GRANDVIEW, Mo. — Three mothers — Tracy Schroder, Renee Bichel and Kristine Acuna — saw a need they weren't seeing filled.
"I was already meeting with our other two co-directors, Renee Bichel and Kristine Acuna, for things our own kids were needing," Tracy Schroeder said. "We all home school, but I hadn't really found the right program that met our kids' personal needs. I was looking for things that help with dyslexia, we still wanted our kids to have fun, interactive times with other students and friends and things like that, too."
After listing off things they'd like to have in a potential learning program, that idea became a reality.
"One day, on a way back from a nature hike, Kristine and I were talking and we were listing all these things we wanted to have in our program, and she's like, 'What's stopping us from doing that?'" Schroeder said. "At that point, we just realized we just had to be brave, and do what we knew was best for our own kids and in doing, that other families would want to join in too, so that's when the three of us came together."
They formed Mighty Roots Academy, in Grandview, Missouri.
"We provide active multi-age learning for students in a nature-rich environment and so that's what we do at Mighty Roots," Schroeder said. "We sometimes have four, sometimes even five options each block and students, with the help of their parents, choose which classes they take and then we take those subject areas and we incorporate all types of learning."
Schroeder says they incorporate math, science, history and science, based on the students' interests.
A grandmother whose granddaughter goes to Mighty Roots Academy nominated Schroeder.
"Two other children of family members, who had been horribly bullied in their schools joined the Mighty Roots family. They have changed from being sullen and anxious to happy and learning students. The growth has been remarkable," the grandmother wrote.
Tracy Schroeder was awarded as the next One Class Time at a Time winner.
"I had no clue," Schroeder said with excitement.
Schroeder says she plans to use the money for building updates.
If you'd like to nominate an educator, who's going above and beyond, you can nominate them online.
