A common question we hear is: “What’s different about online high school?” In a nutshell, the main answer is: the daily routine. Here is how the routine differs for an online high school student.
Life of the Traditional Student vs. an Online High School Student
Let’s start with the morning.
Traditional students need to wake up early, catch the bus, walk or hope mom or dad will give or dad them a ride to school.
An online high school student wakes up, gets ready for the day and log in to start their coursework. There’s also no dress code required, which can be a plus.
Now let’s take a look at what your day will look like.
A traditional student attends school from about 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., listening to teacher lectures and working on assignments. Any assignments not completed in the allotted timeframe becomes homework.
Online school is not easier, and takes the same 30 hours per week to complete. The difference is online students are not tied to a physical classroom or a set schedule. This amount of freedom requires a lot of discipline, as it can be easy to fall behind on coursework. But discipline is an invaluable skill needed in college and careers, so why not start early?
“What would I be doing,” you ask? Read on.
All material—assignments, quizzes, exams and projects—are completed online. Students should complete at least one lesson per class every weekday.
Courses include teacher-led lessons, graphic-novel stories, instructional videos and educational games.
Check out this blog post to learn more about iSucceed’s curriculum.
So you’ve worked hard on your classes and it’s lunch time. Now what?
That’s the benefit of online school. You are not constrained to cafeteria food; you can eat whatever you choose. If it’s the yummy pizza pictured above or a nice bowl of cereal from home, that’s completely up to you!
You might be thinking, “But what if I have a question? Who will help me?” Let’s take a look at teachers:
Teachers hold the same qualifications in both traditional and online school. Online instructors are not less accessible, communication is simply different.Students can receive support through email, instant messaging, a phone call or live online tutoring.
Learn more about iSucceed’s personalized communication model here.
OK, school is great, but what about friends?
Because there is not a physical classroom, online students connect with classmates differently. Interaction happens through the following channels:
[checklist]- Group discussions in courses.
- Staff-monitored community page to “friend” and chat with students.
- Online student clubs
There are school events (including prom!) and a graduation ceremony, which you can learn more about here.
If you’ve decided the life of an online student is right for you, you can get started ChooseiSucceed.com.
[checklist]- Can you think of other comparisons? Share with us in the comments below!