5-12 Culinary Arts & Nutrition Teacher

Job Description

Beta is a Title I Schoolwide campus. Part or all of this job could be funded with federal funds.

Mission

The mission of the Beta Academy Culinary Arts & Nutrition Teacher is to develop scholars and leaders through a culture of joyful rigor by providing hands-on, real-world cooking experiences rooted in a Seed-to-Plate approach. Scholars will build lifelong skills in cooking, nutrition, and sustainability while developing the knowledge and leadership to contribute at the community, national, and international levels.

Outcomes & Deliverables

1. Meet Academic Goals

• 100% of scholars demonstrate growth in cooking skills, kitchen safety, and food preparation techniques
• Scholars develop real-world, lifelong skills including meal preparation, nutrition literacy, collaboration, and problem-solving
• Scholars demonstrate increasing levels of independence, creativity, and leadership across grade levels
• High scholar engagement and participation in elective courses
• Scholars apply voice and choice through recipe creation, food experimentation, and project-based learning

2. Meet School Culture Goals

• Create a classroom culture aligned to Beta Academy’s values of joy, honor, and high expectations
• 95% scholar persistence and strong engagement in Culinary Arts/Cooking electives
• Scholars produce work that reflects excellence in execution, presentation, and pride

3. Meet Curriculum Goals

• Implement the Seed-to-Plate curriculum (Hope Farms, Houston, TX) with fidelity
• Develop and maintain a vertically aligned 5–12 cooking pathway:
  • Grades 5–8: Cooking Foundations ? Cooking Skills ? Cooking Creations ? Cooking Mastery
  • Grades 9–12: Advanced Cooking (Food Lab)

• Ensure instruction includes:

  • Cooking techniques and kitchen safety
  • Nutrition and healthy lifestyle education
  • Food systems, sustainability, and gardening

• Maintain and update curriculum pacing guides, lesson materials, and resources annually

4. Meet Garden, Community & Partnership Goals

• Establish and maintain the Beta Academy Garden as a living classroom aligned to the Seed-to-Plate model
• Launch and/or support a Beta Garden Club that develops scholar leadership and ownership
• Engage scholars in growing, harvesting, and utilizing ingredients in cooking experiences
• Develop community engagement opportunities including:
  • Volunteer days
  • Family workshops
  • Community harvest events

• Establish and maintain partnerships with organizations such as:

  • Hope Farms (Recipe for Success Foundation)
  • Houston Food Bank
  • Urban Harvest
  • Harris County Master Gardeners
  • Local chefs, restaurants, and farms
• Create opportunities for service learning, including food donation and community impact projects
• Seek partnerships, grants, and donations to support program sustainability and innovation

Job Prerequisites

• Bachelor’s degree required (education, nutrition, culinary, agriculture, or related field preferred)
• Experience teaching or working with youth (grades 5–12 preferred)
• Experience in cooking, food service, nutrition, gardening, or related field preferred

Role-Based Competencies

• Teaching & Leadership Skills
• Organization & Planning
• High Standards
• Openness to Feedback and Ideas
• Proactivity
• Efficiency
• Communication
• Team Work
• Attention to Detail
• Problem-Solving
• Emotional Intelligence
• Flexibility/Adaptability

Beta Culture Competencies

• Joy
• Culture of Honor
• Courageous Conversations
• Integrity
• Innovative Thinking
• Creativity

Summary:

The Culinary Arts & Nutrition Teacher is responsible for delivering a hands-on, inquiry-based elective program that develops scholars’ cooking skills, nutrition knowledge, and understanding of food systems through a Seed-to-Plate approach.

This role ensures a joyful and rigorous learning environment where scholars engage in real-world applications, develop leadership skills, and build confidence and independence. The teacher will also lead the development of the Beta Garden and cultivate community partnerships to enhance scholar learning and impact.

Essential Duties:

• Plan, organize, and deliver daily instruction for 5–12 Culinary Arts/Cooking electives
• Facilitate hands-on cooking labs, demonstrations, and real-world projects
• Integrate voice and choice into scholar learning experiences
• Differentiate instruction to meet diverse scholar needs
• Assess scholar progress through performance-based tasks and projects
• Establish and maintain a safe, organized, and efficient kitchen and garden environment
• Lead the development and upkeep of the Beta Garden, including planting, harvesting, and sustainability practices
• Sponsor or support a Garden Club and provide scholar leadership opportunities
• Build and maintain partnerships with community organizations to support:
  • Scholar learning
  • Service projects
  • Food donation initiatives
  • Cooking competitions
  • Program funding
• Integrate real-world applications such as:
  • Meal planning
  • Budgeting
  • Food presentation
  • Collaborative cooking challenges
• Participate in professional development and school initiatives
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the principal

General Responsibilities:

• Support scholars in achieving excellence through joyful rigor
• Implement Beta Academy instructional practices including:
  • Hands-on learning and real-world projects
  • Cooperative learning and leadership development
  • Soft skills coaching (communication, teamwork, responsibility)
• Ensure scholars demonstrate pride, effort, and mastery in all work
• Support school-wide events, showcases, and initiatives
• Continuously develop professionally through learning and reflection

Interpersonal Skills:

• Build positive and supportive relationships with scholars, staff, and families
• Work collaboratively with peers to create innovative programming
• Inspire scholars to take ownership of their learning
• Thrive in a flexible and dynamic work environment

Professionalism & Communication:

• Demonstrate professionalism by regularly attending and arriving on time to work, staff meetings, training, parent nights (one per month), and other assigned duties.
• Complete required training on time.
• Work cooperatively to create an atmosphere of unity among the school community and refrain from gossip, negativity, and unsupportive comments.
• Demonstrate professionalism at ALL times. Exercise wisdom by remaining calm, respectful, and non-defensive during parent meetings, disagreements, and personal attacks.
• Utilize professional communication with strong grammar, syntax, usage, and/or spelling skills during phone conversations, personal conversations, emails, and social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. refrain from attacking others, or fighting, on social media. Professional communication is used on and off campus.
• Exhibit professionalism in appearance and follow the BA standard of dress located in the Magic Makers Handbook under the Dress Code section. Apply this standard of dress to social media posts in regards to modesty in dress and action (ex: swimsuit, cleavage, & shirtless pictures, in addition to posts with alcohol, cigarettes, and bars etc.).
• Check staff email a minimum of three times daily during normal working hours and check teacher in-box daily and commit to reading updates, notes, and employee notices in a timely manner.

Reports To:

The Principal