School Programs Educator (Part-Time)

Why Cheekwood?

Working at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens offers you the opportunity to work for one of the most beautiful places in Nashville. Formerly the home of Mabel and Leslie Cheek, Cheekwood now serves the public as a botanical garden, arboretum, and museum with period rooms and art galleries. At Cheekwood, you will have the opportunity to explore a wide range of roles tailored to your skills and interests.

What does the Cheekwood Education Team do and why join?

The Education Department at Cheekwood enriches the experiences of our visitors, members, and class participants by fostering learning opportunities that blend the natural beauty of our gardens with the historical and artistic aspects of the museum. Members of the Education Department create engaging programs and workshops that explore themes of horticulture and art, aiming to inspire curiosity and appreciation for the natural world and human creativity.

What will you be doing?

• Aid the School and Outreach Programs Manager and Coordinator with running school field trips and being part of a teaching team of educators.
• Arrive up to 1 hour before the scheduled field trip to set up supplies and stations in garden spaces and stay to clean up.
• Facilitate field trip curriculum including leading engaging conversations with students while conducting activities outdoors in the garden and inside the museum.
• Learn Cheekwood’s standard aligned field trip curriculum for grades pre-K-12th.
• Engage in learning to enhance knowledge of various learning styles, teaching techniques, what's growing in Cheekwood's garden, and topics relevant to the curriculum.
• Attend paid training about field trips and outreach topics and Cheekwood.
• Prepare/restock field trip materials for upcoming field trips and outreach programming.
• Create a positive environment that encourages active learning for students.
• Travel to schools for outreach programming.
• Other duties as assigned.

Secondary Activities and Responsibilities

• Knowledge of Cheekwood’s Education Department and the mission of the institution.
• Knowledge of Cheekwood history and botanic garden.

Requirements

• At least 18 years of age.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Preferred Education: Bachelor’s degree in biology, Environmental Science, Horticulture, or related educational field.

Skills

• Knowledge of basic teaching methods and non-traditional techniques for early childhood development.
• Ability to follow written and oral instructions.
• Must work well without direct supervision.
• Must have excellent time management skills and quick thinking on their feet.
• Must want to work with children outdoors.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work well with others.
• Ability to respond to emergency situations calmly and follow protocols.
• Responsible attitude and professionalism toward career essential.
• Ability to work outdoors in a variety of weather conditions and terrain changes.

Preferred Skills

• Previous teaching experience is desired in traditional or non-traditional settings.
• Experience conducting educational programming is also desired.
• Experience following lesson plans.

Work Schedule and Hours

Field Trips run weekly, typically Tuesdays-Fridays. Applicants must be available 7:45 AM-3 PM on the days they are scheduled to run field trips or outreach events. Hours within that timeframe will differ depending on the start time of the booked school group. Mid-March to the end of May, Tuesday-Friday; up to 15 hours per week. September through November, Tuesday-Friday; up to 15 hours per week. Significantly reduced hours available during the remaining months.