Our Teachers

I remember the bright and exciting scent of my first pack of school crayons, the gritty texture of the eraser shavings from my wooden #2 pencils, and the effervescent sensation of the chitter chatter that filled my ears and hallways as I awaited my math class. Teachers were heroic figures to my six-year-old self. While other children pretended to be firefighters, police officers, and princesses, I was a teacher and often convinced my toddler sister that she was a student in my class. Fast forward and I am proud to have been a teacher for nearly half my life.

It was during my pursuit of my master's degree that I discovered my passion for teaching children in nature. “Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children” is one of most treasured leisure education text that has impacted my teaching philosophy. The main message of this book is that it is vital for children to get outside every day as much as possible. I believe the outside to be essential to learning, especially for our youngest learners since their brains and bodies grow so much during these years. Being outdoors is vital to children's mental, physical, and emotional development! And there are no down sides – through guided interactions with nature, children can master any academic subject.

I have a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Towson University, a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and a MD teaching certificate in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. During the week, I am a teacher at the Reggio Emilia inspired preschool at the Roland Park Country School. Before my current position, I worked as a teacher at Johns Hopkins Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Early Childhood Center, led a classroom of twenty-one first grade students at Baltimore County Public schools and led pre-K, two- and three-year-old classrooms at the Goddard School. I am a member of the National Association of Early Childhood Educators and have been a Marylander for most of my life! My favorite things to do in my spare time are singing, reading, cooking with my husband, and being with my cats.

Curriculum Consultant Paula is an innovative outdoor educator and play-based educational expert who began her journey as a Nature and Environmental Educator at the Irvine Nature Center in 2014. As a 2008 graduate of Notre Dame of Maryland University with a Master's in Elementary Education and a minor in Early Childhood Education, Paula worked as a teacher in Anne Arundel County Public schools before finding her calling in nature-based education. She became committed to nature-based teaching and learning after attending an inspiring conference, to which she returns each year to reinvigorate and share her passion for this work. Paula loved bringing kids outside and seeing them learn in a whole new light. Using the outdoors as a tool, she was able to bring many of the concrete concepts that are learned within a classroom into a new space with countless opportunities for rich, creative and sensory experiences. The experience was a game-changer.

Paula spent five years working at the Irvine Nature School, honing the skills needed to bring these unique learning experiences to more Maryland children. Paula has also been intimately involved with the Easter Regional Association for Forest and Nature (ERAFANS) where she helped to write the Nature Teacher Curriculum for their certification course and remains a board member today. She has given many talks, presented at conferences and taught a myriad of classes on different topics surrounding nature play and education.