Karen has over 20 years of experience as an educator. Over the years, she has worked with students from preschool through high school as an environmental educator, high ropes confidence course instructor, classroom teacher and as an Early Childhood STEAM Integration Specialist. She first discovered the “Reggio Way” at a Reggio-inspired nature-based preschool in Connecticut, where she followed the children’s lead in exploring their natural environment. In this setting, she learned to develop provocations inspired by the children’s explorations, often including natural materials the children had collected themselves. She holds a B.S. in Life Sciences: Marine Biology and a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction focusing on Science Education, both from the University of Maryland, College Park. This is her third year at St. John’s.