I am CT born, an anti-bias environmental educator, and the mama to one brave nature-loving toddler. For me, Brave Nature School is a dream come true. Like many kids, I spent my days climbing trees, ankle-deep in a stream, and caring for wildlife. I loved learning – about plants and their healing properties at the urban garden, oil paints and knitting from my Polish grandmother, and about different cultural traditions at our community center.

 

At the same time, I remember feeling disconnected from my formal education experience. My teachers did not represent my diverse community nor did the curriculum or policies align with my values and lived experience. I knew from a young age that I would start a different kind of school one day.

 

My reverence for nature and heart for social justice led me to a career at the intersection of human rights, climate and environmental education policy, and community organizing. I earned my Masters degree in Critical Environmental Education under an Indigenous and First Nations faculty where I specialized in decolonizing, feminist, and anti-racist education frameworks. Over the years I have built nature programs, one multicultural micro-school, designed trauma-informed and culturally relevant curricula for refugees, and most recently advanced the rights, knowledge and priorities of Indigenous Peoples in international environmental policy at the United Nations.

 

I have been invited to present at regional and international conferences including the American Education Research Association and the World Environmental Education Congress. I've travelled to many parts of the world to learn (and teach) in various community led schools including the Green School, Bali; the Warsaw Waldorf School, Poland; Norbulingka Institute, India, among others.

 

Now that I am back in my home state raising a little one of my own (and thanks to a magical partnership with Edgerton Park), our dream micro-school is now underway. Come join us!