Colleen Hroncich
When talking to the founder of a microschool that’s called Spyrja Academy, the first question kind of asks itself. “I’m a huge fan of Old Norse literature, like the prose and poetic Edda and leaning into Norse mythology,” explains Jourdan Simmang. As he was trying to think of a unique name for his microschool, he looked to the ancient Norse language for inspiration. The word spyrja means “to ask” or “to learn,” which is what he wants students to do in his program. “What I really want is for them to identify the right questions to ask in order to further their learning. That’s one of my priorities. So spyrja really stuck out to me as a great word to use.”
Jourdan had a long career as a teacher and administrator in district, charter, and private schools before he launched Spyrja Academy in New Braunfels, TX. Although his degree was in English creative writing with a minor in theater, he’s taught everything from fifth-grade Texas history to physics. “I can’t thank all of my principals enough for allowing me to have those opportunities because it’s really kind of opened and broadened my perspectives and my mind,” he adds.
Families have a lot of flexibility at Spyrja Academy, which covers grades 9–12. They can choose the full-time plan that meets five days a week or from a variety of part-time options. The main academic lessons, including history, math, science, and English, are held Monday through Thursday. But Jourdan doesn’t think those subjects should be siloed in school since the real world doesn’t work that way.
As an example, he says that when students are reading Moby Dick, you can talk about maritime law, ocean ecology, and how to calculate wind speed in knots and nautical miles. “A lot of what I do at Spyrja is helping the kids make those connections cross-curricular and really dive into—no pun intended—but dive into the intricacies of education, their own knowledge base,” he explains.
Jourdan changes things up to end the week. “Friday’s our lab day. It usually starts at around 11:30. For the kids who need extra help or extra support, I’ve got time built into the schedule where they can come in earlier and get that either one-on-one or two-on-one tutoring, whatever it may be,” he says. “Then we begin our labs—there’s art lab, science lab. We’ve got STEM and maker space, which we’re still kind of filling out because I’m waiting on grants to arrive.”
Like many edupreneurs, finding a location has been a huge struggle for Jourdan. They tried two co-working spaces, but they didn’t have enough room. Then they found a house that seemed perfect, but it would have been too costly to bring it up to code to allow them to meet there. They’re now on their fifth location, and it’s just right with enough room to grow to the 40 students Jourdan thinks would be ideal.
There’s even a sizeable backyard that allows them to spend time outdoors. “We have a great spot for horticulture. My plan is to have some raised beds that the kids are working on,” he says. “I’ve got a kid who’s really interested in entomology. And it’d be awesome for her to have kind of like an entomologist’s dream and have different types of flowers and vegetables to bring in the different types of insects and study that up close and personal.”
Several Spyrja students are interested in career training rather than college, so Jourdan has a plan to meet their needs, too. He has space to teach welding, electrical, and plumbing, and he’s made connections with local experts in those trades. Jourdan says that’s part of what’s great with microschools—he has the flexibility to work with professionals on a part-time basis to customize learning paths for his students. As an added benefit, it gives his students an immediate network to help build their future careers. And it helps Spyrja Academy become more integrated into the local community.
The Texas legislature is currently debating education savings accounts. Depending on the final rules, Jourdan says he would probably participate if it passes because he knows his current families would benefit. He wishes those who oppose the program would understand that it’s not true that families who are currently in private school are all wealthy and can easily afford it. “My school is proof of that,” he says. “I’ve got families who are struggling, but it’s important for them to have their children in a private school like mine.”
He hopes lawmakers will recognize that most parents have their children’s best interest at heart and that education savings accounts would really benefit them.