MAIN Author: CHRISTEN PARKER-YARNAL
The Miami Sudbury School

A native of Miami, FL, Christen has been an educator for over 15 years, working closely with incredible children and families around the U.S. and internationally. 

She has been a conventional classroom high school teacher, a University Spanish instructor, a Montessori elementary assistant teacher, live-in staff at a shelter for homeless women and children, a counselor for at-risk youth, a teacher, interpreter, and scholarship coordinator in Southern Haiti, and both mother and home/unschooler of 3 highly energetic children.

These experiences all led her to seek something more in the world of education.

​She found and embraced the Sudbury School model - an approach rooted entirely in the empowerment of young people. As co-founder and staff at The Miami Sudbury School, she deeply enjoys watching children find their voices and real meaning in what they do 5 days a week.

​Constantly discussing mental health and effective parenting with her husband, Dr. Rodney Parker-Yarnal, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, Christen knows that we are never “perfect parents,” but that we can all be purposeful parents through observations, self-reflections, and an openness to change.

​We can all enjoy the positive growth in ourselves and our children that come from trying out new ideas and empowering ourselves and each other.

Dedication

The blog is dedicated to renowned columnist, author, and public speaker Joe Klock, Sr.

​Beloved for his wit and wisdom, his wordsmithing ways inspired his granddaughter to start a column of her own. She hopes to make him proud. 

Categories

All
Boredom
Building Confidence
Child Development
Childhood
Coping
Coronavirus
Daughters Deserve More
Expectations
Expectations During Isolation
Fear And Caution
Free To Learn
Girls
Information Over Instruction
Introverted Child
Learning
Low Stakes Failure
Pandemic
Perfection
Perfectionism
Perspective
Play
Power Struggles
Racial Justice
School
Self-directed Education

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