First of Many Seasons

Enjoying a wintry walk with my son!

Even as a young man, I knew that I would someday choose a vocation that involved both caretaking of Nature and other people. What form this would take, I

Yes, this is the back of my head. More profoundly, you'll note the salt marsh near Portland, Maine had an amazing abundance of wildlife.

My favorite season on the farm is early Summer, when the first hay is gathered after a dry week, but the trees are still verdant because of the not-quite-forgotten rain.

certainly had no idea until my mid-twenties. At that time, I began working with a woman who was Deaf and had an intellectual disability and cerebral palsy. She lived mostly independently, and, while my job was to help her go grocery shopping, do meal prep, and stay in line with her budget, she helped me by providing the inspiration to work with Deaf people*. Along the journey to earn my Master's in Deaf Education, I had hoped that somehow my profound love for Nature and this new found work would converge. A few years ago, I began seeing Instagram posts for "Forest School" in England. It didn't take long to start imagining and planning what has finally come to fruition: Oakview Farm Forest School!

So, this is the first of many seasons yet to come here at Oakview Farm Forest School. I see this not as MY beginning, but of a beginning of a community of learners- parents, children, extended family members, community members- seeking to reconnect with something somewhat lost in this world: the connection to Nature. With time, patience, and love, this community of learners will profoundly shape the next generation of connected, compassionate, and creative people.

*Please note that people in the Deaf community prefer to use "identity first" language, such as Deaf woman/man.