hand crafted products.  

Occasionally partner with Crossroads teachers, across multiple disciplines, to create and co-teach collaborative lessons based on the Crossroads curriculum that also integrate garden education.  

Help plan and lead environmental and garden-based enrichment activities for a 6-week summer program.  

Manage planting, care, and inventory of all Farmer's Market plants and produce.  

Help maintain native pollinator garden, oyster cages, frog pond, and other ecosystems on campus.  

Help coordinate major program events such as field trips, guest speakers, and the Farmer's Market.  

Coordinate long-term volunteers to help in the greenhouse, garden beds, and with chicken coop maintenance.  

Create and maintain partnerships with relevant organizations and community members in Baltimore.  

Upkeep and organization of BUGS classroom spaces.  

 Monitor and post program updates to BUGS social media platforms.  

Communicate with parents on a regular basis regarding student achievement, behavior, program activities, and upcoming events.  

 Assist with data collection, upkeep of databases, photo uploads, program purchasing, and other administrative duties.  

Other duties deemed necessary by the Program Director.  

Required Skills:  

 Experience in urban gardening and agriculture.  

Knowledge of various growing techniques and gardening practices including raised-bed gardening, in-ground gardening, vertical gardening, greenhouse gardening, crop rotation, regenerative gardening, hydroponics, aquaponics, aquaculture, composting, etc.  

Familiarity and basic knowledge of native plants, animals, ecology, habitats, and natural history of the area.  

Must enjoy working with students.  

Effectively work and communicate with a diverse population of students.  

 Facilitate a positive and exciting learning environment for students.  

Drive to take initiative to help create a strong program and collaborative space for students and fellow educators.  

Create engaging and meaningful hands-on garden and other outdoor and environmental based instruction, activities, and lesson plans that provide opportunities for skill mastery, social, and academic enrichment.  

Create and maintain a positive, friendly environment for all students that is accessible, prepared, and conducive to hands-on learning.  

Lead students through the program day. Provide good classroom management by holding students accountable for their behavior using positive behavior management techniques.  

Experience in using social-emotional learning (SEL) techniques in lessons and behavior management.  

Interest in urban environmental issues; basic knowledge of gardening sustainability practices, agriculture and food justice, and other general environmental issues.  

Must be willing to work outdoors year-round and in all weather conditions.  

Good public speaking skills, and oral and written communication skills.  

Other Requirements:  

Must pass a background check  

Must be at least 18 years of age  

Must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. National, or Lawful Permanent Resident Alien  

Must have a license, good driving record, and able to drive students in large program vehicles.