How a teacher and Minnesota mom of 4 created Our Village School, serving 150 learners

Today's guest is Maria Stalsberg, founder of Our Village School, a creative learning environment for homeschooled kids ages 6 and over in Lakeville, Minnesota. Maria holds a Master's degree in Teaching and a Bachelor's in Business Administration. She began her career in Corporate America before transitioning to becoming a classroom teacher in the traditional education system, but ultimately stepped away to focus on raising her four children. After enrolling her oldest in the local public elementary school for kindergarten and first grade, Maria found herself longing for a more dynamic, hands-on approach to learning. Determined to create something different, she pulled her oldest to homeschool and launched Our Village School in 2020. It started as a single day of programming in her backyard with 18 kids and has since grown to now serve roughly 150 students with four-day-a-week programming and flexible attendance options. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.