Teatown Environmental Science Academy (TESA) Lead Instructor

Location
Teatown is a non-profit 1,000 acre nature preserve and outdoor education center located in Westchester County, NY that hosts over 20,000 visitors annually. We host a variety of education programs for all ages and provide valuable recreational opportunities across 15 miles of hiking trails. 

Position overview
Teatown is seeking a science educator to lead the Teatown Environmental Science Academy (TESA) for high school students this summer alongside a co-teacher. TESA is a hybrid learning experience that utilizes a combination of lectures, group trainings in the field, and individual mentoring time with students. The goal of this program is to guide students through their first research experience by helping them discover their scientific interests, design their own project, collect & interpret data, and mentor them in presenting & science communication. Applicants for this position are expected to have experience conducting their own research and feel comfortable guiding students through all aspects of the research process. Each TESA teacher takes on 4-6 students to independently mentor and assists teaching the full group on basic scientific principles. 

While this is a temporary position, it provides a great opportunity for applicants to build their research and teaching portfolio and is ideal for graduate students or teachers with a gap in their summer schedule.

Hours: The Science Educator position will be from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2024, working Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm. Additionally, the selected candidate will work up to ten mutually agreed upon prep/planning days before the start of the program. Prep/planning days do not have to be consecutive with the beginning of the program.

Rate: $6,500 program salary, commensurate with experience; housing available upon request

Responsibilities:

• Update the existing program curriculum as required
• Support Director of Education in selecting student participants
• Provide opportunities for co-teacher to lead engaging educational activities
• Teach students how to analyze and interpret data
• Independently mentor 4-6 students through the scientific process
• Help students create a research project based on their interests that can be conducted at Teatown within the timeframe of the program

Requirements:

• Experience with and enthusiasm for working with youth in a mentorship role
• Experience conducting scientific research
• Experience working in the environmental field
• Ability to analyze and interpret data 
• Minimum master’s degree, PhD preferred