Tips for Students
Smell the Roses
By Guest Blogger on February 1st, 2017
This post was written by Cheyenne, a student in the FLVS Creative Writing Club, for her peers with a passion for writing.
I can say, more often than not, that I prefer to schedule as much of my day as I possibly can.
There have been instances when I throw organization to the wind and let the day lead me as it pleases, without so much as a pause to think about how little I completed during my waking hours.
Eventually, it began to wear on me how much time I seem to waste, but how little time I have to be productive. I have become accustomed to writing down my itinerary – scheduling my day minute by minute – simply because I can no longer stand the thought of letting a minute go by, unnamed and unused, in my day without purpose.
I discovered quickly, though, how easy it is to make a schedule but fall out of pace with it. I cannot give inspiration a time slot; like the butterflies in spring or the cool breath of winter, inspiration will come and go as it pleases. It may not visit me at all on some days, and therefore, the time I reserved for writing goes unused. Continue reading
Cooney World Adventures Blog Series
By Guest Blogger on July 19th, 2016
If you’ve ever dreamed of traveling the world, it may not be as complicated as you think.
In 2008, Mike Cooney traveled the world with his wife, Catrell, and three teenage sons, Morgan, Zach, and Harrison, who studied online with FLVS. After selling their home, downsizing, and packing up their belongings, the family traveled across six continents and 22 countries…more than 61,000 miles! Today, Mike shares their experiences at speaking events and talks about his book which details their adventures. As Mike likes to say, “If we can do it, anyone can!”
In a year-long blog series on The Virtual Voice, Morgan, Zach, and Harrison and their parents shared their experience: Continue reading
Outdoor Education and National Safe Boating Week
By Guest Blogger on May 23rd, 2016
One year old. That’s how old my daughter was the first time we took her to the Florida Keys with us to go lobstering on our 20-foot Proline Center Console. While she was too little to help us catch anything, it was the start of her love for boating. My son’s experience was similar.
It was easy to fall in love with being out on the water. In fact, I think I could say that both of my kids spent half of their time in high school on the water as both were on the crew team. My daughter continued this in college. Today, as an adult, she and her husband just bought their first boat, a 21-foot Dual Console Chaparral! (Looks like boating will be a family tradition for her growing family, too!) Continue reading
Become a Research Jedi using Google Search
By Florida Virtual School on May 11th, 2016
Become a research Jedi so you will never have to go to the Dark Side.
In a galaxy far, far away…all of Padawans turned in their research projects on time and received perfect scores every time…and…uh…wait a minute – this does sound like a fictional world!
Let’s land in the real world where a research project requires time and effort and especially some serious research skills. Cue the dramatic music and let’s begin your training! Continue reading
A Life-Changing Experience
By Guest Blogger on April 20th, 2016
This is the final post in a series by the Cooney family about their world travels, made possible by the flexible learning offered at FLVS.
For the past 12 months, my family and I have been recounting our trek around the world and sharing what it meant to each of us.
Although it’s been nearly seven years since we returned in September 2009, there is not a day that goes by we don’t think about what the trek meant to us individually and collectively. Needless to say, it was a life-changing experience for each of us. My wife Catrell and I set several goals before leaving on our trek and they were all met. 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
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
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.
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