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If you’re looking for authentic reflections on working with early learners, families, and college undergrads, you’ve found the right spot!

Working three concurrent jobs all related to early learning and child/youth development, I decided to add one more thing to my plate and start blogging. I’ve been journaling since I was seven years old, and no-one needs to dive into that writing! So, here I’ll share day-to-day musings related to my work and explore some of the larger topics related to early learning and collegiate education. This work is a journey that I look forward to sharing with you!

What’s in a name?

How do you pick a name that hasn’t already been taken? Why Pine Nuts? Throughout my life, my nickname has been Tree. I think it came about as people are just phonetically lazy, saying my name as “Tree-saw.” Being even lazier, “Tree.” So, I have a thing for trees! My preschool is named after a tree and I have several tree tattoos. In the journey to name the blog, I wanted it to be tree-related and all-encompassing of my work with young children, families, and undergraduates. Names such a “Bacteria Buckets: A Day in the Life of a Preschool Teacher” (a friend’s suggestion referring to our toy storage bins) and “From Little Shits to Dipshits” were quickly ruled out as perhaps not appealing to the masses.

Pine nuts are the seeds of several types of pine trees; in our case, the Ponderosa pine. In reference to my work with young children, I’m envisioning the lifecycle of the seed (child) into a towering pine (college student/adult). The seeds’ environmental needs of water, dirt, air, and love are parallel to those of humans – we can’t examine the seed without considering the whole environment/context.

And you can’t say “Pine Nut” without laughing (or thinking of the movie Best in Show – we also have a Weimaraner, so the reference is a good one).

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” (R. L. Stevenson)