As an educator, I believe it is important to engage with students’ natural curiosities, so they feel encouraged to continuously show up authentically themselves. I strive to promote interaction, learning, and understanding from all walks of life. This type of learning is encouraged by emphasizing student led and oriented discussions. By incorporating familial connections to the learning space, students gain a stronger sense of interconnection between their sense of self, and the natural world. For example, I had a second grader who had a strong sense of grounding exercises that she practices regularly with her family, and the week she went on the field trip, I encouraged her to help guide the other students through a brief meditation before they nature journaled. This application not only strengthened the ties between the individual student to her familial context, and the group’s trust within each other as a safe and rejuvenating space but allowed them all to acknowledge their own capabilities to slow down and connect with the holistic world around them. My role as an educator is to be a guide and mentor for the students. By creating space for them to learn from and teach one another, I am working actively to decentralize the power from my authority and grant it to the students. Ultimately, I want the students to feel supported, heard, and encouraged to show up as their most authentic sense of self. 

I model supporting and listening to individuals' experiences and thoughts which encourages students to interact with each other accordingly. Effective learning occurs when their learning efforts will be supported by both educators and peers, and when they do not fear failure. I believe that continuously supporting students, will create space for them to show up authentically. Using the art of questioning, I have been able to meet students at their edge of knowledge and nudged them past it by encouraging them to engage with the scientific process. By developing educated hypotheses about something they are curious about, students have been able to break down their fear of failure. A student-oriented, and student led space continues to place students on an insightful and authentic path, where they can stand confidently as educators and mentors as well.