FAQs: The Core of Global Ex Academy
Here are Frequently Asked Questions we get from curious and intrigued caring adults of young scholars. We love to share about our vision, goals, plans, and structure! Microschools are the future of education. Join our community of people who want the best multilingual learning environment with a homeschool feel in the Denver metro area.
Why a microschool?
Microschools are an age-old educational setting that we have seen for centuries. People have educated their young under trees, on street corners, in grandma’s living room, in churches, in backyards, and countless other places! The goal is to provide the highest level of quality to those we care for and love. The majority of families would love to disconnect from harmful schools and put their children in places full of love, focus, and growth. Many choose to homeschool in order to have maximal connection to their students, but many are just not able to afford and allocate time to homeschooling. This is where microschooling comes in! We as microschool leaders are somewhere between private education and homeschooling. Our families choose our highly qualified and certified staff to provide an incredible student-centered education and learning environment. It’s a win-win for everyone—caring adults, children, teachers, staff, and community!
How small are our small class sizes?
Our student-to-teacher ratio is 10:1 and we have set our full-time academy maximum at 22 scholars. This allows for maximum teacher interaction and bar-none student growth in a vibrant learning space. With 22 students, 2 full-time teachers and two part-time support staff, you and, most important, your child know that their growth into the greatest version of themselves is our highest priority and aim.
Why multilingual?
Language, community, culture, and excellence are the foundation of our school. Our world is becoming increasingly interconnected and we must equip our students to be change makers in order to make our globe more hospitable, kind, and humane for people, nature, and communities. This is an impossibly huge task, but it begins at the basic level of talking. In the USA, because of how we are situated geographically, we are far removed from other nations unlike a country in Europe where neighbors speaking other languages are 2 hour train rides from a family home. The USA is home to thousands of languages, cultures, and people from around the globe and to be a welcoming person, we must learn how to communicate with people. In the Denver Metro area alone, there are almost 200 languages represented. Although we can’t learn 200 languages in one school, we can learn 2 and that is far greater than almost all schools in our region.
How do we build community?
When we interact with humans in our neighborhoods who speak, look, cook, and thrive differently, we change—hopefully to be more kind and honoring of different life paths. At Global Ex, we know that each family who chooses us brings with them a unique outlook on life and assets to make our community incredible. We welcome each person with love and joy. We teach our students and families to ask and listen more than assuming and making judgements. In our daily interactions in schools, we instill and hold everyone from staff to our youngest scholars to a standard of sharing graciously, growing together, and advocating for everyone. Each voice is valued, heard, and appreciated. In so doing this in our small, microcosm of a learning community, we dream of scholars taking their understanding of community learned at Global Ex to the globe.
How do we exude excellence?
Everyone in our learning community is learning—even our teachers! Everyday we strive to become a better version of ourselves by taking risks, setting goals, creating new paths, refining our old conclusions by using new information, asking hard questions, and celebrating milestones. Excellence for the Global Ex community is not to be #1, but to be and do our very best at all times and in everything we endeavor. We then showcase our growth and celebrate our risks and wins regularly. We also encourage those around us in our communities to move, be, and pursue our best.
Do you accept part-time students?
Absolutely! We at Global Ex aim to support families achieve their goals for their students. Some families want a "one-stop shop" where students stay all day in our learning hub. Others want to join us for our language/literacy morning rotations or our math/exploration afternoon rotation.Yet others would like support in providing engaging project-based learning opportunities which are typically toward the end of the week and in the afternoons. Still, others want to homeschool at our learning hub and enjoy our bustling, energetic vibe and resources (manipulatives, Montessori-inspired work stations, and school tools/supplies). Let us know what you're needing and envisioning and we can share how we can support and provide an excellent learning environment and learning hub for your family.
How do we learn?
One of the greatest joys of being a teacher and journeying with students is that we get to remember and see the world from their perspective. Everything is new to them and they question things that we as adults have given up on, overlook, or ignore. Children learn from the adults and adults learn from the children. At Global Ex, our objective as a school is to provide the tools and training on how to use these instruments to our students so that they can do their own sleuthing, discovery, inquiry, and meaning-making. We don’t want to give them the answers, but rather journey alongside of them as they grow into astute scholars and change-makers.
What curriculum do we use?
We have carefully chosen our time-tested math curriculum that has proven excellent since its inception for our K-8 students. For literacy, we teach phonics and engaging book studies based on the ability level of our students. During independent work time, scholars finish their daily practice work after direct instruction and then choose Montessori-based work activities found around our learning center. They can choose to work independently or with a peer throughout their day. Once their daily tasks are completed, they work on and practice their showcase presentation. Students move seamlessly from independent to teacher-directed to small group to peer teams throughout the day. They navigate a rigorous curriculum and self-directed, inquiry-based work time using their weekly/quarterly goal-setting strategies as a guide.
How do we assess growth?
The Colorado Department of Education does not require students enrolled at private institutions to take state-state-sponsored standardized testing. At Global Ex, we believe that students are more than a number, statistic, data point, and percentage (in)correct. It’s absolutely impossible, counter-productive, and unnecessary to take a yearly standardized test in order to verify proficiency in content. Instead, we utilize formative and summative assessments throughout our week and quarter. Using our curricula’s scope and sequence, personalized learning plans for each child, rubrics, and student-created goal markers, each student drives their assessment and their learning path with direction of our teachers. At any time, caring adults can check the progress of their student and collaborate with their student and teacher to make sure growth is evident and strong.
How do we organize our learning day?
We know that each student is unique and their day will reflect this. We begin our day calmly with a short meditation and yoga to calm our minds and set affirmations. We have 2 of our signature small group rotations—one for literacy and the other for math—daily. Students will meet with our teachers in small groups for math, literacy, and Chinese. In their remaining time, they will work independently or in peer-groups to finish their practice work, Montessori-based work stations, and scholar presentations. For lunch, caring adults can bring a healthy lunch or purchase a vegan lunch made by a local chef. We have free play for 20 minutes and rest for 30 minutes. We have one extracurricular activity time each day. Music, art, Spanish, PE, cooking, sewing are interwoven throughout the semester. We close with goal-setting conferences with a peer or teacher and then ending circle time.
How can Global Ex support my homeschool family?
Families can choose for Global Ex to provide a full-time education for students in our multi-age classrooms or for students to join us part-time. Students can join our rotations in the mornings for literacy, math, and language. Everyday in the morning, students will a more teacher-guided work time and homeschool children. In the afternoons, homeschool students can come do their homeschool work during our more independent work time in our safe, vibrant learning environment. They can join for a specific subject or to be productive with our Global Ex full-time scholars. Although everyday, we have our learning rotations, Fridays are allocated predominantly to our full-time students working in their peer-teams and independently on the showcase projects, finishing up weekly assignments, and goal-setting conferences. We believe in a simple community philosophy: “The more the merrier!” Chat with us about how you can join us and to what capacity.
I have more questions! What do I do?
Come chat with us! Our staff would love to share more about who we are and what we offer with you. Send us an email and set up a conversation with our founder. We hope that you will join our multilingual community where we build globally brilliant and empathic scholars!
Have a question or an idea? Message us at Global Ex Academy!
