Brydie is a graduate of the University of Iowa, with a BA in Psychology and MA in education. In addition, she obtained a graduate degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Florida Tech with National Board Certification. She has over 20 years of combined experience as both a teacher and Behavior Analyst working in both public and private settings. Brydie has a passion for outdoor education, gardening, and prairie restoration. She opened The Good Earth in August of 2017 with a mission to build a school community where children and families can learn, grow and thrive.

Brent is a 2004 graduate of the University of Iowa (BA Elementary Education/Psychology) and taught in the public school systems from 2004-2022, with the last 10 years at Lincoln Elementary in Iowa City. He has been TGE’s summer camp lead educator and director since 2018.  As of the 2022/23 school year, he has joined TGE as a full time lead teacher (Math and Social Studies) and is the head of finances.  His training and skills as a teacher, combined with his passion for the outdoors continues to make TGE summer camps and nature school a top choice for many families in our area.

I truly love spending time in nature and encouraging others to appreciate and nurture the natural world, which is what led me to pursue environmental education! I have seven years of experience as a naturalist and environmental educator, working mostly in the Iowa county conservation system. Recently I have shifted to work in natural resource management, another passion of mine. It is such a joy to join The Good Earth to teach citizen scientist classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays! When I’m not working outside in my pollinator garden, you can find me reading (often times about plants!), hiking, baking, or snuggling up to my dog or two cats.

Hello!  My name is Colleen Wieland.  I am a parent of children who attend TGE, but am also a certified and state licensed Speech-Language Pathologist.   I earned my Master's Degree in Speech Pathology, and my Bachelor's Degree in Speech & Hearing Science, from the University of Iowa, and have 15+ years of experience working with kids and adults with speech, language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders.  Over the course of my career, I have developed a passion for working with children and their families to customize a therapy plan that positively impacts a child's quality of life through improvement in communication, safety, independence, and participation in everyday activities.  I greatly enjoy collaborating with children and their families, and using a child's strengths and interests to facilitate therapeutic success.   Throughout my career, I have explored new diagnoses, evaluations, procedures, treatments, and career opportunities.  This became personal when one of our children was diagnosed with Dyslexia in late 2023.  As a result, I sought out opportunities that would allow me to continue to practice as a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist AND to advance my knowledge in Literacy and Dyslexia, which led me to join the incredible team at TGE!  

Hello! My name is Rachel Smith, and I am delighted to be part of team TGE as a parent and instructor. I graduated from the University of Iowa, with a BA in Anthropology and Speech and Hearing Science and MA in Speech Language Pathology. I worked 6 years as a school-based speech language pathologist in Iowa and Texas before becoming a full-time homemaker/chauffeur/activity planner for my family of 3 daughters and dog, Rusty. I find Brent and Brydie’s vision for their school and community inspiring and knew I wanted to be involved in educational programming rooted in character development and opportunities to be hands-on with nature. When I’m not teaching art at TGE, I enjoy reading, cooking, gardening, hiking and volunteering for organizations dedicated to providing growth opportunities to kids/families.

Hello! My name is Maika, and I am from Spain. My family moved to the US seven years ago because my husband's company offered him a position in West Branch, Iowa. We thought it was a very good opportunity for all of us to get to know more about American culture and improve our English skills. I have an associate’s degree in mechanical drafting from the Institute Virgen del Camino. I worked as a designer for more than 15 years. During my holidays I was a tutor at summer camps. Some of those camps were for kids with different needs (Down syndrome, Autism, etc.). After two years, I started to work in a Coralville public school as a Head Start para educator. A year ago I started to volunteer as an assistant Spanish teacher in the Senior Center in Iowa City.