About FirstLine Schools

In 1998, FirstLine Schools started the first charter school in New Orleans. FirstLine now operates several PreK-8th grade schools. Our mission is to create and inspire great, open admissions public schools in New Orleans.

Our faculty is a diverse and talented group dedicated to our students’ success and to their own growth as teachers. Our schools are led by leaders who hold themselves accountable for student achievement and teacher development.

Position Summary:

The Lead Garden Teacher designs, plans, and conducts garden classes for K-4th grade students. They lead and support the development of the garden teaching team. With the support of the network garden team, they guide the development and maintenance of a productive, educational garden. This position holds the responsibility of building partnerships with Edible Schoolyard New Orleans (ESYNOLA) teachers, academic teachers, school leadership, and other school staff in order to problem solve, collaborate, and deepen partnerships and opportunities for program fidelity and integration in the larger school community.

Position Responsibilities:

Teaching & Learning

• Design and conduct daily garden classes that incorporate: social and emotional learning principles, life science and horticultural concepts, sensory/experiential activities, and therapeutic goals inherent to the ESYNOLA’s mission and values
• Commitment to results for students through the focus of lessons that achieve: on task behavior, a community of learners, essential content, intentional cognitive engagement, and strategies that provide consistent evidence of students’ learning
• Guides students through propagation, planting, cultivation, and maintenance of the garden, including creation and care of small garden structures
• Works with science teachers to ensure that garden classes are academically relevant and timely
• Supports the creation of “Edible” teaching objectives and benchmarks
• Collaborate with special educators to support garden therapeutic interventions into individual education plans
• Manages the process of garden teachers planning garden space and supply set up for classes
• Plans and leads Edible Experiences for students with garden themes such as Watermelon and Citrus Week, and/or field trips
• Assists in the planning and implementation of extracurricular “edible” learning experiences, including opportunities to collaborate with academic teachers and school events
• Models respect and curiosity for learning, and encourages students’ interests and talents.

Garden/Horticultural

• Knowledgeable and committed to ongoing learning about gardening and animal life in our region
• Co-leads weekly garden walk-throughs with the garden team
• With the garden team’s assistance, creates a schedule of garden maintenance duties that structure garden work time for each member of the garden teaching team, volunteers, and interns, helping to define work priorities within the busy teaching environment
• Communicates with garden team to ensure that the garden is planned and maintained in a manner that ensures ample and appropriate produce for use in classroom learning, special events, and community harvest tables
• In coordination with the network garden team, performs year-round propagation, soil fertility, composting, crop rotation, garden planning, pruning, irrigation, and pest and disease management
• Maintains that the facilities and equipment is in good working order
• Helps plan and/or support all garden related events and activities
• Supports occasional weekend/holiday garden maintenance, including volunteer coordination

Communication, Professional Development & Outreach

• Creates and submits class lesson plans for each garden classes two weeks in advance
• Maintains an approach of consistent, collaborative leadership that integrates team ideas and expertise, identifies ways to support the teaching and professional development of teammates, and provides feedback
• Invests in relationships with students and their families to create a partnership of learning
• Commits to weekly professional learning time with whole ESYNOLA team and commits to the strategies of focus
• Leads a weekly garden teacher team meeting
• Directly supervises co-teacher or Corps member, providing and requesting clear and consistent feedback
• Creates and maximizes opportunities to infuse the culture of ESYNOLA into the school culture
• Stays informed of school events and activities; is an active presence in the school community and attend school all-staff meetings and leadership meetings as appropriate
• Collaborates with school leadership team to ensure garden programs align with school culture and goals, advocating for adjustments and modifications as needed
• Onboards new garden class volunteers, ensures an engaging and rewarding experience for volunteers, and manages volunteer schedules
• Helps create and implement community events, such as family garden programming, held after school and occasionally on Saturdays, in addition to the annual program fundraiser event An Edible Evening

Requirements:

Education & Experience:

• Required 
• Bachelor's Degree
• Preferred
• Demonstrated success working with students in an urban, open admissions school
• A strong background in and command of content area
• Louisiana Teacher Certification Completed or in progress (or be eligible to hold for our out-of-state applicants)
• Experience teaching elementary or middle school aged students is required
• Some lesson planning experience required
• Experience working in a public/public charter school preferred
• Experience living and gardening in an urban setting strongly preferred
• Ability to work with frequent interruptions and to simultaneously supervise a variety of tasks is required
• Willingness to smell, taste and feel garden produce, to help determine the quality of raw food is required
• Willingness to work outdoors under all weather conditions is required
• Willingness to work occasional weekends/special events when needed is required
• Working knowledge of basic computer programs including Word and Google applications is required
• Believe in every child’s ability to achieve in a rigorous college or career prep curriculum
• Enthusiasm to work with the school and ESYNOLA director to expand programming
• Take personal responsibility
• Detail-oriented
• Collaborate effectively with a range of stakeholders
• Share a commitment to creating great schools in New Orleans
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Model the FirstLine Commitments

We Keep Learning

We Work Together

We are Helpful

We are the Safekeepers of our Community

We Share Joy

We Show Results

Physical Requirements:

Must be able to perform all required job functions with reasonable accommodations, if necessary. 

LEAD GARDEN EDUCATOR reports to: School Director and ESYNOLA Director

How to Apply: Please apply online via: https://firstlineschools.org/careers/

Lead teacher salaries are paid in accordance with the Lead Teacher pay scale which ranges from $48,000 -$74,155 depending on years of experience with yearly performance based impact bonus opportunities .

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. FirstLine Schools offers a robust benefits package with a generous 403b plan. 

FirstLine Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.