Meet Shelby Steel | Eco-Educator, Co-founder of Gather Forest School and GrassRoots Middle

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shelby Steel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shelby, how does your business help the community?
I love the work we do at Gather Forest School and GrassRoots Middle for many reasons! We are Black-centered, which means that culturally, we are grounded in Blackness. We study our subjects and the world through the lens of BIPOC scholars, authors, environmentalists, and educators. This allows our students to understand that environmental stewardship and academia are not places where they need to feel tokenized or alone. They are part of a community that has come before them and will walk with them on their educational journey. When children first start our program, we partner with guardians to introduce nature and build a love of the environment. But after a while, we introduce environmental justice issues – not in the way of protests or telling students how to feel, but by discussing our environmental observations and current affairs. We also create family-in-nature events and offerings so that we can grow in our intergenerational communal care.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Two things led me to eco-education, specifically co-founding GrassRoots Middle. First, I started advocating for recess for my middle school students in New Jersey. During my research, I learned about the importance of outdoor and nature-based education. At the same time, my cousin was enrolling her son in a Waldorf classroom. These were my entry points into outdoor learning.

On the other hand, my heart has always been focused on environmentalism and social justice. However, when I attended culinary school, I began to fully understand food justice, which ignited a passion for environmental justice. Therefore, for me, eco-education goes beyond simply classifying and honoring the beauty of nature but delves into a profound understanding of how our actions—individually, collectively, and structurally—affect our universe and all its inhabitants.

My husband, Mike, also works with children through coaching and physical education. One day, while dreaming of a forest wellness and educational space for a small group of middle schoolers to complement Gather Forest School, we created GrassRoots.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A week in the city would include being outdoors via the Eastside Beltline, Clyde Shepherd, and finding new hiking places! I’m a casual gal and food court lover, so we are going to grab a bite at Krog Street Market, Ponce City Market, Halidom Eatery, and Southern Feedstore! But we can always squeeze in a kale wrap at Tassili’s Raw Reality Cafe or YOL Juice. We are also visiting the High Museum, Black Wall Street, and, if the visitors are children, the Fernbank Museum, Southern Belle, and all the playgrounds! But honestly, much of our time would be spent in the backyard around a fire.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Before COVID-19, I started a website, Shalom & Polepole, to discuss my peace-seeking and slow-living journey. I had just left my job in education reform, and my goal was to increase awareness of how we can live harmoniously with the environment and the people around us. Living a life that honors the interconnectedness of all living and nonliving things. At this time, I was also documenting my nature-based homeschooling journey. And leaning into the works of other cutting-edge educators. One of these dynamic women was Ashley Causey-Golden, an Afrocentric Montessori. She is brilliant, and I joined all her communities and reached out to see if she needed any support – through this, she asked me to partner with her in creating an educational program. When we came together – my nature-based Waldorf lens and her deep study on Afrocentricism and Montessori – it became Gather.

Website: https://www.grassrootsmiddle.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gather.school/