About

Diane Webber, a teacher in independent schools for more than three decades and guide for her own family’s self-directed learning adventure, is the founder of Shared Living and Learning. After earning her BA in Elementary Education at Chestnut Hill College, she went on to classroom teaching in kindergarten through high school, developing curriculum and creating new, progressive program structures with and for young people. Those years included chairing an academic department at the high school level and developing cross-disciplinary coursework. Stepping out of a full-time teaching role, Diane homeschooled her son and two daughters for fourteen years while facilitating the learning of other youth outside of school independently and through Open Connections in Newtown Square, PA. She also worked as an evaluator for other homeschooling families. Diane returned to the classroom in 2012 as a 5th/6th grade group teacher at The Miquon School, where she continued partnering with families and also mentored teachers new to progressive practice until 2020. A favorite piece of her teaching work was facilitating student-led travel, inviting youth as young as nine to plan trips together and to earn the funds for their adventures.

Diane has presented her thinking and writing about Shared Living and Learning in local and national conferences and in professional development workshops for educators and parents. She has served on the School Committee for Frankford Friends School in Philadelphia and as a mentor in the PEL (Progressive Education Lab) program.

Currently, Diane is an MFA student in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Spalding University, focusing on nonfiction and historical fiction.

Diane is happily married to Scott, a software developer, and they are now the proud grandparents of three as well as the parents of their own three offspring and their wonderful partners. Diane loves to sing, read, and take deep dives into museums of all sorts. She works in her garden, scores baseball games, and jumps at the chance for road trips and other travel.