Specials Teacher Cooking and Gardening

Cooking & Gardening Teacher

Cook Campus  

Job Overview: The Cooking and Gardening teacher is a member of the Specialists Team. This role is responsible for furthering Mundo Verde’s sustainability mission through developing and teaching students a curriculum focused on improving student wellness by empowering them with the knowledge, skills and desire to grow and cook healthy food, and building their sense of connection to nature and the garden-to-fork process. The curriculum should connect to Mundo Verde’s sustainability standards and DC Health standards. The Cooking and Gardening teacher will develop methods and tools for assessing student learning in these domains. 

The teacher collaborates closely with classroom teachers, instructional leaders, operations staff, and community partners to ensure the school garden serves as a living classroom that enriches the academic program.

Reports To: The Cooking & Gardening Teacher is supervised by the Campus Principal

Responsibilities and Duties

Instruction & Student Learning

• Plan and deliver engaging, standards-aligned Cooking & Gardening instruction for students in PreK–5.
• Design curriculum aligned with:
  • Mundo Verde Sustainability Standards
  • DC Health Education Standards
  • Expeditionary Learning principles
• Integrate gardening, nutrition, sustainability, environmental science, and healthy cooking into hands-on learning experiences.
• Differentiate instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners, including multilingual learners and students with disabilities.
• Foster student curiosity, environmental stewardship, collaboration, and healthy lifestyle habits.
• Develop and implement assessments to monitor student learning and provide feedback on student progress.
• Maintain a safe, engaging, and inclusive learning environment during all instructional activities.

Garden & Outdoor Learning Space Management

• Maintain school gardens as vibrant outdoor learning environments.
• Coordinate seasonal planting, harvesting, watering, composting, pruning, weeding, and garden maintenance.
• Develop plans for the continued growth and sustainability of school gardens.
• Ensure gardening tools, materials, and outdoor learning spaces are organized, safe, and well maintained.
• Promote environmentally sustainable gardening practices.

Cooking Program

• Plan and facilitate cooking lessons that reinforce healthy eating, nutrition, food preparation, and food safety.
• Order, organize, and manage ingredients and supplies for weekly cooking classes.
• Ensure proper preparation, setup, cleanup, sanitation, and inventory management for all cooking activities.
• Model and teach safe food handling procedures.

Student Wellness & Sustainability

• Promote healthy lifestyles through nutrition education and experiential learning.
• Foster student appreciation for local food systems, biodiversity, composting, recycling, and environmental responsibility.
• Encourage students to become active stewards of their school and community environment.

Family & Community Engagement

• Organize and support community garden workdays and volunteer opportunities.
• Build partnerships with community organizations that support gardening, nutrition, sustainability, and environmental education.
• Coordinate family engagement opportunities related to cooking and gardening.
• Support the school's participation in community sustainability initiatives and events.

Collaboration & Professional Responsibilities

• Collaborate with classroom teachers, specialists, instructional leaders, and operations staff to support student learning.
• Attend professional development, coaching sessions, staff meetings, and required school events.
• Participate in relevant OSSE, DC Greens, and other professional learning opportunities.
• Support schoolwide initiatives that promote sustainability and wellness.
• Attend required family engagement events and school celebrations.
• Assist with student arrival, dismissal, supervision, and school safety responsibilities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Summer Programming (Optional)

• Teach Cooking & Gardening during the Summer Program.
• Develop engaging summer curriculum aligned to mini-Expeditions.
• Coordinate educational field experiences connected to sustainability and nutrition.

 Other Job Details

• Schedule: 8 hour day 
• Location: Calle 8 Campus, 4401 8th St. NE, Washington DC 
• This position has no direct reports 
• Position Type: This is a 10-month salaried position which is exempt and therefore not eligible for overtime pay under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act
• Employment subject to TB test, fingerprinting and background check

What we offer

Mundo Verde cares for and values our phenomenal staff and provides the following:  

• A competitive salary based on one’s education and experience 
• A Tier 1 school home in which to inspire children in a progressive environment
• An opportunity to be a part of developing compassionate global stewards and life-long biliterate learners
• Colleagues who are devoted to their practice, their students, and the school mission
• A leadership team dedicated to supporting professional growth by providing feedback and support 
• A 3-4 week summer institute and other professional development opportunities as available
• FT salaried: A benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, short/long-term and life insurance, employer contributions to a 401(k), a transportation stipend, and paid time off (10 days of PTO: 7 Sick, 3 Personal), off on winter break, spring break and holidays scheduled in the school calendar. 

MVBPCS is an equal opportunity employer.

Qualifications, Skills and Values

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Environmental Studies, Sustainability, Nutrition, Agriculture, Public Health, Science, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum one year of experience in gardening, farming, environmental education, outdoor education, nutrition education, or a related field.
• Experience working with elementary-aged students.
• Demonstrated knowledge of gardening, sustainability, nutrition, and healthy cooking practices.
• Ability to safely facilitate outdoor and cooking activities.
• Strong organizational and classroom management skills.

Preferred

• Teaching certification or eligibility.
• Two or more years of classroom teaching or environmental education experience.
• Experience designing curriculum.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish).
• Experience working in urban schools.
• Experience supporting multilingual learners and students with disabilities.
• Familiarity with Expeditionary Learning or project-based learning.

Skills and Values: 

• Demonstrated ability to be an independent solutions-oriented problem-solver
• Commitment to demonstrate love and joy towards students, colleagues, and the work
• Willing, hard-working attitude with a growth mindset toward self, students, and colleagues
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of personal work and the school mission
• Strong commitment to supporting diversity, equity and inclusion and creating an anti-racist school environment
• Capacity to embody the characteristics of a Community Steward by practicing six community building virtues and values every day: 1) Empathy, 2) Speak your truth, 3) Perseverance, 4) Inquiry, 5) Collaboration, and 6) Appreciation
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate deeply with colleagues 
• Ability to manage time and work in a fast-paced, dynamic school environment, multi-task, prioritize and stay calm under pressure
• Commitment to, interest in, and experience working with children ages 3-12
• Flexibility, professionalism, creativity and a willingness to learn
• Demonstrated commitment to a growth mindset, professional growth, development
• Demonstrated comfort and familiarity with healthy cooking and nutrition concepts and the farm to fork process
• High levels of creativity, initiative, and leadership

Salary : $60,675 - $90,000