Megan Schmelzer always knew that she wanted to teach. From playing school when she was little to going to college to become an educator, she believed what so many teachers do. “It’s not a profession; it’s a calling”. It was this calling that took her into a classroom, but after suffering a traumatic brain injury, she had to reevaluate her career with kids. Megan recalls her rehab at On With Life and how they “Helped me be a person again”. While there, she was considering her next career move since teaching in a traditional setting was no longer a viable option for her. They asked her what her platform was and without a second thought, Megan said, “I still want to work with kids!”
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And she is doing just that. Through start up programs with online coaching and her husband and her draining their bank account, Megan started her own business where she would hire fully licensed teachers to work one on one with students who were struggling in school. Megan built the business “one step at a time” and today, the Little White Schoolhouse in Ankeny Iowa has 70 licensed teachers and has served 500 students. The schoolhouse serves as a tutoring center and educational liaison for students PK through adulthood.
With one part business and another non-profit foundation that is overseen by Sarah Lynn, who joins this episode as well, it has become a community effort in raising money for educational needs, volunteering and helping students. Megan and her team are ready for the fall and even with growth and the potential of needing to serve more students, that doesn’t faze Megan. “We’ll just hire more teachers!” she says with excitement as she reflects on how far this dream has come and how it might look in the future for students and families.