School Program Guide

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library•Winterthur, DE

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library is seeking School Program Guides to deliver educational programs for students from PreK through 12th grade. This role involves leading onsite programs at Winterthur (indoors and outdoors) and traveling to deliver offsite outreach programs at area schools and community centers. The ideal candidate will have a pleasant demeanor, a curious and enthusiastic approach to learning and teaching, and strong customer service skills, including flexibility and compassion. Guides are responsible for visitor and collection safety and are integral to the department's goal of serving 30,000 students annually by 2030.

Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent
1-2 years of experience in teaching, childcare, interpreting in a museum/historic site, or customer service
Familiarity working with children from ages 4 to 18.
Adept at modifying programming to suit the widely varying ages, interests, abilities, and prior knowledge of visitors.
Detail oriented; able to process information received verbally or in written form and reconstruct this information in a thoughtful and engaging manner during field trips.
Flexible; open to new ideas, appreciative of and receptive to varying perspectives, and comfortable with ambiguity, and accepting that there often is no single “right” answer or perspective.
Able to pivot quickly during a program due to unforeseen circumstances, including but not limited to staff shortages, variable group sizes, and inclement weather.
Excellent customer service, interpersonal, and verbal communication skills.
Basic computer literacy; able to indicate availability and clock in/out using our online scheduling and timekeeping websites, regularly check email, and navigate Winterthur computer systems.
Excellent time management skills.
Interest in history, art history, horticulture, and/or science.
Must provide a minimum availability of 12 days per month.
Work indoors and outdoors in all seasons and weather conditions.
Navigate paved and uneven terrain both indoors and outdoors throughout the estate.
Valid driver’s license and ability to drive Winterthur vehicles to area schools, community centers, and libraries to deliver programming.
Lift and move up to 25 pounds.
Maintain group dynamics to ensure both visitor and collection safety and positive visitor experience.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in education, history, art history, horticulture, or science
3+ years of classroom teaching or museum/historic site interpretation

Responsibilities

Lead groups of up to 10 students from PreK to 12th grade and their chaperones through field trips in the Museum, Garden & Library, facilitating explorations of history, horticulture, science, and art.
Encourage appropriate tour conduct to ensure the safety of the collection and students.
Travel up to 30 miles to deliver programs at area schools, community centers, and libraries.
Represent Winterthur by sharing objects, stories, and crafts.
Set up materials before programs and clean up and reset materials and spaces as needed following programs.
Learn and lead new programs as they’re developed, including those that incorporate themes from changing exhibitions.
Participate in an initial orientation and continual training to learn program content and protocols, as well as staff meetings and trainings.
Take on a shift lead role on a rotating basis, ensuring that supplies are organized and collected and leading the activity room rotation.