Diane WEbber
Consultant, Visiting Artist
Diane works in consultation with facilitators and directly with young people in the Group IV and Shaping Your Life programs, as well as with the OC staff in professional development. She first joined the Open Connections community in 1999. She was a newbie to the world of homeschooling with her family then, but not to self-directed learning, a practice she has brought to and learned in independent schools (and Open Connections) for more than three decades in total. Diane was on OC staff as a facilitator for more than a dozen years. She also co-founded the Shaping Your Life program.
After her own young people had grown, Diane returned to the classroom for a stint. Then, after nearly a decade, Diane left her teaching position and founded “Shared Living and Learning,” through which she offers tailored support to families seeking to build a learning life that mirrors their priorities, and coaches adults in their work with young people. She also enrolled in an MFA program in creative writing to support her writing—nonfiction and historical fiction for youth as well as creative nonfiction essays. Facilitating learner-led travel is a favorite activity, collaboratively planning trips near and far and earning the funds for their adventures. All three of Diane and Scott Webber’s offspring attended Open Connections through their teen years and one is now an OC facilitator. Diane and Scott’s grandchildren are current OC youth. Diane loves to read, research, and take deep dives into museums of all sorts. She makes scant progress in her garden, scores baseball games, and jumps at the chance for road trips and other travel. |