Special Education Teacher - Horticulture

Job Description

Job Description

Grow More Than Plants—Grow Young Minds!

Are you passionate about horticulture, agriculture, and hands-on learning ? Inspire the next generation by bringing the classroom to life through gardening, sustainability, and environmental education.

Join our team as a Horticulture Teacher and cultivate tomorrow's leaders!

Position Summary: The Horticulture Teacher provides engaging, standards-based instruction to high school students in a trauma-informed behavioral school setting, using horticulture as a vehicle to promote academic, vocational, social-emotional, and life skills development. Instruction occurs across multiple learning environments, including the classroom, greenhouse, and school garden, providing students with authentic, hands-on learning experiences. In addition to classroom instruction, this position serves as an instructional leader by supporting student transition and work-based learning opportunities through Breezeway Market, maintaining special education case management responsibilities, assisting with state assessment administration, and contributing to program growth.

Essential Functions:  

• Provides differentiated, direct instruction to students with and without disabilities. 

• Develops lesson plans and organizes instructional materials to provide individualized and group instruction in order to meet the needs of each student as stated in their Individualized Education Program. 

• Plans for lessons centered around horticulture in accordance with standards and curriculum. 
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of horticultural practices and plant care, including the ability to successfully maintain a variety of plants in both greenhouse and garden environments. 
• Manages the school/campus garden and greenhouse. 

• Assesses the progress of students on a regular basis utilizing tests, curriculum measurements and data collection. Develops and presents grade reports as required.  
• Plans and executes special enrichment experiences such as Breezeway Market. 

• Serve as the co-lead (with the Art Teacher) in planning, organizing, and operating Breezeway Market, ensuring successful execution of recurring campus retail events. 

• Develop and oversee the production of high-quality, marketable student-made products by identifying realistic, customer-desirable items that align with student skill levels and program goals. 

• Select, train, and supervise eligible high school student workers based on behavioral progress, academic standing, and readiness to participate in market operations. 

• Establish and maintain systems for inventory management, product pricing, merchandising, and event operations to support profitability and long-term sustainability related to Breezeway Market. 

• Train and coordinate staff and volunteers involved in Breezeway Market, providing clear procedures and operational guidance to ensure efficient, high-quality event execution. 

Supervisory Responsibility:  

Supervise day to day responsibilities of support staff assigned to your classroom and/or students. 

Physical Demands:  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

Physically intervene and restrain students, male and female, as necessary. 

Ability to work in indoor and outdoor horticultural environments, including a greenhouse and garden, with exposure to varying temperatures, weather conditions, uneven terrain, and routine physical tasks such as lifting, bending, kneeling, digging, watering, pruning, carrying supplies, and the safe operation of non-powered gardening tools. The employee must occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds. 

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:  

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. This position follows Baltimore County School System for inclement weather.  

Travel  

May be asked to travel for student trips or other off campus activities. 

Required Education and Experience  

• Bachelor’s degree in education from an accredited college or university. 

• One-year related experience. 

Preferred Education and Experience  

• A master’s degree from an accredited college or university. 

• Certificated by Maryland State Department of Education in Special Education. 

• Certified, or in the process of being certified by Maryland State Department of Education in special education. 

• Four years satisfactory teaching experience. 

• Experience teaching students with emotional and behavioral difficulties. 

• Experience working with plants through educational, vocational, commercial, greenhouse, nursery, landscape, agricultural, or botanical settings preferred. 

Other Duties  

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.

What does the benefits package look like? 

• Generous Paid Time Off : Accrue three (3) weeks of vacation annually, plus two floating holidays and 10 paid company holidays each year—providing 30+ days of paid time off.
• Paid Leave: Paid sick leave and bereavement leave.
• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance with eligibility beginning on your first day of employment.
• FREE Employee Health Insurance : Everstand provides employee-only medical coverage at no cost through Allied Health.
• Retirement Savings: Retirement plan with an employer match of up to 3% .
• Tuition Reimbursement: Eligible after three months of employment, with reimbursement of up to $5,000 annually for approved educational expenses.
• Additional Benefits: Access to a variety of voluntary and employer-sponsored benefit programs designed to support your financial, personal, and professional well-being.

Everstand is committed to the policy that all persons have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, national origin, genetic information, pregnancy, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, marital or veterans status. Everstand is a drug, tobacco and alcohol-free workplace and an equal opportunity employer by choice.

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