Kaitlyn Berryhill
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My school has been exceptional in helping me tackle my high school years with a schedule perfect for me and I cannot wait to see the continued growth in online and blended school environments.
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– Kaitlyn Berryhill
I switched from traditional school to a blended environment my freshman year, I am now a senior and can truly say blended school was the perfect fit for me. I have had to work since I was 15 years old, trying to balance work, school all day, homework, and any activities is near impossible. So, when I was presented the option of SSAE I knew I had to give it a shot. I was instantly able to create a schedule that worked for me, I have always been very mature for my age so staying on top of my school was never a worry for me or my parents, my mom was able to check my grades at all times and still be in contact with my teachers, allowing for a very transparent learning environment, blended school does not mean parents are left out of the loop. There are often many concerns and questions in regard to online or blended learning since it is not traditional, however from my experience I do believe it is a great alternative.
To begin with, blended and/or online learning courses bridge learning gaps for students in several ways; such as, allowing access to more learning tools, focusing on the education rather than drama included in public school, and offering students to put their education first at all times while still not abandoning the high school experience. Personally, when I first began blended school at 9th grade, I felt as though I finally found a school made for me. While I have always achieved good grades and been pleasing in the classroom, I was always miserable doing so. When my friend informed me of SSAE, I knew it was the perfect fit. Blended school allowed me to excel in my classes, have access to teachers at all times, explore college classes at just 16 years old, and always have support from a school counselor to assure my schedule was working.
I think often times parents worry their kids will be on their own with a blended or online school, however in my experience this allowed students to receive more help, ask more questions, and be more motivated since there is no fear of social labels being applied to you since it is essentially you and your teachers working through things. Not every student has grown up with the luxury of school transportation, help on homework, and able to make school their number one priority. I believe blended and online learning allows all children regardless of their race, sex, age, or upbringings to all learn equally.
Furthermore, when offered a choice of blended or online learning environments, I feel students would often gravitate towards online learning environments since it is perceived as “easier” in regards to doing school as they feel like it. Which ultimately can become a roadblock for certain learning types in an online environment, it is crucial to use self control and responsibility to allow online learning to be positive for you, since a student is given the freedom of online they must be sure not to abuse it. On the other hand, I believe if parents are asked they would pick blended over online so their children are still semi structured while also experiencing the social life given in traditional school.
Continuing, my learning experience in a traditional classroom versus a blended classroom were quite different, however in my experience they were all positive differences. Oftentimes, people assume if their child is not attending a traditional school they will miss out on the “high school experience” however, with my school they found the perfect balance. Since the social life is not as pressured on you, you as a student do not feel obligated to attend things you are not interested in but you are still offered all “normal” school experiences. For example, my school still does yearbook, NHS, prom, senior breakfast, and so on. I feel this is very important for teenagers to not feel as they are missing out on anything “normal” in school while still being able to put their education first and create a schedule that is beneficial for them.
In all, I understand blended/online learning environments are not for everyone, though they are a great fit for many students and I believe that is important for students to explore their options. Change takes time to get used to with anything, but if you consider transitioning from traditional to blended/online remember you will not be left alone. Many teachers, counselors, parents, and fellow students are all still involved to help guide the way. My school has been exceptional in helping me tackle my high school years with a schedule perfect for me and I cannot wait to see the continued growth in online and blended school environments.