I am starting my third year of microschooling as the founder of Heartwise Scholars Microschool in Chesapeake, Virginia. My journey toward expansion has never been clear-cut or comfortable, but it has always been necessary. This article is for the founder who continues to build despite adversity. We can run our marathons together.
Microschooling is a marathon, not a sprint. This summer, I have been in negotiations for a space I had permitted with our city two years ago to lease three classrooms in a family life center above a basketball court. Back then, I thought that those classrooms were going to be our startup location for a pre–K, K–2, and a 3–5 pod. However, those plans were disrupted when the city classified us as a day care/school, requiring us to obtain a conditional-use permit. Nine months later, we obtained the permit, but we had already been in operation for nine months. Where did we operate? At first, in my home as a family day care, and then six months later, we moved to a commercial learning center that was already permitted for use. We opened with 6 school-age kids in February 2025 and grew to 13 kids enrolled by May 2025.
Over the summer months, we realized that we had to stabilize expenses and enrollment at the learning center before moving into our previously planned location. In fact, insurance prices increased for my family day care, which served preschoolers, so we eventually closed it last December and moved our preschoolers to the learning center once they turned 5. Only now, almost two years later, do we have enough enrollment to keep our 13 K–3 scholars at the learning center and move our 15 4–8 scholars to the family life center. Although I had originally planned for the space to be a mini-school with traditional classrooms, I now envision our use to be the complete opposite: a very nontraditional setting with an arts and fitness room, a study room, and a workshop-based classroom.
The fun in microschooling has been exercising our educational freedom to give our children diverse learning experiences that elevate their love of learning and life. We measure our growth each year with the NWEA MAP Growth test, a nationally norm-referenced standardized test, and many of our older scholars perform at advanced levels in both reading and math. So, I knew that I needed to open a space that would motivate them to continue learning at high levels in keeping with our mission of taking care of themselves, the community, and the world. Our new space is going to be one that encourages those elevated goals. So, alongside their core academic subjects—reading, math, writing, science, and history—Heartwise Scholars can offer life-skill workshops in functional nutrition, financial literacy, fitness, voice and drama, band, and film and media. These are all areas in which my scholars have shown either a need for support or a personal interest.
When I first opened my microschool, operations felt like a sprint. Now, three years in, I take my time and run my race more like a marathon. I’ve shifted my mindset to long-term sustainability, so I build and connect behind the scenes toward the pursuit of freedom—just more responsibly. This shift has led me to many daily decisions, new innovations, and a lifestyle change for me and my family. These are all new changes for the better. So, if you are a founder in the midst of expansion, keep running. Get to know whom you serve, be vigilant about your tasks and responsibilities, and build around your mission. You are not alone.
