This post is sponsored by Connections Academy. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
Prior to having children I never really thought about K-12 education, the only thing I knew was that I wanted to live in a good neighborhood that had a good school system. Once we had Emma and had to really dive into learning all about the “workings” of the education system, I learned there were many options for educating your children—and not all require being inside a classroom all day. Also, working at a local community college with high schoolers who are taking college courses, I have learned all about the population of students that don’t attend a traditional school.
Today, I want to introduce you to Connections Academy schools—a network of tuition-free online public schools for students in grades K–12 across the nation.
Connections Academy preps its students for the “Four C’s” of the 21st Century; Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Communication, Creativity and Collaboration and Innovation!
Students explore and master all required core subjects: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Learning is not always a classroom activity. The Connections Academy community encourages students to learn #OutsideSchoolWalls and soak up knowledge anywhere and everywhere, creating memories to last a lifetime.
Parents: The community starts at home with the parent (I LOVE this factor). Parents serve as Learning Coaches, and they provide the structure a student needs by establishing and managing the daily routine. The Learning Coaches stay in constant contact with the student’s teachers by phone, WebMail (Connections Academy’s secure internal messaging system), and online meetings.
Teachers: The teachers of Connections Academy are the lifeline of the school, from the relationship with the students to the relationship with the family. Unlike traditional homeschooling programs, Connections Academy teachers take the burden off of parents by delivering the curriculum and helping the student. They collaborate personally with the student and family to ensure the overall success of the student. Not only do the teachers provide regular online lessons, they also create personalized tutorials and interventions for the student based on his or her individual needs.
Socialization and Community: This topic is a big one for parents considering taking their students out of “traditional” school to a virtual learning atmosphere! First and foremost, Connections Academy provides LiveLesson® sessions where students can communicate with both teachers and their fellow students in a group environment.
Connections Academy students also have the opportunity to meet their peers through field trips, online school clubs and special school events. According to the website, community coordinators, parents and teachers arrange trips to venues such as museums, historic sites, botanical gardens, and state parks. There are even non-education-related outings like picnics, roller skating, and more.
I encourage parents to check into all of the education avenues that are available for their children. With virtual school, education is no longer limited to the local brick and mortar school, private institutions or homeschool. Find the best method for your child! I have learned that, in having a daughter with developmental delays, we may have to explore other routes than traditional schooling. After learning more about virtual education through Connections Academy, I am open and challenged to find the best method of education that will allow both of my children to succeed—outside school walls.
