Susan Yao | From Teacher to Unschooler

About this episode

Susan Yao discusses her journey from traditional education to advocating for self-directed learning.

Susan Yao is an educator, school founder, and advocate of self-directed learning. She previously served as Middle School Head at Friends Academy in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, following more than a decade of teaching. She co-founded the Vermont Village School, a community-based microschool emphasising student-led learning, autonomy, and community engagement. The episode connects her parents’ years in China’s school closures with her own path through American schooling and into the early stages ...

People in this episode

Hosts: Cecilie Conrad, Jesper Conrad

Guest: Susan Yao

Topics covered

• self-directed learning
• education
• unschooling
• microschool
• community engagement

Keywords

• self-directed learning
• education
• unschooling
• microschool
• community engagement
• China
• American schooling

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Friends Academy, Vermont Village School

Places: China, Massachusetts

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