When I was a child the outdoors was my classroom, with all its mystery and wonder, it taught me oh so much. When I was asked to start the Georgia 4-H Environmental Education Program, I felt I had the opportunity to recreate my childhood for thousands of children and through it, a chance to teach them how to learn from the land and come to value it.

Many children today have lost their connection to the land. Efforts like our program provide a pathway to reconnect children to the natural environment, giving them a chance to experience this exquisite gift. My career, working in the field of environmental education, has been a joy. I was able to discover my passion as a child and then I lived my passion as an adult, throughout my career. Now, I am embarking on a new career path, to become a studio potter. Most of my life has been devoted to teaching children about the earth. Now, it is only fitting that I work with my hands to create functional pottery from that earth. It truly completes the circle of my life. Each piece I create is an honor to make for others.

This essay and portrait is part of a community-art and leadership project called “wdydwyd?” Tony Deifell (KNLP-16) invited his colleagues in the Kellogg Fellowship to reflect on what motivates them to follow their personal and professional paths by answering the question, “Why do you do what you do?”


“wdydwyd?” has reached over 1.5 million people worldwide and it has been used for team-building at Google, Twitter, many colleges and universities, nonprofits and K-12 classrooms. And, according to Wired Magazine, “In Silicon Valley, that question has been the hottest team-building meme since Outward Bound – and it’s spreading.” For more information: http://wdydwyd.com/leadership.


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