Hi there! I’m Dani Snapp. I am an East Tennessee native with a deep love for nature, poetry, and visual arts. My earliest treasured memories are filled with the natural world: running barefoot through my childhood neighborhood, climbing sticky pine trees, meandering along shorelines at South Holston Lake, making rock paint, and staring wondrously into the intimate world of bugs.

While my childhood was filled with nature, in college I felt deeply disconnected from the natural world. My days were filled with classes, an after school hostessing/ waitressing job, and working in the Infant Language and Perceptual Learning Lab at the University of Tennessee. I felt I’d lost my sense of belonging, and upon graduating with my bachelor’s in Psychology I set out to find it again. It was at this time I connected with my partner, Seth. Together, we fell in love with backpacking, and found pockets of deeply nature loving individuals. We hiked hundreds of miles along the Appalachian Trail, participated in community meals and traditional sweat lodges at Place of the Heart Farm, and found peace and solitude in silent retreats at Milarepa Retreat Center. I could feel myself waking up to a bright, loving, adventurous world. I belonged to myself again.

I would spend the next four years working as an elementary Educational Assistant in Bristol and Knoxville, TN , and as a Program Assistant for the Community Schools Project in Knox County. I adored working with kids, but wanted to do it in a way that felt authentic to me. So, I left my public school jobs and completed an intensive yoga teacher training at Asheville Yoga Center. I was immediately able to use my new training with the children at Trails Carolina working as a Therapeutic Wilderness Field Guide. In this position, I spent 2 weeks of every month backpacking with a group of children through DuPont State Forest and Pisgah National Forest. We learned wilderness survival skills, such as bow drilling and plant identification and developed our communication and mindfulness abilities. On my off shifts I lived out of my car. I spent time camping, visiting with friends, and drove from NC to WA State. Along my travels I was amazed by vast dessert landscapes and ice capped mountains, but ultimately it deepened my love of the lush green, biodiverse mountains of Southern Appalachia.

While working as a Field Guide I became pregnant with my daughter. During my pregnancy I began looking more deeply into the Forest School model and fell completely in love. After my daughters arrival, I completed a certification with The Forest School Teaching Institute. I have since spent two years working as a substitute and full time educator with Seedkeepers Forest School. Most recently we had the great joy of welcoming our son into the world, and my days are filled with toddler finger painting and sweet baby snuggles. My partner and I trust that true change is taking place in the tender moments we share with our children.

My experiences and lessons have led me to believe we are at a crucial point. The relationship between humans and the rest of the living world needs mending. I am so grateful to help facilitate a deepened sense of community and reciprocal love with nature for the children and families of the Earth School.