Reading, Writing and Restaurants – A New Approach to Education

Two private microschools in Coconut Grove offer parents an alternative to more traditional schools, by emphasizing personalized learning and by partnering with local businesses, including restaurants.   

Driving down Grand Avenue on any given school day, you can spot students from Primer Microschools eating lunch, playing after school, or testing out kites in Esther Mae Armbrister Park.

Primer Microschools, located catty-corner to the park, is part of a growing trend of small private schools in Coconut Grove and across the state that provide students, parents, and teachers with an alternative to public schools and traditional private schools.

Jordan Magazine has two children at Primer, one son in the K-2 class and the other in the 3-5 grade class. Both gifted, he says they needed a more challenging and interactive learning environment than they had at their former charter school in South Miami. The family lives in Westchester near Tropical Park.

“They weren’t happy in school, but they were doing well academically. We wanted a better environment where they could be free to be themselves.” he says. “And they get that at Primer, which has really seen them thrive.” 

Motivating Minds on Commodore Plaza is another microschool serving students in Coconut Grove. Before opening Motivating Minds, the school’s director and owner, Grove resident Betty Riera, spent her career as a charter school principal.

She decided to take a different path when she saw how COVID-19 disrupted learning and development for students enrolled in traditional schools.

“I said, things need to change. There’s no way that we are going to be able to personalize and individualize (learning), especially for those who have fallen behind,” she recalls. 

That’s when she was introduced to microschools at Motivating Minds on Key Biscayne (the two schools are not connected, tied only through a licensing agreement). Riera says she was “fascinated” by this new type of school setting. 

Approximately 1.5 million students nationwide attend microschools, which typically offer smaller class sizes, mixed-age groupings, and a focus on personalized learning.

They aren’t regulated in the same way public schools are, but many microschools do accept Florida’s Step Up For Students, a state-run scholarship that provides an average of $8,000 for parents to spend on education outside of the public school system. 

Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB1285 to make it easier for microschools to set up shop in Florida by broadening zoning and land-use designations for private schools, allowing them to locate in places like libraries or churches. 

In addition to Primer Coconut Grove and Motivating Minds, another microschool, Score Academy Miami, is set to open this year near the Coconut Grove Metrorail station. 

One of the biggest draws of microschools is that they offer lower student-to-teacher ratios, with the promise of more time for tailored lessons. 

Another key difference: Primer and Motivating Minds both expand student learning opportunities through partnerships and collaborations. Partnerships are a tool for many microschools to outsource instruction and create community connections.

“One of the reasons we made landfall in Coconut Grove is because we were able to find a community that is not only so diverse, in terms of bringing different cultural experiences to our students, but because the small businesses, businesses, and educational entities open their doors to us to be able to put that philosophy to practice,” Riera says. 

For instance, students at Motivating Minds receive music classes at School of Rock, the music academy in CocoWalk, and weekly sailing lessons at Shake-a-Leg, where they also learn about taking care of the environment and marine life. 

The school partners with restaurants to teach math, culture, and science through food preparation with area chefs. “You’re feeling it, you’re touching it, you’re experiencing it,” Riera says. “We take a whole child approach.” 

Gloriya Lasa at Primer Coconut Grove says that type of experiential learning makes a difference. “Once a student is enjoying or doing something they’re interested in then they’re truly learning,” she says.  

Originally from Bulgaria, Lasa recently joined the school, which opened last year.

Primer is part of a network of microschools that started in Arizona and now has locations in Kendall, Liberty City, Miami Shores, and elsewhere, as well as Coconut Grove. The Grove location has 32 students in two classes K-2 and 3-5. 

Primer students benefit from the same partner model as Motivating Minds. 

Besides using Armbrister Park for activities, they take violin lessons at a nearby church and the school collaborated with Trader Joes to teach the children how to create their own products and open their own mini-mart.

“This is one of the beautiful things I see. It allows for that community outreach,” Lasa says. 

The two schools not only practice interest-based learning models, they also place special emphasis on social-emotional learning and follow Florida state standards for core learning and track progress through testing. 

Students have individualized plans and move at their own pace, including moving ahead of their grade level, like Alejandro Sanchez’s second-grade son, who has attended Primer since kindergarten. The family’s four-year-old will join him soon.

Sanchez, who lives nearby in Shenandoah, was impressed by the idea that the classes were multi-grade, and wanted to give his quick-learner the chance to learn even more from older kids. “The size and the dynamic of it was very interesting to us, and it’s worked out very well,” he says. 

Vivian Cababie’s fifth-grade son was struggling at his former private school, but since joining Motivating Minds, his test scores and self-esteem have improved, she says.

“That for me is priceless,” she says. Cababie lives in Miami Shores, making for a long commute, but she feels the drive is worth it, given the progress her son has made.

The school provides her son with opportunities for creativity, critical thinking, and social-emotional learning that he didn’t have in his former school, she says.

“The classes are small, which is important for me. It was one of the main factors. That way the kids and teachers build a closer bond,” Cababie says.

Riera says the smaller school environment can be ideal for children who are neurodivergent or who need a non-traditional environment for other reasons. 

Motivating Minds offers flexible programs that allows homeschool families to come in for certain activities. They also cater to kids with demanding schedules like equestrians, dancers, and soccer players. 

Jordan Magazine, the parent with two children in school at Primer, said his family was considering moving out of state, but their experience at Primer, especially their appreciation of the teachers, made them decide to stay. 

Primer makes its teachers equity partners in the business and pays about 40% more than the public schools do. Motivating Minds also pays competitive wages and Riera partners with Doral College to help teachers further their education. 

The nontraditional environment not only has benefitted the current students so far, it also allows teachers to flex their skills, Lasa says. 

“I’m learning how to be a better teacher, I’m learning with students. And my love of learning is revived every day.”