Susan Orlandi-Johnson
Literacy Specialist
Education
Graduate Certificate in Dyslexia Intervention and Assessment, University of Florida
M.A.T. Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Pacific University
M.Ed. Special Education (Deaf and Hard of Hearing), Lewis & Clark College
B.A. English and Anthropology, University of Michigan
Bio
Susan Orlandi-Johnson joins Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor in the fall of 2025 as the Reading and Literacy Specialist. She brings extensive experience as a reading interventionist in both school and private settings, working with students from kindergarten through high school. Her teaching background includes work as a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, a general education classroom teacher, and early childhood educator in Young 5s, kindergarten, and preschool classrooms. She is a certified teacher in the State of Michigan with endorsements in Elementary Education, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Reading Specialist, and has completed advanced training in structured literacy approaches including LETRS, EBLI, UFLI-Intensive, and Orton-Gillingham.
Susan believes deeply that the ability to read is every person’s right, and that reading is both a cognitive milestone and a profoundly human experience. She finds great purpose in supporting students through the patience, practice, and perseverance that literacy requires, and feels honored to walk alongside them as they discover the joy and power of reading. She is grateful to join the RSSAA community and values the school’s commitment to educating the whole child as students grow in confidence as readers, writers, and communicators. Outside of school, Susan enjoys spending time with her husband, three daughters, two dogs, and two cats. When not cheering from the sidelines, she loves being up north at her family’s lake cottage and—fittingly—reading about reading.