Blog

January 2, 2024- New Year 

It's hard to believe that 2024 is here! The past year has been such a blessing and a whirlwind. When I started this journey I prayed we would have a full class of 12 students. We fell a little short with 11 but I again was trusting God that these were the students who God wanted us to have. It has been such a fun four months getting to know the personalities, passions, and talents of this unique group of students. I have never had more fun teaching and look forward to going to school each and everyday. We start back tomorrow after a long and relaxing Christmas break and I am beyond excited to say God gave us one more student  who is starting tomorrow. I'm feeling pretty great about 2023! I have a feeling 2024 is going to be another year to remember. We've got some BIG goals! 

May27, 2023- The Parking Lot 

Do coincidences exist? That is a question I used to think about a lot but I have grown to believe that there is no such thing. Current and past relationships often lead to the next right step in life. I have loved getting to see how God is using my relationships to bring a group of kids together for the fall. Former employees who are referring families my way, former college friends who are sending people to Anchor, and even my own child's former preschool teacher letting others know that Anchor might be a good fit for their child. Our little class is filling up quickly and it is because of past and current relationships that I have to thank for that. In the past few weeks, I have met a current public school teacher, two single working moms, and a couple homeschooling moms who all see how this program could work for their children and that gives me encouragement. This program is designed for folks who desire a different way of education. It is designed for the busy family who wants an established community for their kids but also the flexibility of homeschooling. After our last Open House a group of parents lingered in the parking lot for a long time simply chatting and I couldn't help but thank God for bringing loving families my way because the truth is the little faces that will walk through the door in the fall are already selected and I get to just be a long for the ride.  Is it crazy that I am ready for the school year to start and summer hasn't even begun? I have a strong feeling this community of kids is about to become an extension of family and I am beyond excited.

May10, 2023- The Encouragement

Starting a new business from the ground up is NOT for the faint of heart. I'd be lying if there weren’t moments of worry, second guessing, and wondering if I'll have a nice full class of kids to serve in the fall. I guess that is what risk and stepping out in faith is all about though. One of the best parts of this journey is when God gives me little "nods" I like to call them. These little moments I believe are sent to remind me to trust He is in control and I am doing exactly what I am called to do. When a door opens, I am simply supposed to walk through.

First, would be the finding of a location. I had sent out many emails to local churches to see if they'd be willing to host a micro school in their area. I was shocked at how welcoming and simple it was to find a home at Stow Alliance Fellowship. The pastor and facilities director have been nothing but amazing. I had grand plans to have my classroom all set up by now but a local montessori school had severe storm damage to their roof and the church is allowing them to use our space until their school year ends. This has been such a blessing because I am able to see how it would look one day to have 80+ kids in our space.  Needless to say it made my heart smile and begin to ponder what Middle School and High School might look like at Anchor.

Another fun story is when I went to my home church to ask if they had a local ministry that they trusted. One that they believed would make a good partnership for us. I connected with a church member who is an active volunteer with an organization called The Akron Dream Center. After about an hour of learning how they serve at-risk youth and love on families in need I was sold. Then when the director pushed up his sleeves to reveal a large Anchor tattoo I knew God was encouraging me to simply keep moving forward. I will be helping to launch a tutoring program this summer for kids in that area. God is at work, and it is  a privilege to see what He has planned for this new way of doing "school." 

April 25, 2023- The Start 

I am not very good at remembering the little moments that make up the memories. In fact, if you ask my husband or my closest friends they would tell you I don't remember much of anything. The truth is, I am simply writing this blog  to remember how God is working through The Anchor Center. I am writing it to remind me that when it seems hard and impossible He is showing up and it is my job to follow Him when he opens doors and to trust He is in control when He shuts them.

I have always wanted to be a teacher. I remember being a young child and forcing my dad into those tiny little "old school" desks. You know the ones! They had that "flip top" and you could store all your school treasures inside. I had my own "classroom" in the basement equipped with an amazing chalkboard. Teaching has always been a part of my story. When I went off to college there was no question in my mind, I was going to be a teacher. Once I graduated, I spent time in a variety of public and charter schools and even went back  to earn a Master's Degree in School Leadership. I thought it made sense to work my way up through leadership and hoped to one day find myself in a county office someday. I thought leadership in the public school was the ticket to making changes. Changes that I believed were and still are so desperately needed in public education. 

Well, just like everyone....life happened. I got married and we started a family and quickly my priorities began to shift. The idea of leaving my three kids 8-10 hours a day while working my way up the public school ladder suddenly didn't make much sense. After kid number two, I stumbled into the Early Childhood world. I ended up as a Center Director at a small privately owned childcare center in Hudson, Ohio. I loved it. I loved the staff, the leadership, the business, and of course being able to impact the environment in which my kids were each day. I was introduced to the Reggio Emilia approach during this time and began to really understand how important it is to value a child's voice in education. I dug into educational research and the more I learned about how the child brain works the more disheartened I became with what I saw happening in public education and in early childhood. 

When that season began to come to an end and my children were becoming "school age" it made sense for me to head back into the public school setting. I'd have the same schedule and hopefully impact their environment as well. 

I got a job at what I thought was a "dream school" in Akron. It boasted of its multi-age classroom setting, personalized approach to education, and a desire for the students to participate in real authentic project based work. It had a wonderful vision, but like so many public schools (charters included) it is often a challenge to work around the many unnecessary hoops that public education demands. I spent two years trying to "hoop" jump until I realized it wasn't going to be a successful endeavor. For the first time in my life, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing. The truth was my identity was caught up in being a "teacher leader" and without that I was struggling. 

I then decided to relinquish control over to God. I spent time learning who He said I was and I simply slowed down. I welcomed some amazing little ones into our home and I found joy loving on infants and toddlers for a season. I loved early childhood and there is a real need for loving, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate places for families to send their precious children to. So for a number of years that is what I did and I loved it......until Covid changed it all. 

When Covid hit, I found myself homeschooling my three children and housing a small pod of kids in my home. They would do their "zoom school" for part of the day and then we would read, do experiments, spend time in nature, and launch child-led projects. There were kindergarteners through 5th graders and it was a beautiful type of hectic. I was introduced to the homeschooling world and I was impressed. I was impressed with their dedication to their families, their personalized approach to learning, and ultimately their desire to instill a love of learning in their children. They had a slower paced life that seemed to cherish the mundane and supported their children in their passions. Their children had a voice in their education and that was something my children and frankly many kids in public school are missing. 

So Covid planted a little seed and I never could shake the question: 

What if there is a better way? What if I could create a small school where personalized learning, encouraging wonder, and unlocking a child's creativity ARE the goals?