Discovery is Creating Independent Learners
Imagine loving a school so much you drive an hour or two each day to learn there. That is what many families at Discovery Micro Schools do to experience the tailored learning experience designed by Cheryl Ososky, the program’s founder and director. Located in Aledo, Texas, this microschool serves students and families in the 60-mile span between Dallas and Weatherford.
Students meet for academics on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with Wednesdays reserved for field trips and Fridays for hands-on projects. Discovery runs like a one-room schoolhouse, with no grades, no grade levels, and a flexible learning model. Students can choose when they’d like to come based on their academic goals.
“Regular homeschoolers that do their academics at home, come on Wednesdays and Fridays to hang out with friends and get messy,” said Ososky, who homeschooled her own children and coordinated homeschooling meetups before launching the microschool.
And students at Discovery get messy. “We have a school policy that you do not wear nice clothes; we will destroy them,” she said. “If we go by a creek, we’re going to go in it.”
After starting in 2020 with only seven students and 17 students in 2021, Discovery is hoping to double in size for the 2022-23 school year and serve 40 students. The growth is possible because of the school’s reputation through word of mouth; families are regularly driving more than a half-hour each way to bring their children to Discovery.
To support more students, Discovery recently opened a middle school, giving students more learning options, and Ososky hopes to open a high school eventually.
“I believe in different types of education for different types of kids,” she said.
The Discovery model gives students the flexibility to learn how and what they want to.