Emily Green Schumacher

Blog posts and other random notes….

assign the meaning

December 3rd 2025

Wicked. The play, the movie. I’m obsessed. I have loved the music, storyline, characters for years – “As long as your mine” and “For Good” have always given me the chills and all the feels. It’s a beautiful story of friendship, perseverance, goodness, sacrifice and love.

A quote from the movie has been swirling in my head since I saw the latest movie “Wicked: For Good”.

“We can’t let good be just a word. It has to mean something.”

How true is this for us?

There are plenty of defnitions in the dicitonary to describe “good” – “of high or desired quality” and “suitable or fit”.

But this word is just that, a word with a definition…. until we assign meaning to it.

Good. For Good. Be Good. Do Good.

I wonder… in a world where we are conditioned to achieve, do we make it harder to discover the the good within us and around us? Can we see it? Can we feel it anymore?

Did we get so far and miss some of it? Too focused on more? Bigger, stronger, faster. It may be better, but does it make it “good?”

Has wanting more and more clouded what we may truly be craving? Connection. Service. Kindness?

Good is just a word, until we assign meaning to it.

It has to mean something to you, to me, to us. And let that be something we strive for and acheive together.

—–

More good, for good,

See the good, and be the good.

You are good. In case nobody tells you today.

You are rare. And special and good.

-Emily

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coming back to yourself

December 1st, 2025

I always love the buzz in the air at the start of December. Maybe it’s the holidays, the lights, fresh snow (I live in Minnesota), or the joyful nature of those around me. It’s also such a beautiful time to turn inward. To bring those close to you in closer – and make memories and to show those around you how much you care for them.

This past year, I’ve spent a lot of time in my heart. What do I mean? I mean, most of the time at work, we are all in our heads. Think about it. We’re thinking, processing, doing, undoing, starting, initiating, pushing, moving, trying… and that is what the world requires of us as we navigate this world. We need our brains to connect ideas, shape minds, solve problems.. to fix. But, what do we need as we navigate this world?

I wonder if we need time to pause. Get on a more personal level with ourselves- spending time in our hearts (not our heads), as it can have a profound impact on our wellbeing and sense of self. As we come into December – my challenge for myself, any maybe you if you’re reading this is to create an intention for yourself this December. Perhaps, it’s a word you will meditate on throughout your month, or maybe it’s a theme like “joy” where your whole focus is on spreading and creating joy, for yourself or those around you. Or maybe it’s simply: coming back to yourself. Through noticing what your needs are, or what you desire as we come to the year end.

I heard recently, happiness is made up of 4 essential things. Are you ready?

• Strong family
• Close friendships
• Meaningful work
• Faith

This looks different for everyone.

What do you want more of?

What are you releasing or letting go of?

What lights you up?

Get after it.

With love and hope this month! – Emily

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butterfly wings

On this day – reflections from the past year
November 20th, 2025

Grief is the strangest experience. It hits hard and fast without warning. Like a morning alarm – waking you from a dream when you weren’t quite ready.

There I was sitting, drinking my morning coffee at 6:30 am- gearing up for my day, truly minding my own business. And then a song came on. The memories start flooding my brain, and piercing straight to my heart.

Tears forming. Heart heavy.

I’m instantly transported back in time.
—-

I miss the vibes – the white walls, and the sound of my boss cracking his 1000th Diet Coke for the day.

I miss hearing my team talk to people excited and hopeful about their futures. How it could help them improve their situation, their lives, their families’ lives...

I miss hearing my colleague’s boisterous laughter – even though she’s across the floor and I am 3 rooms away.

I miss the comfort of being able to throw out wild ideas or ask the tough questions, knowing I won’t be judged or perceived a certain way.

I miss my friend’s foot shuffle and asking me if I’m ordering Jimmy John’s for lunch. The answer was always, “yes”.

I miss trying new things – and striving together as a team because we knew we could tackle anything with a goal and collaborating together.

Some days, I don’t think I will get over it, and maybe I won’t. But, I’m not sure I want to get over it. Simply because I don’t want to forget.

The raw and real, and the reality of running a business.
Of managing a team.
Or working with a group of learners so committed to their future, they put their entire lives on hold just for us to hold them for a short while. Through the change, their struggles, and fear of the unknown.

I don’t want to forget.
The sweet messages of gratitude when they got their acceptance letter.
Or the tears of joy when it “clicked” or they got THE offer letter.
The sigh of relief when they told their story for the first time because they felt safe to share it.
The smile on their faces when they spoke into a microphone -and their voice didn’t shake.
The slack messages months after graduating, sharing they finally paid off the credit card, or qualified for their first home, or are starting a family.

I don’t want to forget.

I know the last stage of grief is acceptance.

And, I guess I will accept the fact that time will pass, memories will fade. But I’ll never forget the feeling, and the immense gratitude for that chapter in my story.
—-
I held a butterfly for the first time this summer. It was beautiful and powerful turning point in my journey. In the months that followed, I have regained strength, built more resilience and found more beauty unfolding in my story. And I’m excited for the next chapter.

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Late night lessons & good learning design

November 17th, 2025

Just wrapped up a deep-dive review of an online course, and it reminded me how much I love creating and facilitating learning experiences. The project stretched me in all the right ways.

A few insights and reminders I’m taking with me:

– Clear learning objectives make editing easier and make the learner’s journey smoother. Everything snaps into place when the goals are well defined.
– Good curriculum design is collaborative—content, tech, and pedagogy all play a role.
-Real-world examples and scenarios instantly increase relevance and motivation.
-Reflection prompts are just as powerful as tests- they help learners internalize concepts.
– Consistency matters more than perfection—consistent structure, tone, and visuals help learners stay focused.

Lastly, keep the “human” in your course content and design! Learners want to feel connected to their facilitator – start with a simple, strong and relatable intro and be authentic throughout.

Excited to tackle whatever is next. 🤓 🖤

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Nature as the teacher: How using nature as a teacher can enhance student learning across age groups. 

Fall in Minnesota is the perfect month to discover and explore the outdoors. Leaves are changing. The feel of color weather on our skin – fills our lungs with a much needed change after warmer summer months. I find the fall season and the outdoors to be a great environment to serve as a teacher as it fosters so many learning opportunities. With all the shifts, there is always something to discover.

With fall as my inspiration, and following Reggio based philosophy of teaching, I transformed our art studio into a discovery lab and selected kids that I knew would connect to the materials and activities I curated for them. I really love designing experiences – and when it’s for kids who love to get their hands dirty, it’s even better!

I landed on creating a series of programs -all experimental and hands-on using natural materials, art and mixed media as our mediums to explore nature and science. This allowed children interactive and rich experiences with the material, with multiple points of entry based on the childs age and interests.

Objective: Children explore, build skills and learn through hands-on play that blends art, nature, and science. Below are samples of these programs and the content area in which they supported child learning and development.

Things I’m taking from this approach to teaching and development:

1. Same content, different doorway.

Every age group can explore the same idea, but they need a different entry point. Toddlers need sensory-rich experiences, preschoolers need play-based exploration, and early elementary needs structure, language, and problem-solving. Customizing outcomes isn’t about lowering expectations, it’s about finding the right doorway for developmental readiness.

2. Pace matters as much as content.

Younger learners need time to repeat, explore, and make meaning on their own terms; older learners need challenge, independence, and clarity. Tailoring outcomes taught me that pacing is developmental—not personal. When I match the pace to the child, engagement rises, frustration drops, and mastery actually happens.

3. What you measure shapes what they value.

As learning outcomes shift with age, so do the ways I assess understanding. With little ones, I look for curiosity, attempts, and sensory engagement. With older groups, I look for application, communication, and reasoning. Customizing outcomes reminded me that my assessments teach students what matters, so aligning them with developmental needs creates a more meaningful learning journey.Want to explore a future project or engagement? I’d love to hear your idea!

Contact me at emilygreenschumacher@gmail.com.