For the Friedman family of Woodbury, traditional schooling has never been a good fit. Lynn Friedman homeschooled her kids when they were younger, and tried putting them in public school for about five years before deciding it wasn’t working. The schedule just didn’t fit her family’s needs.
With schedules the way they are, finding enough hours in the day is a common problem. Wanting more family time and a more flexible school schedule, Friedman enrolled her daughters, Erica and Julia, in MTS Minnesota Connections Academy. Erica was in sixth grade at the time and is now a sophomore in high school. Julia was in ninth grade and has since graduated.
Having the experience of teaching the kids herself, Friedman didn’t have too many reservations about moving the kids into an online environment. “The thing that I really like about online is they have to be self-motivated,” she says. “If they aren’t self-motivated and don’t get off their behind in the morning, they will get behind and they will suffer.”
While the experience of taking online classes is different from a traditional school setting, the education isn’t. Connections Academy faculty includes state-certified teachers, school guidance counselors, special education professionals and administrative staff, including a principal. Students still have the same types of lesson plans as a traditional school, as well as an individualized curriculum. They still have teachers who are available for office hours or phone calls. And they still have tests and homework. The big difference is flexibility. Online education allows kids to take part in activities during the day that normal students don’t have the time for. “It has been a great way to do other things outside of school,” Erica says. “I’m involved in a lot of stuff outside of school like Bible study and other church groups.”
Michelle Acquaye and her family offer a similar perspective to the Friedmans. Her daughter Sydney, a high school senior, is also enrolled in MTS Minnesota Connections Academy. They, too, were looking for more flexibility from schooling.
Sydney had been enrolled in traditional brick-and-mortar schools, but didn’t have a good experience. The Acqauyes had a preference for online education, believing it to be a better fit for their family, and enrolled Sydney in an online program. Eventually Sydney heard about MTS Minnesota Connections Academy, thought it looked like a good fit, and switched over. She hasn’t looked back.
For Michelle Acquaye, there were never reservations about enrolling in online school. Any concerns about Sydney gaining social skills quickly disappeared as they found local homeschooling co-ops where kids could get together once a week. “I found when we were in the co-op [that] Sydney developed more meaningful relationships with other homeschooling students,” Acquaye says. “If anything, I just saw her come more into herself with less shallow relationships.”
Sydney agrees that the experience has been nothing but good. She is now enrolled in Post-Secondary Education Option classes at the University of Minnesota, which has moved her into a traditional education setting. Academically, she has been well prepared, but getting back into the classroom has been a transition. “It has been really interesting, but part of it is adjusting to being back with other people and taking [traditional] classes,” Sydney says. “It was easier than I thought it would be.”
For both the Acquayes and the Friedmans, there is no question that moving to online learning has been a good fit. All students are working to take the next step into college, and MTS Minnesota Connections Academy has prepared them well.
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For more information on MTS Minnesota Connections Academy, a virtual K-12 public school program, go to connectionsacademy.com.
