Giselle McClymont knew from second grade that she wanted to be a teacher. She went on to earn an education degree in college and taught in Florida’s Broward County public elementary schools for six years before leaving the system in frustration in 2022. “I just personally felt like I couldn’t help each child,” said McClymont, noting that third grade testing demands and the pressure to teach to the test created frustration and stress for students and teachers alike.
“It took the joy out of teaching and learning.”
McClymont became a stay-at-home mom and planned to homeschool her daughter, but she missed the classroom. In the fall of 2023, she began leading a learning pod with three children in her neighborhood. That was when she heard about microschools, or the intentionally small, low cost, often mixed-age learning communities that have gained widespread popularity in recent years. She was immediately attracted to microschooling’s focus on flexibility and personalized learning, and knew for certain that she wanted to launch her own microschool. But where should she begin?…