Current Openings

About EA: 

Our school was founded on three pillars of thought that a REAL education (Relevant, Engaged, Applied Learning) is personal, social, and global. Our mission is to ignite a passion for learning that inspires participants to collaborate effectively and take responsibility for positive global change. We value experiential learning, healthy individuals and communities, and environmental awareness. Since our founding, we have incorporated environmental education, field study, and ecological literacy into our core academics and summer programs. This helps students build an ethic of environmental stewardship and volunteerism into their life as a direct result of first-hand experiences where nature is the classroom. Community responsibility is also central to our mission, and students engage in service learning work with a variety of environmental, social justice, and other organizations.

The Opportunity:

Join a passionate, caring and professional school team centered around embodying EA’s vision. Explorations Academy provides meaningful, life-changing educational experiences for 6-12th grade learners.  Our campus, located in Bellingham WA, is nestled between the Salish Sea and the North Cascades, but our field programs have included urban and backcountry settings on five continents.  Our staff is composed of dynamic and engaging individuals who are skilled in connecting with students and demonstrate a clear commitment to the value of independent education. Faculty play a central role in our organization, not just teaching, but in setting organizational priorities, program development, and situating our work within a larger context of educational leadership.  This position requires commitment, creativity, and flexibility, but also represents a unique opportunity to be part of shaping a small independent 6-12th grade school.  

Key Responsibilities

• Organize, teach, and evaluate progressive and sequenced math courses using highly social, hands-on methodologies while integrating field-based contexts in when applicable in collaboration with the school team. 
• Organize and co-lead field orientations, backpacking trips, field learning intensives, and international courses varying in length from 1-30 days.
• Collaborate with fellow teachers to design, prepare, and present interdisciplinary curricula based on the Explorations’ “cluster” model.
• Serve in an advising role with individual students (academic, personal, and career counseling).
• Acquire and maintain Wilderness First Aid and CPR certification (or higher) (provided).
• Support the school community through participation in fundraising and other school functions.
• Covers additional auxiliary duties as required to provide supervision over student activities (lunch supervision, before/ dismissal, and during whole school cleaning)

The ideal candidate will have the following core competencies:

• Pays attention to detail: This position requires someone who is accurate and timely with cycles of reporting, assessment of student work,  and planning for multi-day outdoor excursions.   
• High competency in writing and delivery of a 6-12 grade math curriculum for small groups of students (group sizes are around 8- 12 students/ class). 
• Build and maintain relationships: This person enjoys building relationships with diverse school stakeholders and cares about supporting the needs of the people in the school community.
• Proactive and clear communication: This person is able to proactively communicate with parents, teachers, students and community partners to ensure safety, prevent incidents, and maintain a warm inclusive environment for all. 
• Ability to stimulate and model inquiry: This person is excellent at asking questions to clarify tasks and effectively guide students through deeper levels of knowledge.
• Express empathy: An ability to feel with others and demonstrate care for the individuals connected within the school-community. 
• Ability to work well within a diverse team: This person demonstrates the ability to work well as a part of a functioning team. This person is able to develop and maintain a warm and inclusive atmosphere of positivity, acceptance and accountability. This person is able to build off and raise up the successes of others,  connect people, timely communicate challenges and opportunities, and follow through with responsibilities. 
• Mission driven: Is in alignment with EA’s mission and embodies behaviors that contribute to it. 

The ideal candidate will have the following core skills:

• Instructional delivery: Teacher selects the learning area to be taught, sets criteria for success, informs students of criteria ahead of the lesson, demonstrates to the students successful use of the knowledge/skills through modeling, evaluates student acquisition, provides remedial opportunities for acquiring the knowledge/skills, if necessary. Teacher provides closure at the end of the lesson.
• Classroom management: Teacher is proficient in creating a climate that maximizes learning and induces a positive mood and tone. Builds agreements for observable and measurable rules and procedures, identifies expectations and appropriate behavior for students. Develops a positive teacher-student relationship by providing timely and frequent positive feedback for appropriate behavior, and to swiftly and consistently respond to inappropriate behaviors. Provides students with quality instructional delivery aligned to the skill level of each student so students experience success and maintain attentiveness. 
• Varied assessments: Effective ongoing assessment. Teacher utilizes feedback as a core component of formative assessment, and recognizes it as an essential tool for improving performance. Use evidence-based research and their own professional judgment to develop specific remedial interventions, before it is too late, for those falling behind.
• Soft personable skills: Establishing high but achievable expectations, Encouraging a love for learning, listening to others, being flexible and capable of adjusting to novel situations, showing empathy, being culturally sensitive, embedding and encouraging higher order thinking along with teaching foundation skills, having a positive regard for students.

Essential Qualifications: (Candidates meeting 70% of qualifications are highly encouraged to apply)

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a STEM or education-related field
• 3+ years teaching experience (classroom and/or experiential/outdoor ed.)
• Demonstrated ability to develop and teach immersive (including experiential and project-based) courses
• Experience with interdisciplinary course design and instruction
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to supervise students and manage risk in the outdoors
• A growth mindset toward teaching and learning
• A genuine interest and an appreciation for adolescents
• Desire to work in an intense, start-up like, small school environment
• Proven self-direction and initiative  
• Ecological knowledge 
• Experience teaching outdoors and in the community

Desired Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher
• Valid WA state teaching certificate
• Advanced outdoor/medical training (WFR/EMT)
• Wilderness trip-leading experience (NOLS, Outward Bound, etc.)
• Experience with curriculum design 
• Familiarity with progressive pedagogies and school design 

Contact

Before applying for this job please review our website, curriculum, mission, and program descriptions. This position requires incredible amounts of passion, dedication, flexibility, a high tolerance for adaptation, and a special measure of brilliance. Please provide an electronic resume and cover letter to jennifer@explorationsacademy.org.  Applications received by May 20th, 2024 will receive priority. We maintain a nondiscrimination policy and are an equal opportunity employer. 

Salary & stipends: $45,080 is the total compensation package. EA has an equitable salary matrix that steps teachers up in salary based on years of service and educational degrees/ teacher certification. 

Benefits: You will be eligible to participate in the organization’s benefits programs, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plans. Explorations Academy provides a $5,000 stipend for health and wellness and a SIMPLE IRA, with contribution provided at 2% of salary upon establishment of a Vanguard account. Faculty is provided regular vacation, inservice, and daily planning time. 

Benefits: You will be eligible to participate in the organization’s benefits programs, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plans. Explorations Academy provides a $5,000 stipend for health and wellness and a SIMPLE IRA, with contribution provided at 2% of salary upon establishment of a Vanguard account.

Expectations: Employment under this contract is subject to all current policies, rules, and regulations and those that may hereafter be adopted or amended by the Board of Directors of GGI. 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: 

Please submit an application by email NO LATER THAN May 20th, 2024 to 

admin@explorationsacademy.org

The application should include: 

• Cover Letter: Please address the qualifications specified. 
• Resume 
• Contact information for three (3) professional references. 

Explorations Academy seeks individuals of all ethnic, socio-economic, geographic, and religious backgrounds to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization and recruiting a team to reflect the diversity. Explorers Academy does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access as required by law.