Kestrel is a very small non profit with only education staff. We're looking for an additional outdoor educator to join our team. This job starts immediately and we will prioritize applicants who are available sooner.

Our current need is for someone who can join our teaching team per diem for school outreach programs as well as conduct outreach programs over the summer for our youth program partners. You can set the days you wish to work, 1-3 days a week. All hours are between 7:30am at the earliest and 6pm at the latest.

You will co-design and lead science adventures for kids in K-12th grade at public wild reservations throughout the North Shore of Massachusetts. Classes are largely outdoors, with some indoor project components.

You will sometimes be leading a group of students on your own, so you need strong group management skills with children of different ages. Your colleagues will be nearby leading other groups, for school year programs. Over the summer, if you are our outreach educator, you will be the only Kestrel staff onsite and will work with the youth program's leaders.

We teach natural science and adventure education through direct, student centered investigations in the natural world, and creative projects. Our approach is to use connection to small local wild places and to plants and animals as touch points for understanding science, building community, and nurturing emotional health. All our programs are focused on original observations, thoughtful understanding, and students’ ideas. We are silly and playful and also very serious about learning and teaching. Our instructors are skilled naturalists who understand and are unendingly curious about the natural world, and about our students and their ideas. We use a constructivist, inquiry based learning model and child-led learning. We do not use "turnkey" activities with pre planned outcomes, or lecture type teaching. We allow the natural world itself to inspire care and passion for conservation, rather than teaching values explicitly. Our programs are fun, exploratory, messy, muddy, sandy, wild, and different every day.

Some programs may be one hour and occur only once, while others will involve working with groups regularly throughout the semester. All programs are custom tailored to the audience.

In addition to planning and preparing and delivering programming, the instructor, as a core member of a very small team, will also be responsible for other roles within the organization as needed - from helping to make major decisions, to keeping the office , field, and van clean and organized. It's essential that our instructor staff be prepared to work both collaboratively and independently. We have neither administrators nor maintenance staff - We're all educators. We need folks who will consider each program and prepping and cleaning up from it a team effort.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with other education staff to custom -build experiential science and nature programs for schools and other groups
• Collaborate with other staff to write curriculum for and instruct wilderness day camps in both the summer and winter, using original stories to tie together learning about the natural world and outdoor survival skills
• Serve as our outreach instructor over the summer to meet the needs of summer youth programs and camps that would like to incorporate some ecology learning into their days
• Facilitate outdoor ecology programs for students in preschool through high school, to be custom designed for each group. You will be teaching about pond life, predator ecology, forest ecosystems, and lots more. We teach place specific programs, not general concepts, so you will need to know the plants and animals of the area.
• Cultivate students’ science process skills and ecological literacy; mentoring them to ask and answer questions, and to use direct observation, analytical thinking, and collaborative design to do so
• Facilitate the development of outdoor skills such as fire crafting, compass navigation, and shelter building, using our ForestBook Skills Tracker.
• Maintain excellent group management and build a strong learning culture that values ideas, creativity, real science, and inclusion
• Care for student physical and emotional safety in outdoor settings
• Commit to working against racism, homophobia, and other forms of systemic injustice through culturally responsive teaching and group management practices
• Travel to sites to instruct programs, in your own vehicle or in our equipment van
• Pack up supplies from our office in Magnolia, and thoroughly clean, disinfect, and organize them when finished using them
• Participate fully in preparation and thorough debrief of each day of classes
• Other tasks relevant to the operation of programming, possibly to include organization and care of equipment, ordering and purchase of materials, basic care of grounds and building, assistance with enrollment, registration, and outreach, care of small animals, upkeep of website, and maintenance of social media presence. (Most of these tasks are shared among our small staff, as we have only program staff and no executive or maintenance staff).

Qualifications

• Undergraduate or advanced degree in education or environmental field, or equivalent experience
• CPR/First Aid current certification required, and (for summer only) lifeguarding certificate strongly preferred but not required - Can be acquired after hire
• Fully vaccinated against covid-19, including booster shots
• Strong knowledge of New England Natural History, or the natural history of a similar region. We strongly prefer a candidate who has an area of expertise or at least basic comfort with natural history. (Ability to recognize and identify at least some categories of local organisms)
• At least one year of experience teaching children in classroom and/or field settings, or experience as a field naturalist or field biologist along with a natural affinity for education and a high comfort level instructing and managing groups of young children
• Experience or comfort level teaching in - depth, cumulative science skills and natural history, ideally using essential questions and adapting lessons to students’ ideas, interests, skills, and spontaneous events in nature. This very different from presentations and front-of-room teaching.
• A supportive and non-punitive approach to group and behavior management.
• Willingness to work towards systemic equality
• Ability to provide structure and boundaries to students to support positive behaviors
• Ability to carry up to 30 pounds, and to walk uphill on or off trails up to 2 miles a day, in all weather (though we rarely walk more than a mile on any school program)
• Strong concern for the natural environment and an interest in working towards its protection by educating young people
• An appreciation of all living things and the natural environment, and a hardy willingness to properly prepare for and enjoy outdoor explorations in any weather
• Your own reliable vehicle with ample empty space for transporting teaching equipment, and a clean driver's license. (We pay for your mileage and hours to and from job sites, starting from the office).
• Ready willingness to accept both positive and constructive feedback, and to be part of a culture that values supportive feedback and constant professional growth for all

For all positions:

To Apply: Email a resume and cover letter, detailing why you are interested in Kestrel specifically, and how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position. We are more interested in a story or two that illustrates your interest and fit for the specific position than a repeat of resume points.

About Kestrel: Kestrel Educational Adventures is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an office in Magnolia and most programming based out of Beverly, Massachusetts. We offer place-based natural science adventures for schools, family groups, and the general public. Our participants learn through direct experiences in the local natural world, guided by qualified instructors with flexible plans. We believe in building a better and more sustainable world through excellent, student – centered natural science education. Our program instructors guide children in developing their abilities to make and share original discoveries and understand complex natural systems, or sometimes just to find nature connection nearby. We believe that everyone should develop their own values through experience, and that this is the most powerful route to sustainability and conservation action. We do not use the Leave No Trace model. We teach everyone that they should wander, explore, touch, imagine, and live in the natural world. Because of our small size, we do not have any staff housing facilities. We do have a great place to work and lots of opportunities to learn, a golden retriever puppy, and chocolate.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $20.00 - $24.00 per hour

Expected hours: 12 – 24 per week

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Grade school specialties:

• Elementary school
• Middle school

Schedule:

• Choose your own hours
• Monday to Friday
• No nights

Work setting:

• Camp
• In-person
• Office
• Outdoor work
• Public school

Application Question(s):

• Do you have naturalist skills (knowledge of New England species, ability to find and identify at least several categories such as local plants, trees, birds, tracks, amphibians or reptiles). For example, for which categories could you distinguish between similar local species)? Tell us about any natural history background and interests you have.
• What do you think are the most important skills for children to learn in the outdoors?
• Do you already live within a 45 minute drive of Beverly, Massachusetts and/or do you plan to move there? (We do not have housing to provide. At this time, we are considering local candidates only.
• Are you fully vaccinated against covid-19 (including boosters as recommended) and willing to show proof of vaccination? This is a job requirement.

Ability to Relocate:

• Beverly, MA: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person