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Hey there! I'm noticing many people in the online world discussing micro-schools! Nearly every day for the past two weeks I receive DM's, mentions, and emails asking me, "How do I start a micro-school"!? How exciting! 1/x
As many of you know, I've dedicated almost my entire adult life to designing and championing alternative learning approaches and environments. So it's been cool for me personally to witness this conversation take off. 2/x
However, there are a couple aspects of this conversation that I find distasteful at best, and disturbing at worst. So I'm here to clear the air. 3/x
Firstly, let's discuss how to define a micro-school. A micro-school is an independent learning environment comprising 150 people or less that delivers a specialized education to a specific population of students. 4/x
Micro-schools typically serve students with unmet needs within the conventional school model. In the case of Sunnyside, we serve twice-exceptional children using a strengths-based, dually-differentiated, humanistic pedagogy. 5/x
Additionally micro-schools are designed to run very lean, in the hopes of increasing accessibility for those that would otherwise be unable to afford to leave the conventional school model. 6/x
What most people are describing is not a micro-school. They are talking about pod-schooling or creating co-ops. Both beautiful ideas, but micro-schools they are not. The distinction is important to those that have pioneered this term. 7/x
Secondly, if your alternative education plan (pod-schooling, co-ops, micro-schools, etc. are not economically and structurally accessible 8/x
*and* if they are not in service of liberatory education but rather an opportunity to circle the wagons and exclude the most vulnerable among us you are not welcome. 9/ x
If you are, in fact, aiming to educate for liberation and intend to include those most vulnerable among us HIT ME UP. I have 14 years experience, ideas, resources, and roadmaps to share. I'm thrilled by the opportunity to contribute to you, in this way. 10/x
No money? No problem. Right now is about people, not profits. 11/x
Peace, Love, and Understanding
