I walk alongside you, not ahead of you
Hi, I'm Deborah
Educator · Learning Community Designer · Farm School Founder · Your Thinking Partner
For 17 years, I built a nature-based K–8 learning community from the ground up — a living, breathing place where children learned through real projects, land, seasons, and relationships. I know what it looks like when learning actually works, and I know the messy, uncertain middle of getting there.
I also know what it's like to have to start over. When Hurricane Helene and a major life transition brought that chapter to a close, I made a choice: take everything I'd learned and put it in service of families doing this work on their own.
Because here's what I've come to believe: families and community builders don't need more programs. They need a trusted person in their corner.
My approach
I listen before I advise. I ask questions before I suggest answers. I believe your child is already learning — and my job is to help you see it, shape it, and document it in a way that gives you confidence. I bring warmth, humor, and deep respect into every conversation. This is hard, joyful, meaningful work. I take it seriously, and I love it.
My belief about parents and community builders
You chose this because you care deeply. That caring — that presence, that attentiveness — is your greatest asset. I'm not here to hand you a playbook. I'm here to help you trust what you already know, fill in the gaps, and build a learning environment where your children truly thrive.
You are more capable of building this than you think. I've seen it again and again.
this isn't something I read in a book — I've lived inside this work.
What I believe about learning
Children are natural learners — curiosity is the engine
Parents and community builders are capable of creating extraordinary learning environments
Learning doesn't have to look like school to be real and rigorous
Place, season, and relationship are the best curriculum
Structure and freedom aren't opposites — they work together
Every scale of learning community — family, co-op, or school — deserves thoughtful design
What others say
"Debbie's experience, creativity, and strategic insight make her exceptionally well-suited to support innovative educational work beyond the schools she founded."
Ike Lassiter
Former Board Member at Hot Springs Community Preschool and Woodson Branch Nature School
What I bring to families & communities
17 years founding and leading a nature-based K–8 learning community
35+ years designing place-based, project-driven learning experiences
Deep experience supporting families, co-ops, pods, micro-schools, and alternative schools
Expertise in regenerative agriculture, outdoor education, eco-arts, and STEAM
Lived experience navigating the hard parts — not just the inspiration
A warm, no-judgment approach to meeting families and community builders exactly where they are
What I value in this work
I believe every family and learning community deserves support that is honest, warm, and genuinely responsive to who they are. I don't have a single "right answer" — I have a lot of experience, a lot of questions, and a deep respect for the courage it takes to build something better for children.
I show up to every conversation ready to listen first. I bring humor and humanity into the hard moments. I tell the truth, even when it's nuanced.
This work matters. And so do you.
Come as you are
You don't need to have it all figured out before we talk. In fact, the messier and more uncertain things feel, the more useful our first conversation will be. Bring your questions, your doubts, and your vision.
Book a Free Consultation