Mission
In times where protecting nature and providing equitable educational opportunities has become even more important, I have it my goal to help spread the lessons I have learned about protecting and preserving the environment and cultures within the Cascadia bioregion through multiple different modalities. Whether it be through art, travel, environmental/outdoor education, or research that idea of preservation and future dreaming is what guides me in my career choices. I aim to make a positive impact on all whom I teach in order to give our communities hope for the future.
Graduate Education – MEd at Islandwood and University of Washington 2025-2026
The Journey of Teaching November 2025
The image above was taken at Islandwood, where I am currently taking classes and working for my masters of education. Here at Islandwood there is a rich history of educators furthering their careers in environment and community development. I’ve had the opportunities to expand my repertoire of lessons here by deepening my connection to the communities in and around Islandwood and furthering my knowledge of the environment and culture within the central Salish Sea Region. This can be seen through the lesson portrayed above. It is a representation of me leading a lesson called baskets in which we have students learn how people have and still do create deep connections with plants to create culturally important tools and art. This lesson is important to me because it shows the students how deep connections with the land can lead to even deeper understandings of your community and the broader world. During my time here and engaging as an educational practitioner I hope to continue in engaging more lessons like this and learning better ways to understand how to be a culturally responsive teacher.
January 13, 2026
A lesson that I recently created and ran was centered around biodiversity’s connection to resilience. I did this through a few steps, first I had the students teach each other the names of the plants, their traditional uses, and how they each grow. Afterwards I told them a view/lens I often use, that is pretty anthropogenic, to understand ways nature works. That being, nature as a city. I talk to them about how nutrients are being traded within the ecosystem and the different cycles that are at play whether it be decomposition, weather, and geology. I then ask them what systems they see within their own community, and then to construct buildings out of materials they find on the forest floor. I like to structure lessons like this to make them think about what makes home important to them, reflect on what aspects of their environment do they appreciate. When they do this it often leads to them dreaming of the futures they want to live in, which is a powerful tool for keeping young students motivated when the world can be frightening at times.
Rory Peterson 