Meet Our Team
Carlie Khodabakhsh
Founder
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Carlie was born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, the youngest of five children by 14 years. Homeschooled by her experienced and easygoing mother, she spent much of her childhood outside—tending chickens, riding horses, and freely exploring nature. These early years instilled in her a deep sense of belonging in the world and a love for unstructured, imaginative play.
After earning a degree in Creative Writing from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a master’s from Oklahoma City University, Carlie became a mother and felt a growing desire to create something meaningful for families in her community. Her search led her to Waldorf education and LifeWays, where she found an approach that aligned with her values and transformed her parenting.
As the founder of Back to Earth School, Carlie brings her passion for story, childhood, and rhythm to life for the next generation.
Dawn Maxwell
Kindergarten | Forest School
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Dawn is an Okie, born and raised, although she lived in 5 other states as a child including New York and New Mexico. She attended the University of Oklahoma but stepped away from her education to raise her children. She now has four beautiful and unique children. Two are in their 20’s and have a band that takes them all across the world, while her husband, Bryson and herself raise their younger two here in the city!
Dawn briefly opened her own preschool before pivoting into a different direction. She has nannied for several families and introduced those families to the ideas of play-based learning. Most recently, she has been a teacher at Little Leaf Playgarden which has just been a dream come true, as is teaching here!
When not playing with kiddos, Dawn enjoys camping, roller skating, gardening, yoga and reading.
Eleanor Harris
E.C. Forest School Assistant
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Eleanor grew up in Kansas and Oklahoma in a family that valued children’s agency, joy, and learning through community. As a result of this upbringing, she developed an enthusiasm for treating others with compassion and dignity.
In her adult life, she has spent the last four years earning a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies and Spanish at Wellesley College. During her time in Massachusetts, Eleanor worked consistently as a teaching assistant in early childhood education, including in an outdoor classroom. She is committed to helping children thrive, grow, and cultivate a lifelong love of learning.
Eleanor is thrilled to move back to her home state and to join the Back to Earth community.
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Emilee is a seasoned educator, creative thinker, and community builder who serves as both grades teacher and Faculty Chair at Back to Earth. She finds great joy in creating meaningful learning experiences for her students, partnering with parents to support their children, and caring for the amazing team of teachers she serves alongside.
Her background includes nearly two decades of work across educational landscapes, from founding and leading a middle and high school for refugee youth in Oklahoma City to developing peace-centered curriculum through education research and design. Emilee believes that how we educate shapes who we become, and that education is one of the most powerful tools we have for remaking the world. She graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma, where her studies focused on Family and Child Development. She is also trained in Orton-Gillingham and Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®).
Her journey into Waldorf education began while researching alternative models of learning, and what she found was something magical: an education that honors wonder, relationship, and the wholeness of each child. That discovery now lives at the heart of her teaching and leadership at Back to Earth.
Emilee lives in the heart of Oklahoma City with her partner and their beloved pets. She is the proud mom of one amazing human who now calls Chicago home. When school is not in session, you’ll find her sharing long meals with friends, dreaming up new projects, or adventuring somewhere new. She’s always on the lookout for a good read, good coffee, and the next good question.
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Kenzie’s path into handcraft began with curiosity, and the courage to self teach herself new skills. After the birth of her second daughter, she sought a slower, more rhythmic way of mothering and discovered Waldorf education. It was within this gentle world that she fell in love with knitting, sewing, and fiber arts. With persistence and joy, she taught herself each new skill, cultivating the patience that handwork asks of both children and adults.
Her greatest delight is helping students bring a project from the very first stitch to the final knot, watching their eyes light up with the pride of making something with their own hands.
Beyond the handwork table, Kenzie carries a lifelong love of the whimsical and the wild. She is happiest frolicking through the woods.
She is honored to share her love for craft and wonder with the children in our community, finding fairies along the way.
Leigh Patton
Handwork | Firefly Friends
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Leigh is an Okie-born artist, mama of two, and keeper of creative, soulful spaces. With roots in art and psychology, and a master’s in art therapy and counseling, her path has always curved toward healing, beauty, and belonging.
She fell in love with Waldorf Education over a decade ago—drawn to its harmony of hands, head, heart, and has been steeped in anthroposophy and handwork ever since. Her journey has taken her from Alaska to Colorado to New Mexico, guiding students from first grade to high school and shaping spaces where creativity and connection thrive.
At Back to Earth, Leigh teaches handwork and leads Firefly Friends, a parent-child playgroup grounded in rhythm, wonder, and play. She also teaches therapeutic arts at Pepper’s Ranch. Beyond the classroom, her work dances at the intersection of art, ceremony, and the turning of the seasons. Whether through crafting, circle work, or rites of passage, she invites others into deeper relationship with themselves, their children, and the living world.
Jen Sylvester
Movement & Games | Pottery Asst.
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Jen is Back to Earth’s Movement and Games teacher, Pottery Assistant, and a member of the school’s board. As a 500-hour certified yoga teacher, she brings a deep love of movement, embodiment, and integration of the body into learning. She is passionate about using traditional games to nurture a love of movement while honoring the playful spirit of childhood.
Jen's formal education includes a bachelor's in architecture and a master's in urban planning; however, her most transformative education began with the birth of her daughter in 2021. This sparked a deep exploration into child development and various educational philosophies. She discovered a natural alignment with Waldorf-inspired philosophy emphasizing the rhythms of childhood, the cultivation of imagination, and learning that engages head, heart, and hands.
Born and raised an Okie, Jen cherishes her connections to this incredible community while always planning her next adventure with her partner and young daughter. Some favorite activities include hiking in the mountains, scrambling over red rocks, wandering a canyon, or walking the streets of a new town. These experiences continue to kindle her curiosity, sense of wonder, and love of the natural world, qualities she joyfully brings into her teaching.
Sage Eden Smith
Pottery
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Sage has lived in Oklahoma City her whole life. She started taking ceramics during high school and, falling in love with every bit of the process, never stopped. Along with 12 years of experience in ceramics, Sage has 7 years of experience in childcare from nannying, to being a postpartum doula, to teaching ceramics for children ranging from 4-17. Sage was able to commit to ceramics full time in 2021 working for herself and now being a studio potter at Mammoth Clay Company. When her hands aren’t covered in clay, she loves to travel with her husband and find inspiration on this beautiful earth!
Savanna Fisher
Grades 1 & 2
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Savanna Fisher is a native of the Southwestern United States and spent much of her childhood on the plains of Oklahoma. Through her parents’ military service, she experienced a variety of cultures, communities, and educational styles, sparking her curiosity about how people learn and connect.
She went on to study Linguistic Anthropology at the University of California, Riverside, where she also discovered a spiritual community that led her to become a 500-hour certified yoga teacher. Her experience teaching yoga and leading therapeutic circles in behavioral health settings shaped her approach to education as holistic, embodied, and relational.
Savanna has spent the past seven years as an advocate walking alongside individuals and families during moments of crisis. This work gave her a deep respect for the resilience of the human spirit and a conviction that children need educational structures that are life-giving and life-sustaining. This began to take shape as a calling toward teaching, offering children space to play, a slower rhythm, a love of nature, and a sense of belonging from the start.
Savanna is passionate about accessible, child-centered education and believes deeply in the value of slowing down to let good things grow. Inspired by people, movement, and the natural world, she can often be found gardening, hiking, or striking up meaningful conversations with new friends. Her educational journey is ongoing, and she continues to explore learning styles across cultures, the benefits of multilingual immersion, and the power of moving through the world with rhythm and authenticity while encouraging others to follow their own inner pace.
Susanne Mims
Kindergarten
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Susanne was born and raised in Germany, where she gained her certifications in early childhood education, social work and animal assisted therapy.
Her professional journey took her to Portugal, where she had the opportunity to live and work. This international experience enriched her perspective and further deepened her commitment to creating nurturing, nature-centric learning environments for young children.
As the lead teacher in the kindergarten class at our nature school, she is dedicated to fostering a love for nature, curiosity, and a sense of wonder in our students. Her goal is to support each child's unique journey, guiding them to discover their own potential and connection with the natural world.
At home, she is a proud mom to two wonderful kids, Emily and Patrick, who constantly inspire her with their curiosity and joy, reminding her of the importance of seeing the world with fresh eyes and an open heart. When she is not in the classroom, you can find her outside in nature, camping, hiking, or spending time with her horses to re-energize her spirit.
She also enjoys her social life by spending time with friends and living in a supportive community with other families, which helps her stay grounded and connected.
Emilee Little
Faculty Chair | Grades 5 & 6
Kenzie Thomas
Handwork Assistant