This post is shared with grateful hearts as we pause to honor the life, legacy, and lasting impact of our dear teacher and friend, Lindsey Williams.
Some people step into a vision and quietly support it. Others help build it, shape it, and ensure it lasts. Lindsey Williams did all of these.
Lindsey was the first teacher A One-Room Schoolhouse hired beyond its founding year, and in many ways, she helped transform the schoolhouse from a hopeful idea into a thriving, rooted community. From the beginning, she understood the heart of the schoolhouse—not simply as an educational model, but as a way of learning and living together. She believed education should nurture the whole child and strengthen the community around them.
A Classroom Rooted in Growth
Lindsey taught in the truest one-room schoolhouse fashion: multi-age, relationship-centered, and deeply intentional. In her classroom, she taught all aged students side by side. Each child was seen, challenged, and valued. Lindsey had a rare gift for meeting students where they were while gently guiding them toward who they were becoming.
Her classes were places of growth—not just academically, but personally. She encouraged students to try hard things, to take responsibility, and to persevere. She modeled this herself. Even when a subject made her nervous, she leaned in, prepared diligently, and grew alongside her students. In doing so, she taught one of the most important lessons of all: growth often comes from courage.
Learning That Builds Life and Community
One of Lindsey’s most beloved offerings was her homesteading elective. In these classes, students learned to make butter, shear sheep, prepare home-cooked meals, sew, and care for animals and the land. These were not novelty activities—they were lessons in stewardship, patience, creativity, and responsibility. Lindsey had a remarkable ability to make practical skills feel meaningful and sacred, helping students understand the value of work done well and life lived with intention.
Through these experiences, Lindsey helped students see themselves as capable contributors to their families and communities. She believed children grow best when they are trusted with real responsibility and when learning feels connected to everyday life.
A Pillar of the Schoolhouse Community
As A One-Room Schoolhouse grew, Lindsey grew with it. Over five years, she mentored every teacher who joined the schoolhouse after her, offering wisdom, encouragement, and steady leadership. She served faithfully on the Board of Directors, helping guide decisions that shaped the schoolhouse’s mission, culture, and long-term sustainability.
Lindsey’s influence reached far beyond her own classroom. Her fingerprints are on our teaching practices, our collaborative spirit, and the sense of belonging that defines our community. She was an educational innovator, but also a quiet servant-leader—always focused on what was best for students and families.
Hope Lived Out Daily
For the past three years, Lindsey courageously faced cancer, as it returned after years of remission. Through uncertainty and physical hardship, she continued to teach. The schoolhouse was a source of joy and strength for her, and she remained committed to her students until just one week before Thanksgiving break, 2025. She never wanted to stop teaching, because she believed deeply in the work and the community she helped build.
Lindsey passed away at home, surrounded by her family just after Christmas, 2025. Even in her final days, she was held by the love she had so faithfully poured into others—by her husband, her children, and the community that walked alongside her.
Lindsey lived with hope—not as a vague idea, but as a daily practice. Her faith grounded her, her love sustained her, and her perseverance inspired everyone around her. She showed us that hope can coexist with hardship, and that growth is still possible even in the most difficult seasons.
A Legacy That Continues
Above all, Lindsey was a devoted wife and mother. She often spoke of motherhood as the greatest calling given to her, and she carried that same intentional love into her classroom and community. She was a faithful daughter of God, a phenomenal wife, an extraordinary mother, and an exemplary teacher.
Lindsey Williams did not simply work at A One-Room Schoolhouse—she helped make it what it is today. Her legacy lives on in the children who learned to work with their hands, think with courage, care for one another, and face challenges with confidence.
As a community, we grieve her loss, but we also give thanks. We carry forward the hope she embodied, the growth she nurtured, and the community she strengthened. We will honor Lindsey by continuing the work she loved—learning together, serving one another, and building something lasting.
We love you, we miss you, and we will honor you by continuing the work you loved—choosing hope, embracing growth, and caring deeply for one another.
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