I have lived a full life immersed in the joyous world of young children and nature, for which I have immense gratitude. I have learned over decades of being with young friends to really slow down and listen deeply, to them and to my own inner dialogue and challenges, making parenting and teaching a profound path of spiritual work and acceptance.
A deepening Buddhist practice has guided me and when a debilitating paralysis event altered my path from teaching and exploring in the forests full-time it naturally led to exploring my inner world and a desire to continually shed layers of attachment, both physical and mental.
Now, with the support of my beautiful family, living a wandering life with no fixed address and limited physical belongings, I have a rich landscape of practice before me.
My current work is finding a balance of seclusion, study and practice based on early Buddhist teachings and the life of a mother of olders. I am most interested in studying and practicing the teachings of the Buddha as close to the time of his teaching as possible, which means learning the Pali language.
Playfully I still enjoy being in the creek, building forts, and getting geeky with Notion databases of the Buddhist Pāli Canon and language.
Interests and skills Include:
Experienced educator, children’s mindfulness teacher, and early childhood consultant with over 30 years of expertise in early childhood education. Adept at integrating nature-based learning, social-emotional development, and contemplative methodologies.
- 30+ years learning and teaching in Reggio Emilia Inspired programs, Forest Schools, Consulting
- contemplative pedagogy
- forest and nature schools
- classroom design (indoor & outdoor spaces)
- Reggio Emilia Approach inspired practices
- Children’s Maker Spaces
- children and mindfulness practices
- play based learning
- homeschooling co-op and learning communities
- holistic program design
- Mentor with Year of Living Mindfully with Jonathan Foust (2 yrs)
- Buddhist Chaplaincy Training with Gil Fronsdal and The Sati Center (1 yr)
- Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) with Jack Kornfield & Tara Brach (2 yrs)
- Mindful Schools Educator Certification (1yr)
- MBSR for Teens (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction)
- NVC (Non Violent Communication) Parent Peer Leadership Program (1 yr)
- Facilitator with The Compassion Course (NVC Trans-Cultural Peace Education) with Thom Bond (2 yrs)
- Integral Yoga Teacher Training (200 hrs)
Adept at integrating nature-based learning, social-emotional development, and contemplative methodologies.
QUOTES
“As a grandparent, I might have been pleased just to see how happy my girls were, how engaged in learning, and how many skills and talents they were developing. But as a Professor of Teaching and Learning, researcher, and the chair of a large teacher education program, with four decades of experience in the field, I recognized true genius at work.
Rebecca is an educator who knows how to create magic. Like an alchemist, she combines all of the essential elements of a powerful education: a well-designed and aesthetic environment, carefully chosen materials, caring and involved adults, rich and important subject matter, and a hefty measure of genuine interest in children’s ideas and works, all blended together with a perfect sense of how to balance freedom and the structure necessary to evoke learning.
My deepest regret is that the girls outgrew the school and had to move to another country. I am quite sure they would have stayed on through college, if that had been possible.” 2006 -Kathleen Kesson, Author of Becoming One With the World: A Guide to Neohumanist Education