Why Microschool?
We seek to provide an integration of the best elements of both homeschooling and community learning, utilizing the microschool approach for the benefits of personalized instruction, small cohort sizes, multi-age learning, guided group collaborative projects, Socratic discussions, and opportunities for real-world experiential learning. We use a hybrid approach so students have ample time both in the learning community and at home to enhance family involvement in studies and to provide leisure time outside of school to explore fine arts, sports, and other student-led interests.
Meet the Leadership
Leigh Myers
Founder
Mrs. Myers is a mother, educator, academic, and adventurer. She spent years in the missions field, serving multiple geographies in several regions, including Eastern Europe, South Africa, the Caribbean, and South Asia. Her career as an educator has largely centered on maximizing the educational experience for optimal outcomes. She has taught in multiple settings from homeschool co-ops to private Christian schools. Her Master’s Thesis is centered around these optimalities, mainly surrounding the concept of beauty in education and developing the moral imagination. The Microschool concept was largely her idea and a natural eruption from her research, experience, and desire to build an educational experience unlike that common to the industry. Leigh pursues her Masters from University of Dallas while holding a BS from Liberty University. In this way, she integrates Catholic Classical Educational best practices with the psychology of human development toward a pedagogy of instruction that centers around the individuality of every child.
Kendra Duran, Ph.D.
Co-Founder
Dr. Duran is a mother, pracademic, and researcher. She serves as VP of Academic Administration at Dallas International University, as Founder of the Behold Institute, and as faculty at Liberty University. Her focus is on fulfilling the Great Commission through education. Geopolitically, her research has focused on Southeast Asia, East Africa, and Central America, driven by a desire to blend best practices from around the world in the classroom. Her topical research has focused on the neurobiology of education, theology, and social and behavioral sciences, which she integrates throughout her teaching philosophy. Kendra received her Ph.D. from Liberty University, an MA from the University of Arizona, and a BA from Catholic International University. In this way, she blends the beauty of Catholic, Evangelical, and research-based instruction to prepare the next generation in unifying, orthodox, and practical ways.
Joanna Biava
Director of Academics
Mrs. Biava serves as Director of Academics at Colere, where she helped organize and launch the school's first year, guides curriculum selection, and leads the 7th–8th grade cohort. She has homeschooled for seventeen years and brings over a decade of classroom experience teaching pre-K through high school, including three years founding and leading a Charlotte Mason co-op, where she taught art, literature, and Latin. A Wellesley College graduate in Italian, she translated her love of languages into a career in software programming before finding her true calling in education. She continues to deepen her Charlotte Mason practice through independent study and retreats led by seasoned educators. She is blessed and delighted to help Colere's students and families discover the peace, joy, and vitality of a God-centered, living, holistic education.