Meet our teachers

A woman sitting on a tree stump outdoors, holding a baby goat, smiling, with trees and a small shed in the background.

  • Sommer is a Certified Waldorf Teacher with 20 years of experience working with children in a variety of settings. Sommer received her Waldorf Teacher Certificate through Sound Circle Center's three-year teaching certification program in Seattle.  Sommer attended The Evergreen State College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Educational and Cultural Studies, and received her Permaculture Design Certificate from Lost Valley Education Center in Oregon.

    Her path as an educator has been shaped by three things: a deep love of children, a love affair with the natural world, and an insatiable curiosity about how children learn. Prior to becoming a teacher, Sommer worked as a wildland firefighter in Oregon, volunteered on organic farms in Spain, Portugal and Switzerland, studied Spanish through cultural immersion programs in Spain and Central and South America, and participated in wildlife biology fieldwork in Mexico, focusing on birds and native plants. She also completed a three-month apprenticeship living and working at a CSA farm near Port Angeles. These immersive experiences were foundational in forming Sommer’s worldview - an experience of constant wonder and fascination with the interweaving between people, place, and the living world.

    Highlights of Sommer’s time prior to creating Blessing Farm and Forest include her time as an educator at Seattle Tilth Children's Garden, her two years with Americorps as a youth coordinator, working as an Assistant Teacher in the Kindergarten of Bright Water Waldorf School in Seattle, and her time working as a lead Grades Teacher at Windsong School here in Spokane. These experiences with children in a variety of different settings have all contributed to Sommer’s foundational beliefs about Early Childhood Education: that children need time to play freely, meaningful work to participate in, strong relationships with the adults around them, and that there is no such thing as too much time outdoors!


    Her work at Blessing Farm and Forest brings together the things that have shaped her most as both an educator and a human being: a profound love and respect for nature, the importance of practical work, Waldorf education, farming and farm animals, and a deep and abiding respect for childhood. Sommer's hope is to create a place where children can have a protected and magical childhood, develop skills and confidence through real work and play, and form a lifelong connection with Mother Nature.

Smiling woman with braided hair and a knitted hat posing in a forest

  • Melissa is a mother, musician, and lover of nature. She has worked in a Waldorf setting for two years and has taught preschool music classes, as well as served as a leader at summer camps. When she’s not at school, you’ll find her baking sourdough, painting, hiking with her children, caring for her animals, writing songs and poetry, and dabbling in herbal medicine.

Smiling woman sitting on grass beside a black dog wearing a patterned bandana in a sunny park

  • Olivia Lopez was raised in Skagit Valley, surrounded by tulip fields and bountiful farmland. She spent more than 20 years in Seattle, where she first attended art school and later worked in global operations before moving to Spokane with her dog, June. She is currently working toward certification from the Northwest School of Animal Massage. She believes that children, like animals, gain a fuller understanding of the world around them when they are free to explore and play. She also values community and connection. In her spare time, she serves on the board for South Perry Together, volunteers at Maddie’s Place and Windfall Thrift Store, and enjoys baking and watercolor painting as grounding creative practices. She is excited for this next chapter where all of these passions can come together.

A woman with long blonde hair smiling outdoors against green foliage.

  • Melissa Cotter is an adventure seeker, outdoor lover and mother of a spirited little one. Having an 8 year career as an orthodontic assistant doing bill paying and ordering, Melissa decided to slow down life and become a stay at home mom. It was then she found Blessing Farm and Forest, a beautiful outdoor school for her son. Soon after, an administrative position opened up and it was a perfect fit with her passion for organization, personal finance, and still being connected with her son’s learning experience.