Microschool Journeys with Curious Mike is an eight-episode podcast series airing in January and February 2025. Host Curious Mike explores the rise of microschools—small, innovative learning environments—with stories from his personal experiences, expert insights, and visits to models like KaiPod. What happens day to day, in terms of socialization, achievement, and personalization? How quickly do they enter and exit the market? Who pays? Perfect for educators, parents, and policymakers, this podcast offers a deep dive into this fascinating straddle between homeschools and traditional schools. Listen today!
Closing the Doors, Leaving a Legacy: Embark Microschool's Story
Microschools launch and close more easily than traditional schools—is that a feature or a bug? This week on Microschooling Journeys, Brian Hyosaka shares the story of Embark Micro Middle School in Denver, a tuition-free, philanthropy-backed micro school closing after six successful years. Rather than charge tuition or become a charter, they chose to "go out on top." Embark’s legacy includes inspiring hundreds of educators. Folks, this is where we leave our limited podcast series. Microschooling Journeys has come to an end, if you listened, thank you, please give me a shout, I’d love your feedback. This is Curious Mike signing off!
20 Feb 2025
Wildflower’s 70+ Microschools, Eight Years Later: Did Matt's Vision Become Reality?
This week on Microschool Journeys, Curious Mike sat down with Matt Kramer, founder and CEO of Wildflower Schools, a national network of teacher-led Montessori microschools. How does he take a teacher who dreams “Maybe I should have my own little school”- and make that a reality? And how does he take a noble vision - socio-economic diversity, loosely a third from each wealth class - and make the budget work, using ESAs, vouchers, charters, and other subsidies? Tune in for this fascinating conversation!
13 Feb 2025
Curious Mike’s Visit to Rain Lily Microschool
In this episode of Microschooling Journeys, Curious Mike visits Rain Lily Microschool in Nassau County, Florida. He visits: Wow. Then he hears the two founders origin story. Kati is a veteran Montessori teacher frustrated with culture and teacher respect issues in her former school, dreaming of a place where all parents felt welcome. Tania trains in Cuba, and then with her husband makes the fraught journey to USA, and ends up working her way up the ladder. Like many, they have a dream of “their own” little school - but how?
Enter Wildflower Network. It’s a network for teacher-led microschools, and they help people just like Kati and Tania: with septic tanks, with website creation, with touchy legal issues, with building a sliding scale tuition model that can tap Florida’s public dollars. This episode is a little different stylistically: it’s Mike’s monologue. Tune in next time for an interview with Matt Kramer, CEO of Wildflower’s 70+ campuses, about expanding these innovative schools nationwide.
6 Feb 2025
Amar Kumar, CEO of KaiPod: 70 Microschools and Growing
In episode four of Microschooling Journeys, Curious Mike interviews Amar Kumar, the founder and CEO of KaiPod, a network of 70 microschools across the country. They explore what makes KaiPod distinct—whether it’s culture, curriculum, or teacher hiring practices. Amar discusses how he measures and ensures the quality of each school. Next week, Mike heads to Florida to visit Rain Lily Microschool, part of the Wildflower network.
31 Jan 2025
All of the Above: Nick’s Year of Homeschool, Virtual High, Online College, and KaiPod Microschool
In this week's episode of Microschooling Journeys, Curious Mike chats with Nick, a 15-year-old homeschooler dual-enrolled at VLACS and Arizona State University online, pursuing a business degree. Nick shares his unconventional education path, why he left traditional school after kindergarten, and how KaiPod Microschool fits into his journey. Will he return next year? What are his future aspirations? Tune in to find out! Plus, stay tuned for next week’s episode with Kaipod CEO Amar Kumar.
23 Jan 2025
Navigating Personalized Learning: Meghan's Role as a Guide at KaiPod Microschool
In the latest episode of the Microschooling Journeys podcast, Curious Mike interviews Meghan, a dynamic "Guide" at KaiPod Microschool in Nashua, NH. Meghan shares her transition from public school to microschool and how she creates a welcoming, warm environment for her 14 students with individually curated curriculums. Discover Meghan's unique approach to education and stay tuned for more exciting episodes featuring Nick, a 15-year-old KaiPod student, and KaiPod CEO Amar Kumar.
16 Jan 2025
Microschool First Impressions: Curious Mike & Spencer Blasdale Visit KaiPod
In the premiere episode of Microschooling Journeys, Curious Mike joins his friend Spencer Blasdale, a former school leader and former CEO of SchoolWorks, on a road trip to KaiPod Microschool in Nashua, New Hampshire. With years of experience evaluating schools—public, private, and charter—Spencer brings a sharp, seasoned perspective to his first encounter with a microschool. At KaiPod, they observe a unique setup: 14 students guided by two dedicated adults in a personalized, community-driven learning environment. Spencer’s impressions spark key questions: How does this innovative model compare to traditional schools? Would he have considered it for his two daughters? Join us for this engaging exploration of microschooling! Stay tuned for future episodes that deepen the journey: Episode 2 features Meghan, a KaiPod guide; Episode 3 spotlights Nick, a 15-year-old student at KaiPod; and Episode 4 concludes with CEO Amar Kumar, sharing his vision for revolutionizing education through microschools.
14 Jan 2025
Introduction to Microschooling Journeys!
Microschool Journeys with Curious Mike is an eight-episode podcast series airing in January and February 2025. Host Curious Mike explores the rise of microschools—small, innovative learning environments—with stories from his personal experiences, expert insights, and visits to models like KaiPod. What happens day to day, in terms of socialization, achievement, and personalization? How quickly do they enter and exit the market? Who pays? Perfect for educators, parents, and policymakers, this podcast offers a deep dive into this fascinating straddle between homeschools and traditional schools.
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