Meet Candace Lehenbauer | Tapestry Academy Microschool Owner/Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Candace Lehenbauer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Candace, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Today, I feel the need to spend my time helping others know about non-traditional education. It has become a passion of mine. Something I am willing to do all day every day. Now that I have discovered the inside networkings of micro schools, homeschool pods, and learning in personalized ways, it is important for me to share that knowledge with others. There are so many who feel that they are stuck with what options are in front of them. This is America. You are free to make your own choices. Yes, it may be scary at first to step outside of the square, but it is possible. You just need to be willing to step into the darkness, and you’ll realize that it wasn’t as dark as you thought. You’ll find one more step, and then another. Pretty soon, you’ll look back, and realize that just having the choice and acting on it has made you a stronger person, and allowed your children to see that as well. Carving the path. My mother in law, Ruth, was a huge advocate for non-traditional education. She was an educator, and she devoted her life to writing two books called “A School Teacher Stands Up”, and “What’s happening in Utah Schools.” She would advocate for teachers by lobbying legislature, and getting signatures for petitions at downtown festivals in our little town. We were newly-weds at the time, and I wasn’t sure what to think about all of that. She encouraged us to homeschool when we had children. She, as an educator, said she was scared to homeschool her own kids back in the day. We have come so far. I am so thankful for that. Also, I am thankful for non-traditional homeschool pioneers, who were willing to do the unexpected.

Education in public school for me was good in some ways, but lacking in others. My husband and I decided to start homeschooling our daughter when she was in Kindergarten. Little did we know that that decision would affect the next 15+ years of our lives, and her future siblings. About 10 years into the process, I personally needed a change. Looking more structure, and wanting to see the same friends on a regular basis, we started researching and we ended up joining the microschooling movement. Tapestry Academy was created in 2018 with a desire to blend homeschooling and day school together, including project-based learning, student-led learning, and student-mastery of subjects instead of moving on before a student was ready.

We have since fallen in love with the whole mindset of microschooling. Technology has made it easier to gain mastery of core subjects, and we are able to focus our time on collaboration and create opportunities that are so vital to raising strong, independent thinkers. We love the student-leadership, the debate topics such as apples vs. bananas, the virtual escape rooms, and poetry tea-time. Teaching them the why of learning, and encouraging them to set their own goals. Having other students to encourage a little competition is helpful as well. Every student goes at their own pace, on their own level. Science for me growing up was reading a paragraph and answering multiple choice answers. Sometimes, we would get science experiments, but our class was big, and I was shy. I would always be at the back of the group trying to see what was happening. I hated science. Little did I know that when I started homeschooling my kids, that science would become one of my favorites! It is the study of everything cool! I’ve had the pleasure of coaching an Elementary Science Olympiad team for the last 7 years. What a joy it is to share the love of science with these kids at Florida Atlantic University. They walk along the same corridors that they would if they were to be studying that subject in college. Great idea!

We love parents being involved in education. Whether it’s homeschooling or microschooling, having parents stop in, participate in field-trips or class activities, and keeping the dialog open regularly is vital. I know when I get a new student, and I start sending personalized messages to parents with photos of what their child is doing at school, it is a surprise to them. Yes, this is more personal. Isn’t it how it’s supposed to be?

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a microschool owner/director, with over 20 years of experience working with children. 15 years+ of non-traditional education, and 4 years as a small business owner. I graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design. I like to refer to my art degree as being able to see any project and be able to have the ability to create a solution that others may not see. Who knew that all of those design projects were actually helping me to be a confident adult and business owner. Starting your own business requires the ability to see things that others don’t see at first too. You then create and communicate your ideas to others. It also helps students be more creative and imaginative. There are so many ways to solve problems. Think outside the box!

I have spent the decades dedicating myself to learning about children, education, and self-directed learning. I am most proud of raising 6 beautiful children. I have studied, researched, and dedicated my life to understanding how to teach and educate them. I started in homeschooling, and then migrated to microschooling. Neither path was easy. Many, many late nights researching and planning were spent. When I finally decided to move over to microschooling, and I was still in the beginning phases of it, I felt like I had come so far, but I still needed to do and learn more. You can’t just start a little and then turn back. Read, study, research, plan, plan some more, and act (even if you think you’re not ready yet.)

I’ve created Microschool South Florida to help parents and educators connect. www.microschoolflorida.com, and we have an upcoming Microschool Showcase and Curriculum Expo in Boca Raton in the next week or so. I’ve also been interviewing other microschool owners and other non-traditional education service providers to open the door for others to join the conversation. If you’d like to join in live and ask questions, or listen to a recording, the link is on our website.

Community is very important in whatever path you choose. Surround yourself with people that inspire you and want to do similar things. Reach out to them and support them while they are struggling and they will do the same for you. Find ways to give and share what you’ve learned. The more open I am with sharing information with prospective students and families, the happier I feel.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A best friend visiting the area would be great. We would spend time eating local foods, introducing them to Versailles Cuban Restaurant and key lime pie at the Fish House in Key Largo. We love visiting the Frost Science Museum, or going to drive around Wynwood, the art-district in Miami. Visiting the Red Reef beach in Boca Raton, or riding a water trolley in Las Olas in Ft. Lauderdale.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to Toastmasters International for helping me transition from a stay-at-home parent to an edupreneur/small business owner.

Website: www.tapestryacademy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tapestryacademy/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candace-lehenbauer-35950222

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TapestryAcademy

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tapestry-academy-boca-raton