This Is the Evolution of Elementary and Middle School

Rogelio Valdés

Apr 26, 2021

Hi, I’m Rogelio Valdés, founder and director of Robin. We started this education project in 2016 by creating in-person courses to teach children the kinds of skills we felt schools were not teaching them. In 2019, we decided to digitize all of our content so we could reach more children around the world. We have supported children and teenagers in creating amazing projects, from building their own video games to starting a business, launching a YouTube channel, publishing a website, or producing their own music.

Now we are launching a school alternative that we see as the evolution of traditional schooling. Based on everything we have learned from both in-person and online education over these years, we developed a hybrid model for elementary and middle school. It combines the best parts of social, group-based learning that you find in school with the best practices of homeschooling, all aimed at helping students fully develop their potential.

We believe the school of the future must be project-based, where students build projects in science, art, engineering, music, literature, and more, always following their interests.

We believe learning should happen in teams and among friends. Groups of 5 to 10 students work much better than large classes of 30 because they allow students to build stronger communication, dialogue, and teamwork skills.

We believe students need a personalized curriculum where the order of the content adapts to each learner, and where they can go deeper into the topics that truly matter to them.

Learning must happen at each student’s pace, because not everyone takes the same amount of time to understand a topic. That means each student can move faster or slower depending on what they need in each area.

We believe in mentors instead of lecturers. Rather than standing in front of the room delivering a class, mentors ask the right questions, guide the student, and inspire them.

And learning should focus on creating instead of memorizing concepts for a test. For us, building is more important because it is how new knowledge is formed.

Core subjects

We divide our work into three categories. The first is the set of activities students do in what we consider foundational subjects: Math, Reading, Writing, and English. In this part of the program, we work together with each family to build a personalized curriculum for every child. Each student uses the books and learning tools chosen together with their mentor. They also have access to one-on-one tutoring sessions in each subject.

Group activities

The second category is group activities, whose purpose is to help students socialize and collaborate while solving challenges related to business, finance, math, and philosophy. In these sessions, they learn while debating business cases or playing with the simulators we created at Robin so they can experience real-life situations inside a safe environment.

Projects

Finally, we have the projects category, where students choose a personal project with the help of their mentor. They gain access to all Robin courses so they can learn programming, video editing, design, music creation, and more, as well as a library of smaller curated projects. They can work individually or in teams, and the goal is for them to explore different fields and discover what they are passionate about.

We will offer the program in two ways, in person or online, and families will be able to switch between them with one month’s notice if needed. Here is how each option works:

Online

In the online model, all of our meetings and group activities happen through video calls. But it is important to be clear that we do not lecture over video calls. Each student works through their academic content independently using the materials they selected with their mentor. Every live session requires active and ongoing participation. We do not believe in long sessions where students simply sit and listen to a teacher.

In person

In the in-person model, we create a learning bubble or micro-school in your neighborhood. A group of around five students meets in one of the participating families’ homes, and a Robin mentor visits them to guide the activities. Families can register as a mixed-age group, or we can build the group using students who live near one another.

We also run activities where students from different formats can participate together, regardless of whether they are in the online or in-person program. On top of that, we hold semiannual events with students who live in the same city, so the entire Robin community stays connected.

How much does it cost?

We have a founding families program with reduced tuition for the first 50 families who enroll.

Our program runs 10 months per year, and the tuition for the virtual model is $5750 Mexican pesos per month. Under the founding family price, the tuition is reduced to $3750 pesos, and that $2000 scholarship remains in place for as long as the family stays at Robin.

For the in-person model, the cost for the 2021–2022 school cycle is $7850 Mexican pesos per month. With the founding family price, tuition is reduced to $5850 pesos, and that scholarship also remains in place. For both formats, the enrollment fee for that cycle is $4000 pesos.

Enrollment is already open at robinacademy.com/escuela. If you are evaluating an educational alternative for the new school year, thinking about starting homeschooling, or already homeschooling and looking for a community and program to complement your children’s education, I invite you to explore our site. We can also schedule a call to answer your questions and see whether the program fits your family’s needs. Write to me at rogelio@robinacademy.com and I’ll be happy to talk.