About School House Lane
We balance high standards with a caring and connected learning environment. No grades, no tests — just meaningful academics, thoughtful feedback, and a community where every child belongs.
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, the arts, and field trips.
I absolutely adore 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, creating, and independence. They thrive when exploring big ideas with peers, guided by a thoughtfully curated curriculum and the scaffolding of passionate, experienced educators.
About the Director
Hello! I’m Melissa Church — educator and children’s program creator.
I hold a Master’s in Education, with Pennsylvania certifications in Elementary Education, Special Education, and Reading Specialist, and bring over 26 years of experience across both traditional and alternative learning environments.
I am passionate about designing engaging programs for young people. Grassroots programs I’ve created and directed include Staging Journeys, a Philly-based education, children’s theater, and family 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.
My family’s journey into homeschooling began with a big 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. My kids chose to enter public education in high school, and were fully prepared to thrive in that environment after years of making the world their classroom.
Learning to homeschool alongside my own children and discovering their innate drive to learn was the most humbling and valuable teacher education I have had. Trusting an alternative education path that centers childhood continues to be eye-opening every single day, and grounds me in who I am as a teacher, a director, and a parent.
As the creator of School House Lane, all elements of my background — classroom teaching, children’s theater, parenting, homeschooling, and world travel — come together in a schoolhouse-inspired setting where I explore a world of ideas with my incredible students. I absolutely love this work!