Microschools are sweeping the nation. At a time when public schools are boxing parents out of the conversation, and homeschoolers are looking to unite, America is seeing an influx of new microschools popping up across our country. Microschools are the best of both worlds; providing the individualized instruction of homeschooling and the collaborative networking of public school. Microschools are keeping our children grounded and connected in safe, bite-sized environments, and the children of Middlesex County won't be left out.
Currently there are an estimated 125,000 microschools across the United States, according to the National Microschooling Center. Still, if you live in Middlesex County, you're probably hearing about microschools for the first time. Our county is an educational desert. Our only options for educating our children are to either enroll them in public or private school or keep them home. But, change is on the horizon.
Lucas Literacy Lab, a Christian microschool serving students ages 10-13, will open its doors this September, providing families with a much needed alternative in our educational landscape. Like many other microschools across the nation, Lucas Literacy Lab will serve as a home away from home for children of dedicated parents who can benefit from the resources, projects and support of experienced teachers and a school community without the bureaucracy that burdens traditional classrooms. The difference is clear:
Family-Style Learning
Lucas Literacy Lab aims to co-create an educational experience for our students hand-in-hand with parents and caregivers. From choosing curriculum, to sharing their talents, parents are welcomed into the school as visionary partners. Consistent open dialogue and family-programming allow us to serve the direct needs of our families, and center the family unit as the foundation upon which each child's educational experience is built. To know that one is loved and that one belongs is the cornerstone of all meaningful acquisition of knowledge.
2. Hyper-Individualized Academics
Each student at Lucas Literacy Lab has their own, individual curriculum. Parents can choose curriculum, just as they would if they were exclusively homeschooling their child. Children work on their curriculum at their own pace, and receive support from teacher-guides as needed. This leads to mastery of all subjects taught.
3. Prioritized Time in Nature
The outdoors is not an afterthought here. Students spend a minimum of 1 hour per day in nature, soaking up vitamin D. On Thursdays our students spend the entire school day at the farm, caring for the animals, gardening, hiking and more. In caring for the whole-child, we must prioritize their time spent out of doors as it leads to healthier, happier, more confident preteens.
4. Innovative Project-Based Learning
Freedom from traditional schools means freedom from top-down directives imposed on teachers and students in traditional classroom settings. At Lucas Literacy Lab, students can follow their passions, and, with the guidance of the teachers on staff, students can create innovative, forward-thinking projects utilizing current technology and modern co-working models.
5. Communications-Focused
Lucas Literacy Lab is a literacy-based microschool, which means we center communication in everything we do. Literacy (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) is the foundation of mastery and confidence. Students who are comfortable creating presentations and sharing their erudition develop an authority over their content knowledge, as well as the rooms they command, that will allow them to accomplish everything from getting the best price at a thrift store to becoming a successful CEO. Literacy is the catalyst for scholarship and advancement in our communication-driven world.
6. A Christian Worldview
Caring for the whole child means guiding them in a righteous way. From life's grand moments to the phantom itch of anxiety on the most mundane Monday, centering ourselves with bible readings and prayer, and turning to the Word for council ensures that the we remain grounded in the teachings of Christ, grateful for His many blessings, and virtuous in our actions and treatment of others. Isaiah 11:2 says, "The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord." That is our prayer for our children.
The children of Middlesex County deserve a new option. They deserve to have a place that provides them with a dynamic, rigorous education and also nurtures their spirit and prioritizes their well-being. They deserve to be respected, free to create, and supported as they conquer new goals. Lucas Literacy Lab is a microschool for families, by families. It is the village center, rich with resources and love. Our children will have the best of what we have to offer them, because they deserve it.
We can not wait to meet you. Join us for an information session with founder, Amanda Lucas, every Thursday at 6:30pm.
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