Lauren Stuck
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My teachers are available to help me and I feel like part of a community even though I've never met most of my classmates.
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– Lauren Stuck
I think that online courses are an amazing opportunity for many different types of students. Many people have many different abilities, opinions, and needs, and online learning offers these people an opportunity to succeed. For those who have special needs, including physical disabilities, online learning can offer a safe environment for them to learn without having to deal with bias from classmates or teachers. There are also more accommodations that can be made for these students if they are learning from their homes. There are other students who are very bright and very high achievers and they can become bored with either the material, the pace of the class, or the selection of courses. Online school offers them an opportunity to work as fast as they want, and to be challenged, because the teacher doesn't have to teach to the student in the room struggling the most and can help the high achiever be successful.
I chose an online learning environment because my brick and mortar school was no longer providing the education and environment that I wanted. I was unable to take the courses I wanted and I was not satisfied with the pace of the classes, or the huge amount of homework I brought home every night. Plus, I was under huge pressure from my classmates to always be perfect. I could hardly stand the stress.
At Connections Academy, I can work at my own pace, be that slowly for the harder subjects, or quickly for the fun ones, and I don't have to feel ashamed if I don't get a perfect score. I also have a wide selection of interesting courses to choose from. The courses I chose reflect my interests and gave me back control of my own education. My teachers are available to help me and I feel like part of a community even though I've never met most of my classmates. In addition, I have time to do the things I love without worrying about what is due tomorrow.
I definitely think there were social benefits to learning in a traditional classroom for me, but there are social opportunities offered at my online school and I don't feel that I have missed out on any part of the "high school experience". I absolutely love online school and I think it was a fabulous choice for my high school education.