Oak and Orca

School and DL

Staff Testimonials

"Oak and Orca is a quirky, playful community that values authentic connection. To have a high school student offer you tea in a dainty tea cup, to see young ones and old ones wearing their dinosaur onesies to school, or to feel trusting enough let a student cut your hair because they'd like to practice, these kinds of connections make the sometimes difficult work of being a teacher worth it."

"Working at Oak and Orca is like having an amazing extended family composed of like-minded and skilled people with great communication skills and a love for learning and teaching outside of the box."

"It is amazing to work in a community that values attachment. It is heartwarming to see the fruit of this when parents report that their child feels safe and cared for at school, when multiple high school students have joined the board of directors to remain connected after graduation, and when little ones stay up late to make a handmade card and gift because they heard they would see you outside of school."

Teaching Practices

Oak and Orca is a values based organization that approaches education differently than most schools. While these values inform our practice in a multitude of ways, there are some general practices that are consistently used in the school which are different from a typical school setting:

• Bioregionalism: Our offered programming is influenced by bioregional concepts (e.g. community field trips, gardening workshops, etc.). Further, staff are expected to role model a bioregional lifestyle including ecological and social responsibility. In keeping with these philosophies, all staff are expected to bike/bus/walk to work. Personal motor vehicles are not an option.


• Compassionate Communication: Staff aim to use Compassionate Communication with students, families, and each other. This communication system also informs our approach to classroom management and conflict resolution at the school. Our conflict resolution strategies are non-punitive (e.g. strategies such as detentions or point systems are not used with the children).


• Consensus: Our board, the staff, and students all engage in different consensus processes. Staff currently regularly attend consensus staff meetings for specific programs and for the school in general.


• Student Autonomy: Students are given age appropriate choice in their programming in a variety of ways. Teachers must be prepared to navigate meeting an individual child's needs for autonomy and choice as well as group needs for routine and organization. Programming is often crafted to respond to children's interests, and inquiry is used in a variety of ways throughout the day. In open classroom learning activities are normally child-led, not delivered directly by the teacher (e.g. individual projects, learning centres, etc.).


• Hands-On: Our teaching strategies tend to fall towards a hands-on approach. Interacting with nature, moving our bodies, and using manipulatives (such as math manipulatives) are some of the ways we approach teaching in a hands-on way.


• Ungraded: Our programs are ungraded, meaning that students are not considered to be in a grade, nor do they receive grades as part of our reporting (excepting in the high school graduation programs). We teach to where students are at, and students are able to learn content from the BC curriculum that falls outside of their age grade.


• Multi-Age Groupings: Teachers teach to multi-aged groups of children, often teaching individual students multiple years in a row which creates opportunity for rich, long-term connections with students. Teachers must be flexible and must differentiate their instruction based on which students are present. Teachers are expected to teach a variety of subject areas to a variety of ages.

Application Process

1. Read all sections of our website
2. Gain an introductory understanding of Compassionate Communication
3. Read the details for the position(s) you are interested in (see below).
4. Fill out our Application Form.
5. Save your application form, resume, and optional cover letter in PDF format and submit them by email.
6. Check out the list of sample interview questions

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Interviews may be held in several sessions; you may be invited to one or more of the following in any order:

A: Meet and greet. Time permitting we prefer to meet folks casually in advance of offering an interview to provide an opportunity to develop a connection to the school as well as more clarity for prospective candidates about our unique work/learning environment.

B: 45-60 min Interview. Candidates may be held to the 45 minutes, including response to prepared questions and the ensuing conversation, due to a tight interview schedule. We prefer the interview to be a conversation and enjoy answering some of a candidate's questions during the interview.

C: 45-60 min session with a small group of children. Candidates may be required to prepare and implement an activity for a multi-age group. The intention here is to familiarize candidates with our learning environment prior to hiring.

D: Suitability testing. Candidates may be required to attempt various tasks or submit various projects completed at home during the hiring process for a particular post. The intention here is to familiarize candidates with the types of tasks they might be doing once hired and ascertain the comfort level with and suitability for certain types of work.

References will be contacted prior to a position being offered.

Positions

We always accept applications from folks who are keen to join our community.

Below are descriptions of positions we sometimes have available. We will reach out if there is an opening for which an applicant seems to be a great fit. We are looking for the best fit for our team, regardless of what position is applied for.

Teacher

Special Education Teacher

Admin Assistant

Thank you for your interest in Oak and Orca!