Educator Bio

Who am I as an educator / learner / human?

Well I grew up wedged between towering big-leaf maple trees that reached the stars and I’ve kept my head skyward ever since. Or lowered to the worms, snails and curiosities of the garden dirt or the rainforest moss. I can confidently say I am still wowed by the giant and tiny miracles of nature, and I am blessed to have had an upbringing where unbridled outdoor play was my go-to activity. The forest was practically my sibling, babysitter and master Yoda all wrapped into one.

I still play, and frolic outdoors. From climbing trees and skiing mountains, to picking edible fungi and harvesting wild herbs. I’ve been on a gentle slope of acquaintance with traditional uses and scientifically proved medicinal values of plants and animals. Most of my knowledge comes from First Nations or European sources. To me it seems vital to acknowledge and accredit those those who've shared this knowledge through various means so I can practice and share those skills today.

Why did I tell you about my experiences in nature? I believe it all lends itself to being a forest school educator. First off, one of my most influential teacher practicums was at Oak and Orca Bioregional School. I graduated from U.Vic in 2013 from the 4 year Elementary Education program. In 2014/15 I taught at Oak and Orca's on-site school, as well as working with home-schooling families through their distributed learning (DL) program. The DL program called Hands-on Home Learning was a completely new experience for me. I supported families from around BC in meeting the curriculum at their own pace, through their individual interests, and coinciding with their needs - including special education support. That same year I also taught part-time at the Victoria Nature School, a completely outdoors preschool near Mount Doug / PKOLs park. The director, Bonnie Davidson, guided me in the essentials of the Forest School practice. 

More recently, and most affecting of my personal practice, has been my 2 years at Hand-in-Hand Early Years Nature Education Program. This program for 3-5 year old children is delivered completely outside from September to June in the rich forests of Cumberland BC, on Vancouver Island. Along with my friends, the director Jarrett Krentzel and my co-educator,Alix Wilson, a program was launched in it’s infancy in 2015 and quickly took hold in 2 other communities by it’s second year. It was there in that rain forest ecosystem with the amazing families and children we worked with, that I developed more confidence with the Forest School method.

I hold a Bachelors of Elementary Education degree, BC Teaching certificate, and an Early Childhood Educator Assistant certificate. I have taken a Wilderness First Aid course. I have taken a multitude of nature-based teaching workshops, and have taught and lectured about it to others. But don’t trust my blathering about certificates and experience,  please talk to me in person about my passion and my practice if you’d like to know more. Or consult one of the families, eductors or directors I’ve worked to get a broader picture of who I am as a forest school educator / learner. Something I’ve always been and will always be.

Here's an article my co-teacher and great friend Alix Wilson and I wrote the first year we worked together at Hand-In-Hand : "Growing Up in the Woods"

Really… you want me to blather on more? Read More on my teaching philosophy and practice