Educator Edition
Every Student Succeeds
By Guest Blogger on March 21st, 2016
On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
The ESSA will replace the familiar No Child Left Behind Act as the federal government’s comprehensive legislation which governs education and, famously, accountability for schools, teachers, districts, and states.
This new collection of laws will certainly usher in a period of change for American schools – but just how much does it change, and when (and how) will that change occur? Continue reading
A Narrow Piece of Geography
By Guest Blogger on March 16th, 2016
This is the 11th post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
Our around the world trek was accomplished in two stages.
The first lasted four months and we backpacked through Central and South America. After returning home for a short visit, we resumed our trek, which lasted seven months. During our odyssey, we traveled to six continents, visited 22 countries and covered more than 61,000 miles. Although we did circumnavigate the globe, the fact is we only traveled a narrow piece of geography.
No matter how well-traveled someone is, they tend to stay within the lines – back roads, hiking trails, plane routes and highways. We were no different. Through Central and South America, we traveled almost entirely by bus – from “chicken buses” packed with 30 people when there should have only been 15, to a luxury motor coach that had its equivalent of a flight attendant onboard. Continue reading
Are We Teaching Girls to Fear Failure?
By Guest Blogger on March 14th, 2016
March is Women’s History month, so what better time than now to ask a very important question:
Are we teaching our girls to fear failure?
Several months ago, my colleague Amy who teaches French for Florida Virtual School sent me an article on this very topic.
Of course Amy knew how passionate I am about fostering a growth mindset in all of our students, but when she sent me this article, the idea that maybe we need to look deeper into what we are teaching our girls really lit a fire inside me.
We have been researching the idea that we are teaching our girls to fear failure ever since – and the research is hard-hitting, significant, and extremely eye-opening. Continue reading
All About Accreditation
By Guest Blogger on March 9th, 2016
Accreditation can be a scary word to some educational organizations.
It signifies an up close and personal examination of people, processes, and results. It is often seen as negative – what you did wrong or what you failed to do at all. It doesn’t have to be that way and can be a very rewarding and critical activity for schools and education in general.
By its very name, it means, “the act of granting credit or recognition,” a positive action. Another definition says, “a voluntary method of quality assurance developed more than 100 years ago by American universities and secondary schools, and designed primarily to distinguish schools adhering to a set of educational standards.” Continue reading
Optimizing Your Memory
By Guest Blogger on March 4th, 2016
First published by Genius Awakening
Practice makes perfect when it comes to just about anything, including your memory.
Developing techniques to hone your recall of everything from names and phone numbers to more complex processes can make a world of difference.
Here are some tips to help optimize your memory.
Put these into practice just a little bit each day to up your brain power. Continue reading
How Online Learning Helped our Dream Come True
By Guest Blogger on February 29th, 2016
This is the tenth post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
As any parent knows who has children enrolled in an online learning program, there are pros and cons.
In most cases the pros outweigh the cons, which is why the number of options for online learning have exploded in recent years.
Whether someone is simply brushing up on basic skills, completing a Kindergarten-12 class or working on his or her PhD, online learning has become deeply rooted in our educational infrastructure.
Continue reading
“Education for Everyone!”
By Guest Blogger on February 3rd, 2016
Think online learning is too difficult for students with unique abilities and needs? Think again.
Florida Virtual School has been a proud provider in education for students with unique abilities and needs for many years. Our teachers are trained to work with students and help them succeed and the data is showing just that…success!
Let’s take a look at the State funded Personalized Learning Scholarship Accounts (PLSA) program, now known as the Gardiner Scholarship. It launched in fall 2014 and allows parents to personalize their child’s education based on the individual needs of each unique eligible child. The funds can be used for therapeutic resources, tuition, tutoring, and even virtual school. During the 2014-15 school year, FLVS had 215 successfully completed courses from students with a PLSA. Of these courses, 99 percent were completed with a grade of A B, or C. A special thanks to the legislature and Governor Scott for expanding this program effective July 2016 through SB 672.
The Value of a Diverse Education
By Guest Blogger on January 21st, 2016
This is the ninth post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
Most people who live in the United States believe they are well informed about world events. It isn’t until a person travels that he truly understands how wrong he is.
And by travel, I don’t mean staying at a resort and participating in touristy tours, but going to the local markets, riding the local buses and getting to know the local residents. You can only truly understand and appreciate the culture and people when you’ve transitioned from tourist to traveler.
As a result of social media and cable television, we live in a world of 24/7 news, or so we believe. In reality, very little of the “real world” news seems to filter through the noise of popular media.
Help! I need somebody! Help!
By Guest Blogger on January 19th, 2016
My daughter is not quite two, yet her little brain is abuzz – learning new things at every turn of the corner.
Almost constantly she comes up against something new, something strange or challenging, and every time without fail, she looks up at me with her big brown eyes and says “help!”
It astonishes me how easily she is able to admit she needs a helping hand. How quickly she recognizes she’s facing something new and challenging and she may not get it right the first time. This mindset is what Carol Dweck calls a “growth mindset.” And most children my daughter’s age have it.
They are perfectly okay with asking for help, and not just asking, but receiving it. Continue reading
How I Learned to Play Nice With Others
By Guest Blogger on December 29th, 2015
Confessions of a People Lover
I have a confession to make. There are some people I simply do not get along with. There, I said it. Notice I didn’t say I hate these people, but the honest truth is that sometimes I can only handle them in small doses.
I equate it to my love of chocolate. Two Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, awesome! Two pounds of Reese’s in one sitting, not such a smart idea.
While this may sound harsh, I’ve accepted it as my mental reality and that’s not a bad thing. There are just certain people with personalities that I do not feel mesh well with mine.
I have another confession. Continue reading