Luke R. Barbee

Background

About Luke R. Barbee

Excited by the potential of each individual student, regardless of age or perceived ability, I hold true to the power of personal discovery that comes through well-designed and intentioned holistic education. Over the last 20 years of working with youth I have gained experience across a wide array of learning environments. With a passion for experiential learning, I strive to integrate social and emotional intelligence, critical thinking, place-based learning, environmental literacy, and creativity into the learning experience of all my students. Perhaps my strongest professional passion lies in connecting others, as well as myself, to the educational, inspirational, and healing powers of the natural world in an attempt to stave off the growing cultural ailment known as Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD). It is my hope to create educational experiences that provide a sound scientific understanding of the natural world while also inspiring people to connect to nature on an emotional level. I believe that this synthesis of emotional connection and scientific knowledge is necessary to create thriving and sustainable human communities. Whether teaching/facilitating large groups or small, my strong organization skills, creativity and capacity for adaptive thinking, and ability to work well within a community of people, allow me to maximize the educative potential for many different kinds of learners, and in many different kinds of learning environments.