05/13/2026
I am truly gonna miss the special moments like these, facilitating animals with the same group of kids on a regular basis. The animals become a part of the day and the routine… seeing them over and over again helps the kids build learning, understanding, connections, and empathy.
Bringing my rescue animals along to work at nature school has been a tremendous influence on my life. This is where, how, and why I developed a desire to work with animals and kids together. In some ways it feels silly or counterintuitive to step away from a situation so nearly perfect. Yet, the very ways in which I have grown in this job are contributing to the reasons for which I now leave.
In order to continue caring for so many animals, and to have time to try and grow the nonprofit, I have to take a step away from teaching at nature preschool. I wish I was a superhuman with more time in my day so that I could do it all! Next year, I will still work Fridays with the homeschool enrichment programs, but tomorrow is my last day at the preschool program and it is truly bittersweet!
(Disclaimer just in case anyone was wondering… no, Mellow Meadows nonprofit has NOT gained enough support to pay me a director's salary, and I doubt it ever will! Over the past couple years, the majority of my teaching salary has been spent on animal rescue costs. It's scary stepping away from that security, without any consistent donor support. My goal for the nonprofit is to bring in the same amount of money as I did teaching … just enough to care for the rescue animals.)
