Dani McCartney
“I believe online learning courses can impact students in a major way. In my situation, I attended a traditional school all my life up until I began a traditional high school and immediately felt I was being left behind and as if the only path for me at that school was a path of failure. My mother and I made the strenuous decision that traditional classes may not be for everyone including me.”
– Dani McCartney
Online learning courses unquestionably can bridge learning gaps for students. No two individuals are exactly the same which is why the blend of online learning courses are not only helpful but necessary for many students’ success.
Choosing the online environment is what made my high school experience as successful as it was. When I began high school in the traditional setting my grades were extremely low and I was not learning anything. I was more focused on passing for a grade rather than learning the material. I felt extremely isolated despite being surrounded by 30 other students. I felt too embarrassed to tell my teachers what I was not understanding. My anxiety would not allow me to ask questions due to fear of judgement which led me to failing my classes. In the traditional setting I was never offered one-on-one help from my teachers.
Online courses allowed me the opportunity to actually learn and absorb the material I was learning and throughout my online courses my grades have increased each year allowing me to receive straight A's for my entire senior year thus far. I felt safe asking questions in front of a web class or one on one with my teachers. The difference in my anxiety and my growth as a student from attending an online high school has exceeded more than I ever could have imagined. My online courses have made me a stronger and more confident student, excited to attend college and graduate school with a Ph.D in psychology.