Garden-based Educator Position in New York State at Rochester Roots, Inc.

Rochester Roots, Inc. Seeks Garden-based Educator for Non-profit Urban Agriculture Education and Research Project  Compensation:  $44,625.  Paid vacation and holidays.  $1,500 health insurance allowance.  Start Date:  November 28, 2011 We are looking for an experienced certified teacher with a working knowledge of library science (real and virtual) to lead the education component of a NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets supported New Healthy Urban Food System Model.  Our innovative garden-based K-8 and community education program is synergistic with classroom-based teaching, and in partnership, we are responsible for achieving four categories of youth outcomes:  experiential learning, academic achievement, social relationship building, and decision-making for well-being.

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This person is responsible for hands-on teaching and developing curriculum, learning centers, and professional development workshops that result in measurable youth achievement in all five national core learning standards.  Continuous improvement is a requirement, which we measure daily and integrate with principals’ weekly “progress monitoring” of math and ELA.  We teach our students holistic system-inquiry through their exploration of food system life cycles and supply chains.  We have six outdoor learning lab environments, which are being expanded to include ten new indoor labs serving multiple schools and the community.  This person will continue building university partnerships to help support student-lead real-world nutrition and organic and IPM growing science research, community building, and career inquiry.

This person is also responsible for running a summer social studies program where students learn the concepts of sustainability and evolvability by exploring the historical development of cities around their food system and the systemic relationships of these to ecosystems, sociopolitical systems, and technology systems.  Through this and a partnership with a NeighborWorks America affiliate organization, which is a national leader in the field of homeownership education, community development and community building initiatives, we help build student’s skills as family and neighborhood change agents.  This includes experiencing paid year round jobs as “Budding Scientists” for neighborhood urban agriculture development.

Interested candidates should respond with a resume and two sample lesson plans that focus on seeds, soil, plants, and/or insects.  The plan should integrate STEM education with a social component and involve the students in a system-inquiry experience using food system life cycle or supply chain analysis.

E-mail to:jan.roch.roots@frontiernet.net

Resumes and three references accepted through November 11, 2011. No phone calls, please.

Rochester Roots, Inc. a 20 year old non-profit leader in innovative urban agriculture-based education programs and food system projects is committed to the creation of urban school and community urban agriculture-based education and research programs for youth and adults.  These programs are based on a new healthy urban food system strategy and nutrition research that provides equal access to high quality, safe, affordable, healthy food grown using earth friendly practices. Rochester Roots provides education, outreach, and training to City of Rochester youth, young adults, teachers, and community members through six urban agriculture related activities: 1) Urban Agriculture-Based Education, 2)Entrepreneur Education, 3) Food Preparation Education, 4) Nutrition ScienceEducation, 5) Farm Apprenticeships, and 6) Community Education, as well as new initiatives presently in development.

For additional information about Rochester Roots visit our website atwww.rochesterroots.orgor visit us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/rochester.roots