Nina Carmichael, preschool lead teacher
fun fact! Nina is currently learning to band and track birds through the University of Illinois
what is your Favorite time of year and why?
My favorite time of the year is Autumn. I love the warm color palette of fall across vast landscapes, the opportunity to see birds I don’t typically get to see due to migration, and the lessons nature role models to let go of what no longer serves you as you complete your harvest to prepare for winter.
What is your background in education?
My background in education started early in life. I have experience over 15 years of experience as a childcare provider. I became a teaching assistant from age 20-25 at two different schools at the elementary and middle school level, I’ve facilitated youth adventure and art programing at various community centers, schools, and shelters and worked as a camp counselor for kids of all abilities in Seattle Washington.
My educational background is in Community Psychology and Education and the two are closely tied for me. Before moving to Illinois I was a Forest Preschool teacher and absolutely fell in love with it and made the decision that if I was to teach again it would have to include a strong outdoor component because its so healing and FUN!
What are your thoughts on nature-based education?
I think as humans we forget we come from and are apart of nature. Nature is home, playground, and classroom. Getting to know your environment intimately offers a sense of wonder, understanding, protection, challenge, and so many other gifts!
Nature-based and outdoor education enhance learning in ways that traditional classrooms settings often cannot. This is particularly true with the hands-on participatory aspect of learning. Seeing, experiencing, and feeling what you learn about up close and personal.
fun fact! Kim's childhood dream job was to be a kayak tour guide, and she still loves being on or in the water today!
Kim Peterson, Kindergarten-First GrADE lead teacher
what is your Favorite time of year and why?
My favorite time of year is early Spring. Temperatures warm up, short-distance migrating birds return, and glimpses of life peak through the snow. I love the visual show of Earth awakening! Especially ephemeral flowers, which last a few weeks aboveground before retreating underground for the remainder of the year. I appreciate those fleeting beauties because to me, they represent hope after hardship.
What is your background in education?
Since moving to Urbana-Champaign in 2011, I have had the honor of working with children in a variety of capacities and age ranges. I have taught Pre-K at Sunday school, film photography and painting to pre-teens in juvenile centers and shelters, and art at elementary afterschool programs. From 2015 to 2018 I was a childcare provider and crisis advocate at the Crisis Nursery. Following that, I taught environmental education programming in classrooms and at the Forest Preserves. There, I witnessed the importance of connecting ourselves to our home—nature!
My educational background is in psychology, sociology, and clinical counseling.
I am excited to continue blending my passion for nature with my teaching background, here at Bluestem Hall.
What are your thoughts on nature-based education?
The outdoors is the perfect place to cultivate curiosity, create connections, and gain confidence while learning. A lot of rich learning occurs when empowered children explore. Being outdoors and active is where they belong!
Our natural environment also offers unique possibilities. Children who benefit from different learning styles thrive in outdoor education. For example, students who employ their senses of vision, hearing, and touch can flourish in an out-of-classroom settING.
fun fact! Fun Fact: Kyle HAS always loved theater and history. In high school and throughout college HE was a Civil War reenactor as part of the 7th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry! (horses, sabers, pistols, the whole lot)!
KYLE sNYDERS, sECOND-tHIRD GrADE lead teacher
what is your Favorite time of year and why?
My favorite season has changed recently as a result of my employment at Bluestem Hall. For years, spring was my favorite time of year, but now I am really savoring the cool crispness of autumn, the joy of the harvest, and the energy that builds around a nearing winter. As the leaves begin to fall from the trees, it signals a time when students and teachers have fallen in step with each other as everyone begins to appreciate the comfortable rhythms and productive routines of another amazing school year!
What is your background in education?
I am presently an Illinois licensed general education (K-9) teacher, reading specialist, special education teacher, and school librarian. Over the past decade and a half, I have worn many educational “hats” across the years, and have learned much from each experience.
I endeavour to be an out-of-the-box thinker, problem solver, and enjoy using my creativity and knowledge of students’ interests to create authentic learning experiences that engage all learners. I am one for whom learning will never really end! I have over thirty hours of university credits beyond a masters degree, and enjoy attending online and in-person educational conferences for professional development. I am constantly collecting student data to help guide my instruction, and find that the students themselves are the best resource for improving my craft as an educator.
My favorite aspect as an educator is building strong relationships with students and their families. Students win when we all communicate, coordinate, and trust each other. As a teacher, I am but one element of the larger educational ecosystem that helps children love the process of learning!
What are your thoughts on nature-based education?
Having spent over a decade teaching a diverse array of students confined within four walls, I have developed a genuine appreciation for the power the natural world has for early-childhood and elementary students. I have come to appreciate nature-centric educational systems more and more, as they inherently recognize who children are developmentally and are better in tune with the needs of the children. Children relish time in the natural world and cherish the chance to explore, question, and learn. Unlike many other educational models, nature schools encourage academic and social independence. As an outdoor teacher I am always encouraging my students to formulate their own solutions to social and academic challenges and setbacks, empowers them with agency to direct their own learning. Furthermore, schools like Bluestem Hall nurture inclusivity, tolerance, and compassion, as the natural world teaches us the value inherent in all life.
lAURA gORMAN, aSSISTANT teacher
what is your Favorite time of year and why?
My favorite time of year has always been fall. Perhaps because my birthday happens to be in the fall. I also love the cooler weather, Halloween, and the smell of campfires or burning leaves. When I was a child we went camping a lot and I think the smell of campfires always brings me back to those fond memories of camping with my family.
What is your background in education?
I began working at summer camps for children with disabilities when I was in high school. I loved it so I got my bachelor's degree in special education. After working for a few years as a high school special education teacher I began co-teaching algebra classes and I earned my master's degree in mathematics education. I have worked in a variety of high school settings and at a transition program working on life and job skills for students ages 18-21 with disabilities. I am excited to have a bit of a change of pace working with a new age group this year. The preschoolers definitely add a bit of fun and play to my day!
What are your thoughts on nature-based education?
This is my first time working at an outdoor school and so far I love it! I have already learned a lot about some of the native plants and animals that we find out on the prairie. I love seeing firsthand how children who spend time in nature learn to appreciate our natural world, and how it helps to regulate their nervous systems to be out in the sun and fresh air. It really feels like how children are meant to learn.
fun fact! When I was younger I loved to catch tadpoles and watch them grow into frogs or toads. Frogs are still my favorite animal to this day. Did you know that if you feed a lightening bug to a toad they swallow bugs whole so you can see the toad's belly light up a few times?
Jill Wallace, Assistant Teacher
what is your Favorite time of year and why?
Spring. Days become warmer and longer. The emerging greens have a vibrancy that only appears in springtime and everything feels fresh and new. Among my favorite sounds is the call of the chorus frog, one of the first frogs to start singing. But any frog or toad call is music to my ears!
What is your background in education?
I began the environmental education program at Sugar Grove Nature Center in the Bloomington, IL area in 2004 and ran it until the Center closed in 2023. While there, I created and taught programs, camps, and workshops for all ages. My degree is in Biological Illustration and I enjoy being able to combine science and art when the opportunity presents itself. Science and art really aren't that different from one another!
What are your thoughts on nature-based education?
I believe nature rounds out a student's educational experience by encouraging curiosity, teaching empathy, and giving kids a sense of confidence as they interact with the world around them. Feelings of frustration lessen and the creativity needed for problem-solving increases. And unplanned lessons present themselves on a regular basis, always making the day exciting!
fun fact! When the nature center where Jill was working closed, she was so concerned about the education animals that she had been taking care of that she took all of them home! She currently has 7 turtles, a snake, a tree frog, a salamander, and a very understanding husband!
Elisabeth Clem, Office Manager
what is your Favorite time of year and why?
Autumn! I love all things quiet and cozy. The cool, crisp air, the colors, the smells. It is such a relief after the heat of summer. I love the feeling of settling in and preparing for the long winter ahead (winter is my second favorite season!). Give me all the warm drinks and warm knits and I'm a happy camper.
What led you to Bluestem Hall Nature School?
My twin daughters attended Bluestem during the 23-34 school year. They had a wonderful preschool experience, and after they graduated I was so sad at the thought of leaving this place behind. When I was asked to help out as a substitute teacher and now, office manager (who occasionally substitutes!), I leapt at the opportunity to keep this little prairie haven (and the lovely people here) in my life.
What are your thoughts on nature-based education?
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and spent so much of my childhood outdoors. The rocky beaches, the mountains, the forest. I am so grateful for that life experience. The world is so fast-paced and noisy now and it's so easy for children to become overwhelmed and to not have many opportunities to slow down with their feet planted firmly in nature. I think it is especially valuable for young children to explore the outdoors as part of their education and to have the chance to get curious and learn outside of the traditional classroom.