Staff Person (Full-Time)
The Circle School in Harrisburg, PA is seeking a full-time staff member for the 2014-2015 school year, and possibly part-time to full-time during the summer beginning in July or August of 2014. 

At The Circle School, students practice life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Enrolling students ages 4-18, The Circle School extends the social contract normally reserved for adults to children and teenagers, offering them the opportunity to grow into ever-expanding freedom and responsibility. Students at The Circle School are free to choose how to spend their time at school within the democratically adopted laws of the school, and participate in the day-to-day management and running of the school as members of School Meeting, in which each student and each staff person has one vote. More information on The Circle School and its philosophy can be found at www.circleschool.org. 

PLEASE NOTE: This position is NOT a traditional teaching position, though possession of or willingness to obtain teaching credentials is required. 

Staff people at The Circle School act as dependable stewards of the school; facilitate student access to resources; exemplify mature practice of personal fulfillment and societal engagement; and anchor school culture to values of interpersonal respect and trust in the natural impulse toward personal growth. 

Staff people at The Circle School do NOT create activities for students to pursue and do NOT have the authority to unilaterally establish or enforce rules. Being a successful staff person at The Circle School requires an ability to honor the choices of others even when those choices are not those you would make, and an ability to trust in the school's peer-based judicial system to adequately resolve rule infractions. Staff people at The Circle School ARE available as facilitators and friends as students pursue their own interests. 

This is a salaried position, compensated in the range of $28,500 to $31,500. Most work hours will fall within the school's normal hours of operation (8am-4pm), but a willingness to work occasional additional hours on an as-needed basis for individual projects, staff and committee meetings, public relations and community events, and more, is required.

Health care insurance is mostly paid by the school (employee share is currently 1% of gross pay), with family coverage available at employee expense. Short-term and long-term disability insurance are paid by payroll deduction (approximately $28 per month). The school calendar provides about 24 to 30 weekdays off during the school year. In addition, ten days of urgent leave is provided (five days at full pay and five days at reduced pay). Employees' children may qualify for extra financial aid, depending on household income.

Required Qualifications

• Belief in the natural impulse of children (and adults!) to strive for personal growth; commitment to one's own personal growth
• Must be extremely reliable, punctual, and safety-conscious
• Possess high levels of professionalism, personal maturity, and authenticity
• Excellent communication and literacy skills, including abilities to express thoughts in writing, tailor communication levels for different age groups and developmental levels, and interact effectively with children and adults from a wide variety of backgrounds
• Be an interested, interesting, engaged, and passionate person
• Strong self-management skills, including high levels of initiative and ability to authentically and effectively prioritize, including the ability to decline requests from children when appropriate
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of student and family data, as well as to keep a constant eye out for the protection of student privacy in less formal ways
• High level of computer literacy, including fluency with word processing, email, and more
• Ability to pass required background checks
• Ability to navigate stairs and outdoor terrain easily
• Possession of a Bachelors degree in any field (to facilitate the timely acquisition of teaching certificates if not already possessed), AND current possession of one or more Pennsylvania Private Academic teaching certificates, or a willingness and ability to attain one within a year.

Click here for information about how to apply.
 
We are on a short timeline. Please get your application in as soon as possible.
 
NOTE: Because hiring decisions at The Circle School are made democratically by students and staff together, your employment application and all materials and information you submit may be circulated widely in the school community.

Position: K-12 Advisor

Part time / 15-20 hours per week 

Pay: $12/hr

Email Resumes: Hiring Committee, VFSJobs@gmail.com

Mail Resumes: VFS Hiring Committee, PO Box 12590, Portland, OR 97212

Closing Date: March 31, 2014

The Village Free school seeks a temporary, part-time advisor to work with students ages 5 through 18 for April – June 2014, and a possible return September-October, 2014. 

The Village Free School is a private, independent, not-for-profit Democratic Free School serving youth ages 5 to 18, in Portland, Oregon. We operate democratically and provide an array of classes while maintaining a holistic and conflict resolution based environment for our students. Major emphasis is placed on the social / emotional development of our students.

Free school refers to a philosophy in which the students choose for themselves how to spend their day. At the Village Free School, there are no required classes or compulsory evaluations. The Village Free School offers classes and activities based on student choice that are geared towards age groups, but there is no strict age separation within the space. 

Description of position:

In this position you will be working directly with students, parents, interns, and staff. This position requires that candidates be able to work collaboratively in a cooperative manner with all of these groups. Advisors provide some classes, offer support with activities, and help mediate conflicts when they arise between students. Candidates will have to communicate with all ages in a way that honors everyone's voice.

Specific expectations for position:

• Initiate your own learning and problem solving
• Work collaboratively and cooperatively with students, staff, and parents
• Prioritize multiple competing tasks
• Help identify and assist in resolving interpersonal conflicts
• Attend weekly staff meeting
• Communicate with caregivers to help increase connection and understanding of how the school operates, answer questions and share vital information
• Demonstrate courage in providing appropriate boundaries, trust and support people of all ages within a non-coercive learning environment
• Demonstrate self-care and hold gracious space for yourself and others
• Act in accordance and in support of the mission, core principles, by-laws and other resolutions adopted by the Village Free School
• Show a willingness to hear and give feedback about performance and operations of the school
• Serve as a broker, advocate, facilitator, and teacher with and for students within their own developmental needs and toward assisting them to meet their educational goals
• Locate resources for subjects of student interest
• Mentor students based on genuine relationships and a desire to support and challenge students in following their interests and getting their needs met
• Bring passions and ability to lead activities for groups small and large
• Create and support clean-up and community ownership of school space and materials
• Listen, advocate where wanted, be present
• Model and teach mediation and conflict resolution skill
• Create your own learning plan
• Participate in community decision making process
• Participate in review process

Skills needed:

• Ability to work with all ages of youth
• Appreciation for working in a non-coercive environment
• Willingness to learn to work through conflicts as they naturally arise using conflict resolution skills
• Be able to maintain in an environment that can be energetic and noisy
• Comfortable initiating activities with students
• Support and help students with self initiated activities
• Be willing to work through conflict as they might arise with staff, parents, and interns.
• Good communication and listening skills.

VFS Provides:

• A dedicated staff to mentor and coach.
• Support to develop and implement personal and professional goals.
• Room to grow, make mistakes, and thrive.
• Love, appreciation, and experience working with the wants, needs, and growth of youth and their families in a progressive non-profit community school.

*This position requires a high level of ability to keep sensitive information confidential.

From Heathcote Community:

This summer we are offering a special Permaculture, Ecovillage, and Arts Community Education (PEACE) program. This features internships in farming and carpentry plus a variety of educational workshops! Below is a flyer with a brief summary of the program. 
This program is designed for those who are interested in a focused month of work experience and learning about permaculture, ecovillages, community living and personal growth.  Workshops with experts are offered in the following subjects: Ecovillage Education, Permaculture Design, Community Skills, Wilderness Awareness and Survival Skills, Consensus and Facilitation, Empathy in Action, Social Justice, Breathwork, Conflict as a Doorway to Intimacy, Interplay, Enneagram, Meditation, Yoga, and more. 

Note:  Internships are also available year-round but do not include the workshops. 

Individuals with further questions can find more details at our web page – PEACE Program at Heathcote.org, connect with us through the Heathcote Community Facebook page, or email us at education@heathcote.org.