Education. There are so many different levels, corners, crevices and more. Today's students are given a plethora of means and avenues to learn. More and more universities are popping up with 100% distance education programs and hybrid programs where their constituents spend 50% face to face and the other doing course work online. But what about those not in college? What about the k-12 scene? Do they get an option to do schooling virtually? If you haven't heard virtual schools are on the rise!
Now, I know some of you may be confused. How can a teenager learn online? Hell! How can a 5 year-old learn online?! Trust me, it's very possible. Before I get to that, I want to give you some background info on myself.
Here I am. Age 25. Newly discovered Northerner and a kindergarten and first grade teacher for a major virtual academy. Just four years after getting my education degree, I've managed to skip the whole traditional setting and jump straight into the virtual world. I'll be honest....
I've always known from an early age that I wanted to be a teacher; that I wanted to help shape the future leaders of our world. That was my sole reason for choosing my high school and my university, which was originally a teachers college. Everything was great and I always received the highest reviews from my professors. But, in that very last semester of college, my final semester of student teaching I suffered. That last semester was torture. My mind and body went through many changes of depression, anxiety and panic attacks. These were things that I had never experienced before. I was traumatized.
So, with the help of my supervisor and clinical teacher, I was able to finish the year off with the notion that I would NEVER be a teacher. How long did that last? Not long. To make a long story short, I taught preschool for awhile and then decided to move up north for an AmeriCorps program where I worked with urban middle school students.
Now, I knew mid-year through my corps year that I wasn't going to renew and was on the hunt for a new job. Fastforward to a professional brunch and I meet a woman there that would change my life forever. A woman who gave me the key to help with a passion that I've always secretly held. Here is when I am offered and accept the job as a virtual teacher. Ecstatic I knew that I was on a journey to something new...
Be on the lookout for next weeks post where I take a dive into my first year as a virtual teacher.
