How Can I Help My Child Succeed in High School?

Help! My daughter is struggling in high school!

My 9th-grade daughter began attending her local high school and immediately became very discouraged. Alina was having difficulty fitting in, but more importantly, she was not doing well in some of her classes. She struggled in math and would not raise her hand or ask for help for fear of being ridiculed.  Once she thought she couldn’t do the work, things got worse, very quickly. Although this school was one of the best in the state, they couldn’t help her succeed. In fact, they told us she probably would not graduate.  

Looking for a solution

I knew she was smart; she just needed more time to complete her work. She couldn’t keep up with the pace at her local high school.  We searched for an alternative and found Whitmore School, an online school that was perfect because it allows students to work at their own pace. No semesters, no books to buy, no tests, and a mastery-based learning system made all the difference.

Empowered to take responsibility for her education

When we enrolled my daughter at Whitmore, she had difficulty managing her time in the first couple of weeks.  She would sleep late, play music or watch TV, and she was not progressing very fast in any subject. Then something amazing happened. Alina made up her mind that she wanted to make this work (without mom or dad trying to motivate her).  She came up with a schedule that made sense to her. She decided to do school work in the morning for an hour and a half or two hours, take a break, then do another session in the afternoon. She found she had time for a part-time job, as well as time for socializing with her friends.  

Resolution

The results were dramatic! Once she applied herself, she started to see A’s and B’s in her lessons. She got to know her teachers well because she was working one-to-one with them.  Her confidence and self-esteem grew daily. My daughter was being transformed right in front of our eyes. She became not only a good student but someone that enjoyed learning.  She ended up graduating early with a 3.879 GPA! She went on to college and was very well prepared.  

I believe the change came when she took responsibility for her own education.  It wasn’t mom or dad pushing her. It was her own decision to apply herself without fear of her peers interfering.  Once she saw the great grades, she started to believe that she was capable. Success perpetuated success. 

Click here is you would like to learn more about Whitmore School’s mastery-learning.

Click here if you would like to read more Blogs from Whitmore School.

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 Steve Ray, Business Manager and Parent of Alina, 2009 Graduate of Whitmore

March 24, 2021 in How to Stay Motivated in Online School, Academic Success in Online School

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