Field Trip Educator

Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Headquarters & National Canal Museum

Reports to:

Education Manager

Type of employment:

Independent Contractor

Expected Hours for 2023:

April 24 through June 6 (plus 2-3 training days in mid-April), Monday – Friday, 9 am – 2 pm (approx. 25 hrs. per week)

Compensation:

$12.00/ hour

Help us bring history to life for area schoolchildren by joining our team as a field-trip educator. Every Spring, the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (DLNHC), including the National Canal Museum, welcomes over 2000 3rd-5th graders to our Immersion Days program. Held alongside the Lehigh Canal in beautiful Hugh Moore Park, Immersion Days engages children with how people lived and worked on the canals during the 19th and early 20th centuries and includes a ride on our mule-drawn canal boat. Educators present fun, hands-on activities that combine history and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) concepts. As an educator, you might be teaching children how to blow a conch shell horn, demonstrating blacksmithing techniques, or explaining how simple machines make work easier. There are a variety of activities, and you can specialize in one or learn several.

The DLNHC is looking for dependable, positive individuals who enjoy working with children, are comfortable speaking in front of groups, and are comfortable working in an outdoor setting. No prior knowledge or experience is necessary – just a willingness to learn. Educators are dressed in period-appropriate clothing, which is provided by the DLNHC.

This position is subject to child abuse/criminal history clearances.

Core Responsibilities:

  • Provide the highest level of customer service for all visitors
  • Lead educational activities for groups of school students and their chaperones multiple times a day
  • Set up and take down your activity station each day
  • Learn the curriculum “script” you are given and be able to teach it to the students
  • Convey lesson concepts to elementary-level students (lessons include Friction and Buoyancy, Simple Machines, Geology & Blacksmithing, and Canal Life).
  • Work collaboratively as part of a team of 12 educators, helping one another and occasionally subbing into roles if needed due to coworker absence
  • Have the patience and demeanor to work with large groups of elementary children on their “exciting” field-trip day
  • Other related duties as assigned

Requirements:

  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Must have a desire to work with children in an educational capacity
  • Must be willing to present to audiences repeatedly throughout the day
  • Must have transportation (work site is not serviced by public transportation)
  • Must be fluent in English with good communication skills and a pleasant attitude
  • Willingness to gain familiarity with the cultural, industrial and environmental history of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
  • Must complete and clear PA State Police criminal history clearance, PA Child Abuse clearance, and FBI federal criminal history clearance
  • Must be able to demonstrate proficiency and comfort with physical job requirements
  • The ability to work most of the preset field trip season, typically a six-week schedule
  • Ability to adapt to changing circumstances

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Bilingual verbal communication skills
  • Experience working with children
  • Previous teaching experience
  • A demonstrated interest in history and in sharing it with others preferred

Physical Demands:

Work requires a variety of physical activity including standing, walking, bending, kneeling, crouching, pushing, pulling, lifting a minimum of 25 lbs., reaching, talking and hearing as required. Vision abilities include close and distance vision, peripheral vision and depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Work Environment:

Job duties require working outdoors in period clothing, at times in high heat/humidity, cold, and the rain. Each day you will be required to set up and break down your educational station and put items in storage until the next day. Employees should be aware that there are large equines on site. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Background:

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L) preserves the historic pathway that carried anthracite coal and iron from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, PA. The organization was established by Congress in 1988 to celebrate our nationally significant story centered on the transport of anthracite coal from the mines of Luzerne and Carbon County to the markets in the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia (via Bucks County). The D&L Trail is a multi-use trail spanning over 165 miles from the mountains of northeast Pennsylvania, along rivers and through the Lehigh Valley and Bucks County. In 2017, D&L merged with the National Canal Museum to incorporate the archives, museum, canal boat and educational programs into preservation and education efforts. Today, we are an AAM accredited Smithsonian Affiliate and an organization with the ability to connect people to unique experiences in nature and the environment, community and economic impact, health and recreation, history, preservation, and education.

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Inc. (DLNHC) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, the D&L organization complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

How to Apply

Applications are being accepted currently. They will be reviewed on a rolling basis and position open until filled. Applications should be submitted at delawareandlehigh.org/about/team/ under Employment Opportunities.