Gardening Instructor

POTENTIAL INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR INSTRUCTIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

Program: Gardening Instructor Opportunities

Location: On-site at partner schools; varies by assignment

Teaching Mode: In Person

Grade Levels: Elementary, Middle, and High School; varies by assignment

Schedule: Typically 1–4 instructional service hours per week after school

Program Length: Commonly approximately 10 weeks per assignment

Start Dates: Opportunities become available throughout the school year

Compensation: Typical compensation of $50+ per completed instructional service hour, depending on assignment scope, experience, location, schedule, and agreed compensation

Concorde Education is seeking independent instructional contractors to provide gardening and environmental enrichment services for K–12 students.

This is a potential independent contractor assignment, not an employee position. Contractors may choose whether to apply for, accept, decline, or ignore available opportunities.

Assignments vary by school, grade level, schedule, available indoor or outdoor space, growing season, curriculum, materials, and program objectives.

Concorde may provide curriculum guidance, lesson‑plan suggestions, project ideas, instructional resources, or program objectives. Contractors may use their professional judgment to adapt instruction within the assignment scope and applicable site requirements.

Depending on the accepted assignment, contractors may:

• Plan and facilitate engaging, age‑appropriate gardening sessions;
• Introduce students to gardening, plant science, sustainability, and environmental stewardship through hands‑on learning activities;
• Adapt instruction based on student experience levels, site requirements, available space, seasonal conditions, materials, and program objectives;
• Support students in planting, maintaining, observing, and harvesting gardens, container gardens, or other horticultural projects, where applicable;
• Maintain a safe, respectful, inclusive, and age‑appropriate learning environment;
• Communicate assignment‑related needs or significant concerns with Concorde and school staff, as appropriate;
• Complete a brief session completion form after each scheduled session; and
• Follow applicable site safety, visitor, classroom, outdoor, emergency, tool‑use, and student‑protection procedures.

Assignments may include topics such as:

• Plant life cycles, growth requirements, and basic botany;
• Soil composition, composting, nutrients, and healthy growing conditions;
• Seed starting, germination, transplanting, and plant care;
• Water conservation, irrigation, and sustainable gardening practices;
• Pollinators, biodiversity, ecosystems, and environmental stewardship;
• Garden planning, container gardening, companion planting, and seasonal gardening techniques;
• Herbs, vegetables, flowers, native plants, and food systems education; and
• Observation, garden journaling, scientific inquiry, responsibility, and teamwork.

Specific curriculum, growing environments, seasonal activities, available materials, and project requirements vary by assignment.

Preferred qualifications include:

• At least 60 college credits, where required by the applicable assignment or site;
• Experience with gardening, horticulture, agriculture, environmental education, botany, landscaping, or related disciplines;
• Experience teaching, tutoring, coaching, mentoring, or leading activities with school‑age students;
• Strong communication, organization, and classroom facilitation skills;
• Availability to provide services for the accepted assignment schedule and communicate schedule issues as soon as reasonably practicable;
• Ability to safely lead hands‑on outdoor or classroom‑based gardening activities while fostering curiosity, responsibility, and environmental awareness.

Preferred backgrounds may include gardeners, horticulturists, environmental educators, master gardeners, farmers, biology teachers, science educators, landscape professionals, college students studying environmental science or horticulture, and others with relevant instructional or practical experience.

Assignments may utilize school‑provided garden beds,…