Teachers of River Gorge Forest School
Our teachers have a passion for outdoor education
Susie Grant
B.S. Biology, Berea College
A.S. Early Childhood Education, Northwestern Technical College
Forest School Teacher & Forest School Director, Forest Teacher Institute
Certified Interpretive Guide
Growing Up Wild Facilitator
Facilitator for Project Wild, Project Aquatic Wild, Project Learning Tree and Leave No Trace
Substitute Teacher
Nature-Based Pod School Teacher
Susie Grant, Lead Teacher & Co-Founder
EARLY DAYS
Susie recognized early on that she had a special love of and connection with nature. Growing up, her days were spent outside exploring the woods and the creeks of the southern Appalachian region, watching plants and animals grow, and discovering the beauty and wonders of nature.
PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT
This passion for the natural world and desire to spark greater understanding, appreciation, and love of the natural environment led to her professional career as a Naturalist and educator at Tennessee State Parks, Chattanooga Nature Center, and Tennessee Aquarium. For 30+ years, she developed and presented engaging hands-on and developmentally appropriate programs for children, families, and teachers. Susie is a certified Forest Teacher and Director through the Forest School Teacher Institute.
EDUCATING CHILDREN
Susie was able to combine her love of the environment with her enthusiasm for teaching young children as she managed all aspects of early childhood programming at the Tennessee Aquarium, growing program offerings such as Small Fry (parent-child program), toddler summer camp programming, and Early Childhood professional development opportunities for Early Childhood Educators. Susie believes that children learn best through play and guided exploration that builds on a child’s innate curiosity and connection to the natural world. She believes providing a safe, caring, and stimulating environment allows every child to thrive and succeed resulting in strong connections to the world around them and a lifelong love of learning. One of her greatest joys is to see children light up as they make discoveries, develop understanding and grow in confidence as they spend time in nature!
Sam Martin, Forest Teacher
Sam Martin
Forest School Teacher, Forest Teacher Institute
Certified Ayurvedic Doula & Chef
Herbalist
EARLY DAYS
Sam has always had a passion for deep connections with Mother Earth and believes that children should be emersed in nature to help them grow, thrive and succeed. Sam has a background in art and seasonal farm education with children of all ages.
PROFESSTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Sam has been a teacher in various environments for children of all ages. Sam also has a passion for the journey of motherhood, she is a certified Ayurvedic Doula and Chef. She has guided 100s of women as they enter or continue their journeys as mothers through bodywork, nutrition, breathwork, and support. She joined River Gorge in 2025 as a 2nd/3rd grade teacher, leading her class through all academic subjects while diving deep to connect each subject to place, season, and one another. Sam is a certified Forest School Teacher through the Forest School Teacher Institute.
CULTIVATING PASSION
Sam is a mother of three wild and wonderous beings. Whether she is communing with the fae folk, dancing barefoot through the garden, or guiding little ones to build fires, forage nettles, her work is all about reweaving ancient traditions and planting seeds of reverence in the next generation.
Sam also supports mothers of all ages through The Shire Mother which offers tailored nutrition for women in all seasons along with seasonal menus to help connect women and families; each dish is infused with intention, ancestral wisdom, and somatic nourishment.
Administrative & Support Team
Journey Forsythe
Journey Forsythe, Administrative Assistant
EARLY DAYS
Journey grew up just outside of Chicago, where she spent much of her childhood exploring the outdoors with her family and developing a deep love for animals. Whether hiking local trails, spending time with pets, or simply enjoying nature, these early experiences helped foster an appreciation for the natural world and the joy that comes from spending time outside.
CULTIVATING PASSION
Journey has always loved working with children and supporting their growth. Over the past seven years, she has worked as a nanny, building meaningful relationships with families and gaining firsthand experience supporting children through various stages of development. These experiences strengthened her belief in the importance of curiosity, connection, and child-led learning.
As the administrative assistant at River Gorge Forest School, Journey enjoys supporting the school community behind the scenes and helping families feel welcome and connected. She loves being part of an environment where children can learn through exploration, develop confidence, and build lasting relationships with nature. Journey is grateful to contribute to a community that values adventure, discovery, and the wonder of childhood.
Team Members on Extended Leave
Sarah Winters
B.S. Early Childhood Education, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
PreK-3
Forest School Teacher, Forest Teacher Institute
Early Days
Sarah grew up in East Tennessee where she was provided open fields, rolling hills, and lush forest to fall in love with as a kid. The Great Smoky Mountains was just a short drive away from her back door where her family would escape to every chance they could. As a kid she spent most of her time exploring the horse and cow fields behind her house picking wild berries, grooming horses, and climbing trees. On the warm weekends her family would take a drive up to the mountain creeks to explore all day by snorkeling with freshwater fish, and turning over rocks to find crawdaddies. This was her paradise, her church.
Cultivating Passion
Sarah has always felt a sense of wonderment and belonging in a natural setting that sparks interest, discovery, and fulfillment. As she grew older, responsibilities pulled most of her free time away from these natural spaces but also allowed her to explore her nature as a nurturer. She started babysitting and teaching swim lessons for a local swim club. The joy that came from watching young ones achieve and personally grow pushed her towards a degree with early childhood education.
Once she graduated with a degree from UTC, she followed extracurricular outlets as an art and yoga teacher, swim instructor, and swim coach. Although the glove seemed to fit, she decided to become a school teacher. For three years she worked as a Pre-K teacher at Normal Park Elementary School. She made wonderful connections and built a beautiful community; however, she was looking for a more authentic way of teaching. That’s when she found RGFS!
RGFS has allowed Sarah to merge two passions into one! Her love for the outdoors has equally been matched with her love to nurture kiddos in an education environment that equips them with life-long skills. It has truly been a dream (that not many can say) to follow her passions through her job!
Kayla Mayeur
Kayla is currently on leave
B.S. Early Childhood Education, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
PreK-3; Special Education & Middle Grades Endorsements
Forest School Teacher & Forest School Director, Forest Teacher Institute
Certified Project Wild, Project Aquatic Wild
Early Days & Finding Passion
Kayla grew up in Nashville as a city girl, but found herself sneaking away to nature any chance she got. Her most vivid childhood memories were from her times immersed in the natural world, catching frogs, climbing trees, and playing in the dirt. Kayla knew from an early age that she wanted to be a teacher and bring her love of the natural world into her classrooms.
She moved to Chattanooga for college where began her teaching career, working with children of all ages in various settings. Kayla taught 2nd grade, K-5 reading and math intervention, preK, and preschool in traditional and special education settings. She enjoyed her time in these settings and adored the children, but she continued searching for a program that was more in line with her teaching philosophy. Kayla found forest education where she became the Lead Forest School Teacher.
Professional Involvement & Cultivating Passion
As a forest school teacher, Kayla knew she found her home! She is able to bridge her two passions - working with children & being immersed in nature. Kayla says she is a protector of childhood and fiercely believes in the forest school model. She finds immense joy in experiencing nature through children’s eyes and values the magic of play-based and child-led learning. Kayla seeks to provide an environment that allows children to grow holistically, be curious and question, build a love of learning, while appreciating and falling in love with the natural world around them.
Kayla feels extremely lucky to be working at River Gorge Forest School in her dream job. The forest has provided her daily peace and connection as well as fun and adventure. In her quest for knowledge alongside a passion to help and care for the environment and critters both great and small (little humans included), Kayla has found her perfect spot in the forest.
Would you like to join our team?
We welcome applications for teachers and staff to join us in the forest. Please complete this application and return it to hello@rivergorgeforestschool.com