Online High School
"Hi, my name is Ashley. I'm 19 and I attend an Online High School."
Can you imagine the reception that would get? People would judge by the simple fact that I am 19 and still in high school. Tack on the words "online" and it doesn't get better.
To others I might be thought of as slow, dumb, or other such nonsense because of my age alone. The truth is though that I'm not slow or dumb. We've even taken an IQ test to prove it. I'm great at memorizing numbers and patterns. I love puzzles and things that give me mental stimulation. I love reading, drawing, creating, and writing. Hell I even have a fan-base on fanfiction.net!
My assignment this week for the online internship I attend was to somehow show what we wanted to know about online school. I decided to write my thoughts and hopefully open eyes and minds to one persons view that attends these online schools.
I'm a smart kid and deep down I know it. However attending the normal school system was stifling at best, destructive at worst. To me school was both an escape and a hell. It was like this giant breeding ground for popularity contests and who is this biggest man. The students didn't even seem to care about their education and ironically neither did the teachers. The students ran the classes, the teachers let them. Furthermore this school had such high and to some unreachable goals. It was like a policy of "you do well and boost our standings then you'll get far in life. You fall behind and lower our standings you'll get no help from us and should just give up as you'll never succeed."
I know that not all high schools are like above, but I do know that there are probably a lot of students who feel the same way I did. I was lucky enough to have patents who stood by me and helped me find an alternative as I quite literally couldn't function in that environment. That's the kicker by the way. Each person has their own learning style, their own best learning environment, and public physical high schools don't always meet these needs.
I for example am extremely hands on. I learn by doing things, working things out. I learn through movement and problem solving. I learn best in a quiet, cool, relaxed environment. These are things you can't always get in a physical school.
In an online school however you choose where you work, what your environment is.
At my physical school they paced things really fast. Mostly I think because the students were so disruptive. While I may be smart I can't learn a full unit of a class in three days, and I know that might be a bit exaggerating but that's what it seemed like.
Online school is flexible. You choose the hours you want to work and so can avoid falling so far behind that your swamped. You can even do school work away from home! It's freedom and independence in a big way. For sure you have due dates but you don't always have to stress over them. Depending upon school policies you could turn in work up to a week late and still get full credit.
People go on to say that online school isn't for everybody and they make these "tests" to see if you are. I don't trust 'em. Online school is what you make it. If you have a good support base you'll most likely do well. If your disorganized or not self-motivated that doesn't mean the system might not work for you. Again I can use my own life as an example as I am both a disorganized person, and not fully self-motivated. Through online school I've had to actually work to get organized. I've even found myself with the help of my support base (parents) ways to be motivated. And finally I found a way to get my diploma after two years of believing it wouldn't happen.
I would say online school is best for whoever wants it to be best. If you dropped out from high school then you've got an alternative to continue your life with a diploma still. You don't need to grab a GED just to move on. Alternative Learning groups are here for a reason. To help us succeed. So while we may be looked down upon for not following "tradition" I know I will turn out better in the end. I know I will succeed.
And I think society should know that they could too.