452 She Said “Forget What You Know About School”—Then Built a New One

What happens when an educator stops asking how to improve the existing school model—and starts asking whether the model itself needs to change?

Amy Zwiep spent years wrestling with that question. She believed students were unique, learned differently, and deserved opportunities to grow their individual gifts. But she also saw an education system often driven by curriculum, pacing, testing, and age-based structures rather than by the learner.

Eventually, she decided to act.

In this episode of the Disrupt Education Podcast, Peter Hostrawser and Alli Dahl sit down with Amy, founder and executive director of Bethel Community Education in Michigan, to explore what happened when she stopped simply imagining a different kind of school and actually built one.

When Amy resigned from her traditional education role in 2019, she didn't yet have funding, a building, or enrolled students. A few months later, Bethel Community Education opened with seven learners.

Amy shares what she's learned from building school differently: teachers becoming guides, students becoming learners, multi-age environments, individualized growth plans, student goal setting, peer learning, experiential education, family partnerships, student voice, real-world problem solving, and learning built around mastery rather than short-term memorization.

She also challenges one of the fundamental questions in education:

Are we trying to create students who are good at school—or young people who can think critically, advocate for themselves, solve problems, set goals, build relationships, learn from failure, and continue learning throughout their lives?

This isn't a conversation about Bethel Community Education having all the answers. In fact, Amy makes it clear that the model continues to evolve based on the learners, guides, and community it serves.

It's a conversation about having the courage to question assumptions we've accepted for generations—and then being bold enough to actually build something different.

What if school didn't have to look like school as we've always known it?