Description:

About Living Classrooms:
Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region (LC-NCR) is an affiliate non-profit of the Living Classrooms Foundation located in Baltimore, Maryland. LC-NCR is responsible for the operation of educational and workforce development programs in the D.C. Metropolitan area.

LC-NCR is operated for the benefit of the community at-large, providing hands-on education and job training programs for students from diverse backgrounds, with a special emphasis on at-risk youth.

Utilizing challenging settings, community revitalization and a small staff to student ratio, LC-NCR provides experience-based educational programs emphasizing the applied learning of math, science, language arts, history, economics and ecology. Key objectives of all Living Classrooms programs are career development, cooperative learning, elevating self-esteem and fostering multicultural exchange.

Our history and future focus on hands-on experiential education programs that motivate student learning by doing. LC-NCR has the goal of offering hands-on experience based education programs that are of the highest quality and excellence.
Position Overview:
The Children’s Museum Interpreter is an integral part of Living Classrooms’ weekend family programming. This paid position is ideal for candidates who enjoy working outdoors and with children. They will deliver excellent interpretation and presentation by providing the highest quality immersive and interactive experiences for visiting children and families. Interpreters will provide exceptional service on the weekends, delivering extensive face-to-face contact with museum guests. Interpreters will remain approachable at all times with visitors, staff and volunteers and monitor for guests who may need assistance.
Job Responsibilities:

• Provide excellent customer service. Know and adhere to museum policies and procedures. Interact positively with visitors and respond to questions and concerns. Resolve visitor problems quickly and tactfully. Remain visible and approachable at all times.
• Greet visitors at the main gate. Maintain daily visitor attendance records.
Assist with a cash register while checking in visitors and collecting admission fees. Maintain all credit card, membership and other relevant forms.
• Work in all areas of the museum (inside on the main exhibit floor, inside the three season activities tent, outside at the main gate and outside on the hiking trails). Must have general knowledge of all museum spaces and in-depth knowledge of interpretation programs for weekend programming. 

• Present programs and interact directly with visitors at least 6.5 hours per day, including set up and take down of hands on activities, leading interpretive hikes in the woods, conducting informative meet and greet sessions with live animals, reading at story time, and leading other scheduled activities such as birthday parties.

• Prepare for the presentation of specifically designated interpretation programs by researching subject matter, learning speeches and honing presentation techniques.
• Interact with visitors to help them understand museum concepts and content. Implement educational interpretive experiences in all assigned spaces to achieve the goals and objectives of the exhibit, and to help explain the main messages and concepts to visitors.
• Maintain cleanliness of museum space and grounds, and notify Lead Educator of larger needs.
Prepare museum spaces daily for visitors. Maintain a safe and inviting atmosphere. Provide daily care and cleaning of exhibit (including animal enclosures) and activities. Complete checklists and reports all maintenance and safety concerns.

• Lead 2 hour long nature themed birthday parties by following structured lesson plans (which includes a hands on activity, meet the animal session and a hike in the woods).
• Attends all trainings and staff meetings that are assigned.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Primary Qualifications/Skills:

• Excellent communication and public speaking skills
• A passion for nature and working with children in an informal setting
• A friendly and engaging personality
• Ability to work with large groups that may consist of a variety of age ranges
• Good time management skills
• Basic knowledge of science and natural history
• Comfortable handling a variety of educational animals (including but not limited to snakes, tarantulas and insects)

Other:

• Part-time position, Monday through Friday, up to 25 hours each week. Hours vary depending on programs scheduled. Occasional weekends and evenings required.
• Travel between locations, sites and meetings required; car recommended.
• Will be expected to lift moderately heavy objects and participate in low-impact outdoor exercise (such as hiking, biking, climbing, etc.)
• Must be prepared to work outside in a variety of weather conditions

About the Site:

Living Classrooms Children’s Museum-
Located within Glen Echo Park: 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, MD 20812. This site offers weekend family programming, birthday parties, school field trips and a summer day camp. Content of these programs vary depending on subject, age, and the length of the program, but all programs feature hands-on science activities, an outdoor component, and most programs include meeting animals that relate to the subject being taught. Glen Echo has a number of resident animals including reptiles, amphibians, mammals, fish, insects and birds. There currently is an indoor forest for play, an outdoor herb garden, a sand-pit, and a hiking trail.

The Historic School House-
Located at 4954 MacArthur Boulevard NW, Washington, DC 20007. This site offers family programming, birthday parties, school field trips and a summer day camp. Content of these programs vary depending on subject, age, and the length of the program, but all programs feature hands-on science activities, an outdoor component, and most programs include meeting animals that relate to the subject being taught. Adjacent to Battery Kimble Park, has access to extensive hiking trails and a creek.
Kingman and Heritage Island-
Located in the Anacostia River across from the RFK Stadium, the approximate address is 575 Oklahoma Avenue NE, Washington DC, 20002. This site is a recreational area utilized by the public. Educational programming is taught on and around the islands about the environment and how visitors actions have a lasting impact on it. Clean-up events are scheduled throughout the year as well as a bluegrass festival held every July.

Paid Internship Info:

Paid

Hours:

Every Other weekend, 9-hours each day

Length/Availability:

ongoing

Start Date:

1/20/2012

End Date:

, , , ongoing

Deadline:

ongoing

Tags:

education 

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