The Educators Behind the Experience: What it Means to Be a Teacher at The Native School

In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, we’ve been sharing more about the individuals who make up our team - their backgrounds, their passions, and the care they bring to their work each day.

But behind each photo and bio is something deeper worth naming:

At The Native School, our teachers are not camp guides. They are not babysitters. And they are not simply providing childcare in an outdoor setting.

They are professional educators - and that distinction matters.

 More Than a Title: What It Means to Be a Professional Educator

Teaching in an outdoor, child-led environment requires a unique and evolving skill set.

Our educators are continually growing in their practice through:

• Ongoing collaboration and reflective dialogue

• Training in observation, documentation, and assessment

• Study of child development and learning theory

• Integration of literacy and numeracy within play and inquiry

• Expanding their understanding of nature-based pedagogy and risk-benefit awareness

This work is both reflective and responsive. Teachers are constantly observing, adjusting, and deepening their approach based on the children in front of them.

Because in a setting where learning is emergent, the teacher must be highly intentional.

When we say our teachers are professionals, we mean they bring both education and experience to their role.

Our team includes educators who:

• Hold teaching credentials and/or degrees in education or related fields

• Have experience across traditional and nontraditional learning environments

• Are trained in research-based instructional methods

• Understand how to scaffold learning while honoring child-led exploration

They are skilled in knowing when to step in and when to step back - a balance that is essential, and not easily mastered.

A connection to the natural world is central to our program - but it is not enough on its own.

Our educators pair that love with:

• An understanding of local ecosystems

• Awareness of safety, boundaries, and group dynamics

• The ability to guide exploration in ways that are both engaging and developmentally appropriate

Nature is our classroom, but it is the teacher who guides the learning within it.

Lifelong Learners, Just Like the Children

At The Native School, our educators don’t stop learning when they enter the classroom - they continue to grow alongside the children they teach.

We invest intentionally in professional development that deepens both knowledge and practice. Our lead Kindergarten teachers participate in Orton-Gillingham training and IMSE literacy development, strengthening their ability to support foundational reading skills within a child-led environment. We offer lead Piccola teachers the opportunity to attend the NAREA (North American Reggio Emilia Alliance) conference, bringing back insights rooted in observation, documentation, and the hundred languages of children.

In addition to external training, we hold ongoing internal professional development, creating space for collaboration, reflection, and shared growth across our team.

This commitment matters - because meaningful, responsive teaching requires educators who are continually refining their craft.

Just as we ask children to stay curious, we expect the same of ourselves.

 

Meeting and Exceeding Professional Standards

As a permitted program, we follow required regulations to ensure the safety and well-being of every child in our care - but our commitment goes far beyond meeting minimum requirements.

We are highly intentional in how we build our team. Finding the right educator is not just about credentials - it’s about alignment, presence, and the ability to thoughtfully engage with children in a dynamic outdoor environment. Every teacher goes through a working interview, where we observe them in real-time with children. This allows us to see how they listen, guide, respond, and hold space - because that cannot be captured on a résumé alone.

In most cases, our lead teachers have spent at least a year teaching within our program, growing into the role with a deep understanding of our philosophy, rhythms, and expectations. We have developed our own internal guidelines for what makes a strong educator in a nature-based setting, while also ensuring full alignment with the legal standards required of licensed and permitted programs.

This includes:

• Comprehensive background checks through the Department of Justice (DOJ)

• Fingerprinting and clearance requirements

• Ongoing adherence to safety, supervision, and operational standards

These are not extras - they are foundational.

They reflect a program that is committed not only to meaningful learning, but to operating with integrity, accountability, and transparency.

Because trust matters. And families deserve to know that the people guiding their children are not only passionate, but qualified, prepared, and held to the highest standards.

Contributing to the Field

Over the years, The Native School has also contributed to the broader conversation around outdoor education.

We have:

• Supported university research and case studies

• Mentored emerging educators and interns

• Continued to refine a model that blends child-led learning with intentional skill development

Our work extends beyond our own classrooms.

The Native School has played an active role in shaping and supporting the broader field of nature-based education. We have worked extensively with UCLA law professors who represented our multi-year case to become one of the first legal forest schools in the area, and we continue to consult with two dedicated legal teams specializing in childcare licensing, California administrative law, and California labor law - all areas that are critical to operating responsibly, yet often overlooked in emerging programs.

For more than a decade, we have freely supported other schools as far as Marin, Sonoma, and Los Angeles counties, helping them navigate compliance and operational challenges. We believe strongly in building one another up and sharing knowledge openly to strengthen the field as a whole.

We are also proud to serve as an approved lab school and learning site for multiple universities, and this is our seventh year hosting post-graduate SDSU research interns studying inclusive practices in forest school settings. Our classrooms have contributed to long-term research, including PhD dissertations based on years of data collected within our programs - all led by professional educators.

In addition, we are not only enrichment vendors for charter schools - we are direct partners with local public school districts, receiving tuition directly and supporting broader educational communities. Our team also provides free professional development to TK and Kindergarten educators at several public schools, sharing play-based, co-created learning methods that can be integrated into traditional classroom environments.

This work reflects our belief that nature-based education is not separate from the larger educational landscape; it is part of it. And when done well, it has the power to influence and elevate how children learn everywhere.

We believe nature-based education can be both joyful and rigorous - and our teachers are at the center of making that possible.

A Note of Gratitude

Children deserve more than supervision.

They deserve to be seen, guided, challenged, and supported.

They deserve educators who understand how learning unfolds - and who can nurture it with care, skill, and intention. That is what our teachers bring to the forest each day.

To our team - thank you. 💚

For your presence, your thoughtfulness, your adaptability, and your deep commitment to this work. For continuing to learn alongside the children. And for helping create a space where meaningful learning can truly take root.