Substitute Farm Educator New Village Farm
- Date Posted March 18, 2023
- Location Shelburne, VT
- Category Agriculture / Education
- Job type Part-Time
New Village Farm is a diverse educational farm located in Shelburne, Vermont. The small raw milk cow and goat dairies, poultry operation, gardens, and wilderness areas form an extensive outdoor learning space where people of all ages are invited to actively participate.
A primary focus of ours is creating opportunities of participation and belonging for youth, as well as fostering connections with earth, plants and animals. The farm hosts a summer camp, adult and family workshops, farm school, and other year-round programming. Our basic philosophy is that healthy lives and actions are founded in healthy relationships to ourselves, to each other, and to the natural world.
Our daily curriculum is dictated by the challenges presented by the land, the seasons, the plants, and the animals. Our agricultural practices are earth centered. Our approach to education is immersive and restorative.
Farming in the company of children and community can be chaotic. Flexibility and comfort working in the gray areas, trust in ourselves and in others, and a willingness to grow are essential characteristics. Our curriculum and systems are constantly evolving in relationship with the animals, the land, and with each other. We prioritize building community around the farm and allowing our animals to live out the essential expressions of their species over meeting specific production goals.
If this sounds exciting to you, and our values align with your own, we look forward to hearing from you.
We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences, and abilities.
We are hiring Substitute Farm Educators with availability in the spring, summer, fall, winter, or year-round. We are looking for folks with flexible schedules who are open to being contacted for our staff’s planned time off as well as unplanned, day-of staff absences. We do not expect Substitute Farm Educators to drop their other responsibilities for the Farm when contacted. We do expect Substitute Farm Educators to respond to sub requests within a reasonable timeframe.
Required Qualities:
- Relevant educational or childcare experience
- Prior farm experience, in livestock or veg, is preferred but not required
- A passion for the outdoors and the work of farming and gardening
- A passion for fostering nature awareness, mindfulness, wonder, and creativity
- The ability to direct and support farm chore times for a mixed-age group, so that they experience satisfaction and competence
- The ability to support kids in pursuing healthy, self-directed projects and interests
Exceptional group management skills - Professional and compassionate interpersonal skills
- Exceptional intuition and judgment, and willingness to use it
- Reliable transportation (car, bus, or ability to coordinate carpooling with other staff)
- A personal cell phone for inter-staff communication
Responsibilities include:
- Managing the arc of the camp day, including farm chores (goat milking, chicken & bunny chores, pasture management, garden tasks, etc.)
- Leading morning and closing circles
- Teaching daily nature skills (weaving with cattails, plant-ID, natural dyeing, spinning wool, fire by friction, building skills, clay, craft projects, etc)
- Mediating challenges within the group using restorative practices
- Teaching and practicing safe farm boundaries
- Co-leading with our educators and other farm staff
- Managing verbal communication with parents