Course Director
Summer staff position as Wilderness Instructor in an outdoor setting. The program is designed to work with Learning Disabled and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder students ranging from 8-18 years of age.
Responsibilities include:
Leadership:
- Assist in leading Summer Staff Training
- Divide students into teams and match staff teams with student teams
- Facilitate Student Achievement Plan meeting
- Check cabins daily when in residence and insure base is clean prior to departure
- Check vans for orderliness and cleanliness
- Assist in facilitating evening group meals and meeting
- Assist in facilitating the writing and maintenance of group behavioral guidelines
- Ensure compliance with budget and complete budget reconciliation
- Insure accountability to policies and procedures
- Manage course activities
- Maintain master list of medications, and spot check their timely administration.
- Insure completion of all course duties at the end of course.
Communication:
- Check in with each staff team each morning regarding group issues
- Provide student updates to parents as scheduled.
- Ensure timely completion of the Student Evaluation process in paper and disk form.
- Check in with office and Directors as needed or required
- Ensure backpacking itinerary is given to office
- Ensure completion of Student Course Critique at the end of course.
- Facilitate staff evaluation process
- Facilitate course debrief
- Distribute, collect, and forward Staff Course Critique
Support:
- Coordinate purchase and distribution of field food
- Provide relief time to each staff
- Problem solve student behavior problems with staff teams
- Check in and out course gear to staff teams and students each session
- Sign for van(s) and trailer(s)
- Distribute course money to staff teams
- Distribute mail to staff and students and collect student mail
Requirements for the position include: minimum 21 years of age; 2 years of college experience, in human service related field preferred (e.g., Education, Psychology, Recreation); current first aid and CPR certifications (minimum WFA required for NC and WY staff; Lifeguard required for FL and CA staff); experience and/or desire to work with LD and AD/HD youth; patience, energy, enthusiasm, flexibility, maturity, and integrity required; experience in and/or desire to learn outdoor adventure activities; strong organizational and time management skills preferred. Use of personal vehicle required (vehicle stipend provided).
Expectations for the position include: Compliance with all policies and regulations of SOAR; understanding the personal needs of instructors are secondary to the emotional and physical well being of our clients; utilizing behavior management techniques consistent with the program philosophy at SOAR; acting in a professional manner at all times to promote SOAR and the profession; developing an appropriate setting in which the student may learn from example; understanding the care of students in a 24 hour setting; and maintaining current records of student progress and documenting strategies utilized during the course for parents and student.
TO APPLY: Apply on-line at:
https://secure.thriva.com/Reg/Form.aspx?IDTD=807615&IDRPH=1209095
or send letter of interest, resume, and references to:
Laura Pate
Directors of North Carolina Programs
SOAR
P.O. Box 388
Balsam, NC 28707
(828) 456-3435
E-Mail: pate-moore@soarnc.org.
Staff Application
To fill out the Staff application, please click here:
Staff
Application
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Philosophy: SOAR believes all individuals identified with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit disorder (AD/HD) possess inherent talents and gifts. These abilities can mean incredible success in adulthood once these students negotiate the challenging obstacles of childhood, adolescence, and a traditional education system, usually unable to respond to individual learning styles.
Therefore, the SOAR model is based on two fundamental principles. First, youth with LD and AD/HD flourish when they are encouraged to focus on their strengths in an experiential setting. The second principle acknowledges that success can be generalized by encouraging our students to develop and utilize strategies, enabling them to compensate for those challenging characteristics of LD and AD/HD. To this end, SOAR staff strive to ensure success for each student across a wide range of experiences. Such success, in turn, builds essential self-esteem and self-confidence.
Based on these two foundations, SOAR participants develop problem solving skills, effective communication strategies, increased self-awareness, and social skills. Program activities include a broad base of wilderness adventure experiences that empower students to make healthy choices, learn more about themselves, overcome challenges, and establish relevance from these experiences to other aspects of their life.
SOAR's Specialty Courses are open to SOAR alumni and students with the maturity and experience level to be successful on the course. Acceptance is conditional on the approval of the course director. Most specialty courses are led by one of SOAR's year-round staff including Jonathan Jones, John Willson and Jon Terry.
SOAR’s programs are designed to allow students the opportunity to increase their independence while away from home. Independence is gained through self-motivation and life skills instruction. With this in mind, we involve our students in many decision making processes, such as setting individual goals, developing group guidelines, as well as trip and meal planning. This also comes into consideration when developing SOAR’s communication policy, detailed in our Parent Handbook.
SOAR is dedicated to serving the needs of individuals with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit disorder (AD/HD) and is proud to be the finest: