People

Reclaiming the roots of education!

• We believe in the holistic benefits of nature-based learning for children.
• We endeavor to heighten awareness of the importance of understanding child development in learning environments.
• We seek to contribute to sweet communion through networks of support, inspiration, and collaboration.Our methods include: forming authentic relationships, offering LIVE online certification courses, facilitating on-site training, providing affordable consulting services, organizing regional retreats, and helping envision sustainable site development plans. 

FSTI training and certification is endorsed by the MSED in Outdoor Teacher Education at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee.

In 2021, Jean retired as Wauhatchie School Director to further her mission of training others to teach and establish Forest Schools around the globe through the Forest School Teacher Institute, which she founded in 2018. With in-person sessions and the online Zoom program, she has helped train over 1000 forest school teachers and directors from almost every state in the US, Canada, China, Thailand, Korea, Italy, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Dominica.

Short in stature, but long in my love of learning. My goal is to be a lifelong learner, a wandering wonderer, and a force for good in my personal and professional life. My life was shaped by a childhood of relocations which resulted in my relying on books as a source of stability. Thus began my steady relationship with books of all kinds which I obtained in school and local public libraries. This habit became a career as I parlayed that passion for knowledge into education. The lessons learned during pursuit and my attainment of a Masters degree in Montessori Education positively shaped my adult life as a parent, and as an educator. The philosophy of Montessori matched my own thoughts about the care of self, care of others, and care of the world. These principles of kindness, the ethical treatment of all living things, my love of nature, the power of knowledge, and the importance of personal responsibility guide the way I live life and continues to influence my career path.

I'm an associate professor at NC State studying children & nature and environmental education. I'm interested how being outside can provide benefits for children, as well as how youth can create positive change in their communities. I have a strong interest in partnering with EE organizations for evaluation, as well as research around community-based environmental learning. 

Passionate about environmental conservation, education, and research.

Madeline is a senior specialist for international and leadership programs at NAAEE, supporting the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP), youth leadership programs, and other global initiatives.

I teach at the intersection of art and nature.

MICHAEL J. CADUTO has been sharing his passion for the natural world with others for more than four decades. He is an award-winning expert and leader in natural history, environmental education, climate change education, cultural diversity and Earth stewardship; author of two dozen related books for adults and children, including the international best-selling Keepers of the Earth^® series (co-author), Pond and Brook, Catch the Wind-Harness the Sun and Riparia’s River; master performer of stories and original music; literary and script consultant and international environmental advocate. He has presented to audiences in Europe, the Middle East and throughout North America, and has been featured by NPR and the BBC. His latest (picture) book is The Day the Pond Flew South. Website: www.p-e-a-c-e.net

I am a Life Science teacher at a middle school in Charles County, Maryland.  I have been a teacher for over 20 years but have only been teaching science for 5 of them.   Not only am I a life science teacher to 7th graders, but my family owns a 250 acre farm where we focus on stewardship and conservation.  My husband is also a watermen on the Potomac River where he catches Blue Crab and plants and harvests oysters. Our family acheived the Aldo Leopold Conservation Award in 2021 with our efforts of conservation on the land and water.  Environmental education is near and dear to my heart.

I'm currently enrolled in Antioch University's MS in Environmental Studies program—with a (likely) concentration in Environmental Education and Conservation Psychology. My background in environmental education mostly stems from my work as a divemaster, and throughout my career as a digital marketing / branding specialist for sustainable brands.