Today we're talking with Dr. Ruth Ann Smalley, a former educator, about teaching, homeschooling, healing, climate change, and writing. Ruth Ann shares her journey and the threads that pull everything together. Our conversation feels really generative and hopeful in the midst of bleak climate catastrophes. She also shares a concrete healing practice, a classroom tip we can all use, and more about her work as an author writing the children's books she wishes she had when her kids were younger.
Ruth Ann Smalley, Ph.D, is a children’s book author and energy practitioner living in upstate New York. Her work focuses on earth stewardship, healing, and sustainability; she loves using poetry, narrative, and humor to deal with the big, scary issues. Also a wellness and creativity coach, Ruth Ann helps people of all ages access their unique voices and healing powers. Her picture book, Sheila Says We’re Weird helps families discuss the simple values of green living, and is available online and through your local bookstore. She is currently at work on a middle grades eco-adventure trilogy, and has offered free video-recordings of the first two volumes, Defender of Dirt and Running with the Sun on her YouTube channel. She welcomes collaborative projects with like-minded educators! You can find out more at ruthannsmalley.com or at her vibrant-energies.com website.
Videos:
A short list of high impact books on the environment, education, transformation that impacted Dr. Ruth Ann Smalley:
Alfie Kohn, Punished by Rewards
Sandra Steingraber, Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis
Rob Hopkins, From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want
Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures
OTHER Grounded Teaching Links: