Place matters. The places where we live, learn and play hold significant knowledge than can teach us about who we are, where we came from and what kind of futures we are able to imagine. Engaging place as a teacher opens doors to a diversity of interconnected lives while anchoring us in questions and contexts necessary for nurturing democracy and justice.

Place-based education is rooted in the belief that place indeed matters. Instead of academically and literally containing students in buildings isolated from the rest of the world, young people are invited to be part of the living community. Local economic, environmental, and social issues become part of the curriculum. So does local history, geography and the arts. The community becomes the classroom where children can be both students and teachers.

I am interested in how place can lead the way towards deep learning and community-building. My aim is to join education and place through my work as an educator, writer, project coordinator and researcher.