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FLVS Career and Technical Education Course Tour

By on December 10th, 2015

FLVS Career and TechComputer Science Education Week is a great time to think about getting certified with FLVS!

But what exactly does getting a technical certification mean?

With more than 20 Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses to choose from at FLVS, you can earn certifications from companies like Microsoft, Adobe, and Cisco. A certification shows employers that you have the most current skills and that you meet performance standards within the tech industry—an industry that continues to grow every year.

Interested in Computer Programming, Networking, or Digital Media and Design? With CTE courses at FLVS, you may be able to get a jump start on college credit and earn a weighted credit to boost your GPA. Continue reading


Internships at FLVS

By on October 15th, 2015

InternshipsSeven years.

That’s how long I taught in a brick-and-mortar classroom before joining FLVS. While a lot has changed since I taught in the classroom, there are still some common challenges that were faced by teachers during my time and are still faced by teachers today – the biggest one being technology.

I remember computers being placed in my classroom and all the information I was supposed to take in at once. I was introduced to DOS, Windows, BASIC, Word Perfect Suite (with reveal codes), Windows, Office, HTML, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc, etc, etc…never ending! With each one, just when I started to feel comfortable using it myself, a new one would come.

Continue reading


Five Surprising Things About Teaching with FLVS

By on October 8th, 2015

5 Surprising Things About Teaching OnlineAs a veteran classroom teacher, I was both excited and scared when I made the leap to online instruction with FLVS last year.

Like many teachers who explore the virtual school option, I was attracted to the flexibility of online work. Not having to be in my classroom at 7:45 each morning? Win! Not having to wear professional shoes? Double win! There were lots of things to look forward to, but I was nervous too. Would the online experience feel cold and impersonal? Would I actually teach, and would students learn? Would online teaching challenge me professionally? I decided to make the leap, and I am SO happy that I did! I’ve learned that my fears were completely unfounded, and I’ve discovered lots of things along the way that have pleasantly surprised me about teaching and learning with FLVS. Continue reading


Projected Job Growth vs. Openings

By on January 23rd, 2015

Job openingsWhat if you were asked to identify the top 10 fastest growing occupations in Florida? The answer might be quite surprising. According to the Statewide Demand Occupations List, these are the winners with the highest percentage of growth expected:

1. Brick masons and Block masons
2. Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
3. Cost Estimators
4. Heating, A.C., and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
5. Interpreters and Translators
6. Physical Therapist Assistants
7. Medical Secretaries
8. Dental Hygienists
9. Meeting and Convention Planners Continue reading


The Right Stuff

By on January 6th, 2015

EQ-coverI’ve recently been reading the Steve Jobs biography. It is no secret that Jobs was a creative marketing genius, and that he brought many incredible products to life that transformed entire industries. However, several times in his biography, it is mentioned that he shamelessly manipulated others, threw tantrums, screamed insults, and provoked controversy. He was challenged in his relationships, and it resulted in certain setbacks in his career.

The phrase Emotional Intelligence, or its casual shorthand EQ, is the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Many researchers have claimed EQ is more important to leadership success than IQ, while others have claimed the exact opposite. I wonder if it is, perhaps, a combination of both. IQ provides the foundational skills of functional expertise and the ability to create new ideas. EQ pushes those foundational skills to the next level. EQ, simply put, is a different way of being smart. Continue reading


Researching Career Opportunities

By on July 8th, 2014

career researchHigh school students may be busy researching colleges to attend, but researching a future career and matching career aspirations with the right college is also important.

This post will cover how to research your future career like a pro as a follow-up to my previous post, Researching Colleges like a Pro.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a free online Occupational Handbook. This is a quick and easy site to use to research careers. It’s so easy that this post will be super short!

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Interview Tips: Knowing When to Stop Talking

By on April 11th, 2014

interviewYour palms are sweating. Your knees are shaking. You feel like you’re rambling. You probably are. STOP.

Job interviews can be incredibly intimidating. You sit across the table from high-level executives and try to prove your worth. In behavioral-based interviews, you are asked several specific, action-driven questions. Your interviewers want to know the details of specific instances when you applied your natural talents and learned skills to unite stakeholders, lead teammates, and solve challenges.

The first problem you face is you’re drawing a blank. Funny, I can’t think of a single time I ever spoke to a single customer or solved a single problem… Continue reading


Leap of Faith

By on March 14th, 2013

Leap of FaithThere is a reason that I am at Florida Virtual School (FLVS) – my aunt made me take a leap of faith. In 1997, a friend interviewed for Florida High School, an early name for FLVS. When she came back from the interview, she said, “You need to go interview – this is made for you.” So, I went to meet with Julie Young and heard about the plans for this radical new thing called a virtual school.

After being offered a position, I went home and agonized all night. I had a nice teaching job where I knew what was going to happen tomorrow, and I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen next year and the following. This was radical – no one in the country was trying to create a public virtual school. It could fail before it even started. Continue reading