I had the unfortunate experience of reading about a family's failed experience with microschool this week. It got more sad and frustrating seeing how many others chimed in to say they had also had a negative experience. I am blessed that our experience has been so amazing but I feel for those that have not been able to have the same joy.
Microschools exploded onto the scene in recent years, in part, from the corresponding addition of education savings accounts (ESAs) in multiple states and families living through pandemic education. In truth, they are more like a reintroduction of one-room school houses. For a large part of America's history, one-room school houses were the dominant and overwhelming standard of education. In the early 1800's, the Prussian system of education had standardized around a few core principles:
government funded schools, especially for the poor
teachers that had prior education or training specifically in teaching
recognition of teaching as a profession with a salary
a school term of length to incorporate farming families
funding for the physical school buildings
oversight interested in ensuring a quality experience
and more!
In approximately 1843, Horace Mann, who homeschooled his own children, is credited with visiting Germany to gain better understanding of the Prussian model. He brought this understanding back to Massachusetts where in quickly spread to most northern states and then beyond. The Boston Latin School was established in Massachusetts in 1635, what we recognize as a public school is relatively young. Education has been compulsory in Massachusetts since 1642 as mandated by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The microschools, or one-room school houses, had a nearly 200+ year head start. In reality, many would argue we are revisiting a really old idea.
I can continue to tout the benefits and experience of the microschool experience at Kalexedy, but in truth, Kalexedy is not the solution for everyone. Not because it is a microschool but for much more practical reasons. Not everyone will live close enough. Not everyone will have kids of the right age. Not everyone will be looking for a similar educational philosophy. There are even more reasons than these that parents will need to explore all their options. This is where we can help even if the result is not choosing Kalexedy.
I did not wake up with a magical ability to discern a great microschool when we started attending in 2021. I got lucky. But in our fourth year of microschooling, I have learned enough to know quite a bit of what should be there and what shouldn't.
So we took all this knowledge and made a worksheet to help parents evaluate their choices.
We hope that becomes another tool used by families to assist in the process of choosing an academic home. And if you think of something we missed, let us know so we can all be working with the best possible information.
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