The Importance of Taking a Holiday Break from Online School

What kind of holiday student are you? 

I teach at Whitmore School, a private online school, and I also teach at a traditional public high school in South Carolina. As the holidays approach, I see  my public school students waiting for me to announce if I am going to assign any homework – reading, writing, or other activity, while they are out for a break from school. 

It is always my joy, honor, and pleasure each year to tell them that they have NO work (as in Zero. Zilch. Nada). I do want them to spend as much time with their families and friends as they can. Go outside. Read for pleasure. Play games. Make fun recipes. Enjoy being alive.  I see gobs and gobs of relief on their faces as they take in the fact that THEY GET TO BE HUMANS!!! (And the best part is they don’t realize I am secretly doing this for me, too!)

Whitmore School is a little bit different. We are open every day all year with no limits to the days you can post your school work. However, with the holidays coming soon, you get to decide what kind of holiday student you want to be. 

The “Calendar Conscious” Student: 

You have already consulted your calendar, and you know exactly which days you are taking off. Following the traditional holidays that America recognizes makes sense.  So, you intend to submit work every other day except for these days. You may have even put an X across these days on your school calendar. 

The “Holiday Hoopla” Student:

You’ve been working hard, and you deserve a break! You don’t even need a calendar to note that you are taking three days, one week, two weeks, etc. off from school so you can remember what it was like to sleep in, hang out with friends, stay up late, etc. But don’t worry…you have plans to “come back to school” once the holidays are over. 

The “Old Faithful” Student:

Rain or shine, holiday or not, you show up! You can still eat some turkey or open some presents AFTER you post your lessons. We see you! You have made a commitment to submitting school work, and you are not missing out! There are no days off in your book, and you have some awesome perfect attendance to show for it. 

The “Holiday Hybrid” Student:

A successful holiday has a balance of all things, so you have decided to fill your holiday with both work and play. You plan to post some days, and take off some days. As a result, you have the best of both worlds. There are super productive some days, while other days you are having fun with your people.

While your teachers here are delighted to see you post during the upcoming holidays, we also recognize that this is such a special time to be with family and friends. If you choose to submit school work, AWESOME! We’ll be here! If you choose not to, still AWESOME! We will see you when you get back!

Whitmore School is a private online school where students are empowered to take charge of their education. One of the first tasks for new students is to complete the New Student Orientation and set a schedule of “going to school”. Click here to read more about the Life of a Whitmore Student.

Whitmore School, accredited by Cognia, (formerly AdvancED), offers four Diploma Programs for students wishing to enroll full-time to earn their high school diploma. Additionally, students looking to get back on track to graduate on time can enroll in individual courses. Students enroll and begin any time, work at their own pace, and may take up to 12 months to complete their courses.

Written by:

Maggie D.
English Teacher

November 11, 2019 in How to Stay Motivated in Online School, Academic Success in Online School, Virtual School vs. Homeschool

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