What Snack and Recess Is (and Why It Matters)

Students learn best when the conditions are right.
Snack and Recess exists to create those conditions.

As the summer days grow fuller and I juggle multiple roles, I’ve been reflecting on why I started Snack and Recess. Why step away from a stable position in administration in search of balance—only to create something that demands even more of me? Why start something with no guarantee of profitability? Why, after two graduate degrees, am I now learning entirely new sets of skills from scratch?

After nearly 20 years in education, I deeply respect the enormous responsibility schools carry: trying to do everything for every student, often under intense pressure and with limited resources. It’s often said that no one goes into education for fame or money.

But here’s the truth:
No one leaves the traditional system for fame or money either.

We leave because we know the system—and we want better. We leave because we still want to make a positive impact, but we begin to wonder if our impact is measurable, or even possible, within a system so constrained. No district operates in a vacuum. Eventually, some of us reach a tipping point: we know our intentions are good, but we begin to ask, in these conditions, is my net impact still positive?

I don’t have all the answers. But I believe that outside the system, my impact can be overwhelmingly, irrevocably, and unapologetically positive. In service of children. In service of families and teachers. In service of learning, curiosity, and joy.

That’s why I created Snack and Recess: to operate outside the system—with all its good intentions and its inevitable shades of gray—and to build something different.

At Snack and Recess, we are:

• Oriented toward intrinsic motivation: grounded in a reasonable assumption of mastery, guided by authentic purpose, and fueled by autonomy.

• Strategic, intentional, and ethical: our work is thoughtfully designed and continuously examined. We are reflective practitioners, constantly refining what we do and why.

• Allied with families: Every family wants their child to thrive. Every family has the capacity to support that growth. Every family deserves to be respected and included.

• Inclusive and student-centered: We create spaces where students feel safe, respected, and curious. We teach openness, promote agency through choice and relevance, and support students in constructing knowledge that matters to them.

At Snack and Recess, we are grounded, collaborative, and purpose-driven. We help students connect to the why of learning—and grow into reflective, lifelong learners ready to shape their communities and their world.

This year, I’ve decided to document the journey—not just the polished parts, but the real process of building something meaningful outside the traditional system. If this work resonates with you, I hope you’ll follow along.

Whether you're a parent, educator, fellow traveler, or curious friend, I’d love to have you in this community as Snack and Recess grows into what it’s meant to become.

Let’s see where it leads—together.

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