# From Public School Teacher to Founder of a Self-Directed Learning Center

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/liberated-podcast-4897868/from-public-school-teacher-to-founder-of-a-self-directed-learning-center.md
Podcast: [LiberatED Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/liberated-podcast-4897868)
Published: 2026-03-31T12:09:00+00:00
Episode link: http://www.liberatedpodcast.com
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/c378c474-ac1a-4738-bc29-87987b4e13ec/Current_Education_Center_-_Self-Directed_Learning_for_Teens_in_PA_audio_FINAL.mp3?dest-id=3264842
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/liberated-podcast-4897868/episodes/from-public-school-teacher-to-founder-of-a-self-directed-learning-center
Duration seconds: 2243

## Resource

In this episode of LiberatED , Kerry McDonald speaks with Ken Trautwein, founder of Current Education Center , a secular, self-directed learning community outside Philadelphia. After 25 years in conventional education, Ken set out to create a more flexible, human-centered environment where young people can follow their interests while being supported by intentional mentorship. Opened in early 2025, Current serves teens through a part-time, self-directed model that blends structure with freedom. Ken describes his "riverbank" philosophy of education, where learning flows naturally within a supportive framework, and reflects on the challenges of launching a new center, building community, and rethinking what education can look like. If you're curious about self-directed learning, microschooling, or what it takes to create something new in education, this conversation offers both inspiration and insight. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org . Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling , is available now wherever books are sold!

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## Transcript

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