Jennifer Strodl

This interview with Jennifer Wai-Lan Strodl was recorded on December 3, 2020 remotely via Zoom while the interviewer was in Oakland, CA and Jennifer was in her home in Hudson, NY. At the time of this interview, Jennifer Wai-Lan Strodl was the director and founder of the Liberi School, previously located in Hudson, NY and at the time run entirely online. In this interview, Jennifer describes the two iterations of the Liberi School as being distinct from one another other; the new school is not just an online hold-over until the school can reopen in-person. As she tells it, the school closed and then reopened as a new school, though guided by the same philosophy, online. The online school opened mid-September. Jennifer also describes her daily routine with her family and talks about how the last months of quarantine have created a time of reflection and familial closeness. She talks about her decision to re-open Liberi as online school and how that new format offers both safety from Coronavirus, consistency for students in this chaotic moment and an opportunity to connect learners and educators in disparate locations. She speaks proudly about her teachers and the ways in which they are using the virtual format to engage their students. She notes that figuring out how to market the school to new students remains a challenge because she can no longer rely on word of mouth within her small community. She describes the solace and support she is finding in reconnecting with old friends and her family.