About School House Lane

At School House Lane, we reimagine middle school homeschooling through a modern one-room schoolhouse approach.

I founded School House Lane in 2021 to give my own middle schooler an interdisciplinary academic experience within a peer group. I soon realized that learning alongside peers is at the very heart of middle school growth.

Today, we offer a secular, humanities-focused curriculum that integrates science, literature, history, enrichment workshops, the arts, and monthly field trips.

I love this age group! Middle school is a time of rapid intellectual, social, and emotional growth, when students begin to see themselves and the world in connected ways and are ready for deeper thinking and independence. They thrive when exploring big ideas with peers, guided by a thoughtfully curated curriculum and the scaffolding of an experienced educator.

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Hello, I’m Melissa Church — educator, program creator, parent of three, and lifelong learner.

I hold a Master’s in Education, PA certifications in Elementary Education, and am a Reading Specialist with 26 years of teaching experience in traditional and alternative settings.

Grassroots programs I’ve created and led include Staging Journeys, a Philly-based education, theater, and travel organization (2018–2021); Student Stage Camps, a summer performing arts program in Center City, Philadelphia (10 years); and a variety of classes and workshops for Philadelphia-area homeschool organizations.

I provide homeschool consulting and PA evaluations. 

My family’s journey into homeschooling began with an adventure in worldschooling. When my kids were 10, 7, and 4 we spent a year exploring SE Asia — an experience that allowed me to rethink how and why children learn. We decided to design our own educational path from that time forward through homeschooling in Philadelphia and worldschooling in 10+ countries over a number of years. My kids chose to re-enter public education in high school, and were fully prepared to thrive in that environment.

Learning to homeschool alongside my own children and discovering their innate drive to learn was the most valuable teacher education I have had.

As the creator of School House Lane, all elements of my background — classroom teaching, children’s theater, parenting, homeschooling, and travel — come togethercome together in a little schoolhouse where I explore a world of ideas with my incredible students: your children

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