Christen Parker-Yarnal

With over 15 years of experience as professional educator, Christen has dedicated her personal and professional life to education and child development. She taught English, Spanish, and Environmental Science in traditional high schools in Missouri and California and taught Spanish at St. Louis University. She has experience with a variety of educational models, including Montessori and Reggio Emilia approaches. Christen earned her BA in English from The University of Florida and holds a Masters degree in Spanish with concentration in linguistics and language education from St. Louis University. In addition to her experience in the classroom, her post-graduate studies in language instruction and Secondary Education at SLU, UM-SL, and UC Davis introduced her to progressive, research-based approaches to teaching and learning. As an educator, she was captivated by the Sudbury model, first reading about it in the book Free to Learn by Dr. Peter Gray. 

Christen directs the nonprofit MPM Haiti that has supported education and empowerment in Haiti since 2005. She is fluent in Spanish and Haitian Creole, conversational in French, and always interested in learning more languages. A Miami native, she and her husband returned to Miami in 2014 with their three energetic children. Christen has an incredibly large and dynamic family which has supported her efforts to bring Sudbury education to Miami.At The Miami Sudbury School, Christen, like all Staff, serves as an advisor, mentor, and guide for the deep structure of the Sudbury model of youth empowerment. She delights in participating in a system where students take full ownership of their learning and time and she loves being part of the incredible growth of young people at The Miami Sudbury School. Visit our blog for more reflections and insights from Christen. To book Christen as a speaker on self-directed education, the Sudbury model of learning, or other topics of youth and family empowerment, email her here.