Environmental Educator

Environmental Education Instructors at Don Lee Camp & Retreat Center teach students through a residential outdoor environmental education program known as Coastal Communities. Instructors of the Coastal Communities program facilitate students in grades 3 – 8, and occasionally students as young as kindergarten and high school age. In this program, students come with their class for a one-day, two-day, three-day, or even five-day nature experience. Instructors teach a variety of different explorations, depending on which programs teachers select from the following list. Program options offered through Coastal Communities include:

Neuse River Study, Beach Study, Salt Marsh Study, Pond Study, Herpetology, Fantastic Fish (dissection), Tidal Creek Study (canoeing), Ocean Study, Marine Invertebrates (dissection), Creeping Crawlers, Forest Ecology, Coastal Soil Ecology, Coastal Birds, Weather, Traditional Coastal Transportation (sailing), Coastal Seafood Experience, Fossils, Coastal Folklore, Settlers, Fishing, Arts and Crafts, Creatures of the Neuse, Plankton, Man and the Neuse River, Challenge Course, Stars and Constellations, Night Nature, Native Americans, Pirates, and Maps and Charts Navigation.

Experiential education at Don Lee also incorporates our low element challenge course through both the Common Ground program and the Coastal Communities program. Groups may participate in the challenge course experience for a small portion of their extended visit, or for an entire day! This experience is designed to raise the awareness of students as being part of a group, help them to better learn to cooperate, communicate, and work more effectively as a team. Together, the experiences of these two programs can be a very effective tool to help reinforce lessons of teachers working in a classroom setting.

Qualifications:

Don Lee Camp & Retreat Center’s Environmental and Outdoor Educators are required to have a bachelor’s degree in a science or education related field or in outdoor recreation and experiential education. They should possess experience or strong interest in teaching children in an outdoor setting. Enthusiasm, flexibility, and effective communication skills are a must. Those persons seeking internships must currently be obtaining a college degree in a related field and possess a strong desire to teach children in an outdoor setting.

Expectations of Don Lee Experiential Education Staff:

• Enthusiasm about the environment and the experiential education process
• Self-confidence and the ability to facilitate activities with large and small groups
• Be prepared and prompt for all activities and meetings
• Ability to function as an effective team member with other staff members, and to successfully function in a cooperative, communal living environment
• Helping with setting up and cleaning up of daily activities
• Hardworking person with the ability to work long hours in a day, in an outdoor setting
• Positive Attitudes!!
• Debrief daily with other staff members and be able to offer solutions to issues
• Communication of problems, ideas, etc. with coordinator and other Don Lee staff members
• Flexibility!!