Posted on Oct 24, 2022
How Microschools Are Reshaping K-12 Education in South Florida | Kerry McDonald
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https://fee.org/articles/how-microschools-are-reshaping-k-12-education-in-south-florida/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020_FEEDaily
Nestled in a warm and colorful classroom space in a sprawling Salvation Army building in Fort Lauderdale is Permission To Succeed Education Center, one of more than two dozen private microschools and similarly small, multi-age, co-learning communities in South Florida. Felicia Rattray decided to launch Permission To Succeed in the summer of 2020 after schools shut down due to the pandemic and the shift to remote schooling gave her an up-close look at her nephew’s classroom. “We’re attracting the families who want a truly personalized experience,” said Rattray, who sublet space for her microschool from Laurel Suarez, another microschool founder who opened Compass Outreach and Education Center in 2019 with a small group of children. Now, Suarez has 48 students with eight teachers, as well as supplemental instructors.
Nestled in a warm and colorful classroom space in a sprawling Salvation Army building in Fort Lauderdale is Permission To Succeed Education Center, one of more than two dozen private microschools and similarly small, multi-age, co-learning communities in South Florida. Felicia Rattray decided to launch Permission To Succeed in the summer of 2020 after schools shut down due to the pandemic and the shift to remote schooling gave her an up-close look at her nephew’s classroom. “We’re attracting the families who want a truly personalized experience,” said Rattray, who sublet space for her microschool from Laurel Suarez, another microschool founder who opened Compass Outreach and Education Center in 2019 with a small group of children. Now, Suarez has 48 students with eight teachers, as well as supplemental instructors.
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Not all students pick up their skills at the same speed level, sometimes some individual attention and encouragement can work wonders and build confidence which is also key to learning. Once a child learns they actually can do things they thought they couldn't the learning curve improves a lot and they do succeed and accomplish things they thought they couldn't.
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Cpl Vic Burk
>1 y
SMSgt Lawrence McCarter You are correct about not all students not learning at the same rate which is why "No child left behind" is the worst piece of legislation ever. We can't wait for the slowest student to "get it" while the upper students sit there bored to death with busy work. Plus, the higher students feel like they are being unfairly worked with more assignments than they should. As much as the state is against it, we did ability grouping (I took the lowest students) so I could adjust the work and pacing to help improve their foundational skills over working on material that will overwhelm them and cause them to shut down and not even try.
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SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
>1 y
Cpl Vic Burk - My Wife is also a retired Public School teacher and the difference She had made in giving confidence to students that were behind as raising their self esteem and finding out they could do the work and there was nothin wrong with them. If You tell a student they can't, the believe it and don't, encourage them it makes all the difference in the world when they find "Yes I can" I'm sure as a teacher I'm sure You also have found that to be true. To have that positive impact on the life of another person which helps them move forward from that point on has to be a great feeling.
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Cpl Vic Burk
>1 y
SMSgt Lawrence McCarter - My students success is my success! When I have a student that comes to the class barely being able to add and they leave being able to solve quadratic equations, that is huge and solidifies that I have done my job. You don't go into education for the money as you know. It's what we contribute to the community and making a positive impact that will last a lifetime.
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