A dirt crossroad in Kennett, Mo., leads to a classroom carved out of a renovated barn-house at the center of a 40-acre cotton field. Mackenzie Wiseman and Liz Reeves, who are teachers, just left public school behind to begin the town's first ever "microschool," Stellar Starlight. The classroom, built in big sky country, joins the approximatley 95,000 microschools and homeschooling pods, as estimated by the National Microschooling Center, a nonprofit resource hub.

The state of Missouri sets standard requirements for elementary school students to meet each year. In order to meet the learning pace of their students, Mackenzie and Liv adjusted the curriculum. Lessons start in the soil; four young students spend early morning hours sorting seeds across the communal desk and identifying the anatomy of cicadas and cockroaches. 

The future is delicate, and there is no promises the microschool will continue past next year. Mackenzie and Liv conduct open houses for parents to visit the classroom and learn about the educational infrastructure, hoping that the exposure will draw them in to enroll their children. The two teachers estimate six more students need to enroll to stay afloat, explaining they’ve waived salaries for themselves to pursue what they said is “every teacher’s dream.”