Connect with a Connections Academy Parent

During the end of summer 2003, my family and I attended one of Ohio Connection Academy’s information sessions. We were so impressed by the program that with only a couple of weeks before school started, we withdrew from the private school our children had been attending for five years and enrolled in Ohio Connections Academy. My children were entering 5th and 6th grades at the time. This fall will be our sixth year and we have loved every year. Next year my son will be in 11th grade and my daughter in 10th.

The Ohio Connections Academy high school program is very challenging and has more than prepared them for the Ohio Graduation Achievement tests. In high school they have taken advantage of the honors classes and will be taking Advanced Placement classes next fall. They have participated in the Ohio Connections Academy Academic Fair, where my daughter received a 1st place and my son a second place award in the Science Fair. My daughter went on to compete in a state-wide science fair at Cleveland University and placed 2nd.

They have enjoyed the many field trips they have attended and have really enjoyed getting to know their teachers and other students. The teachers at Ohio Connections Academy have been some of the most helpful my children have known. We consider the teachers and staff a very important part of our family and are looking forward to the years to come.

Imagine, if you will, three children, all well behaved but frustrated with school. They are doing well, but are not challenged academically. They wait for other students to behave or to follow directions. They wait to move ahead in their courses so that others may catch up, and they spend a great deal of time preparing for standardized tests.

Now imagine these three children two years later, happy with school and excelling with a rigorous, up-to-date curriculum. They participate in hands-on activities in math and science and are learning how to effectively express themselves in writing. They use technology every day in a way that is meaningful and innovative, and they have become proficient users of software programs like MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. They enjoy frequent field trips to interesting sites all over Ohio and have made many new friends.

The difference is Ohio Connections Academy!

As the mother of these three children, I am thrilled with the turnaround and am excited about the way OCA personalizes my children’s education according to their individual needs. All have access to Gifted and Talented classes, which are very different from the enrichment they were getting in our local schools. All are able to work in the style that best suits them. My oldest likes routine and does her classes in the same order each day. My middle child enjoys the freedom to make changes based on her interests each day, and my youngest likes to have direction from me, the "Learning Coach," throughout the day. All enjoy the personal connection they have with their OCA teachers, who may be contacted by telephone, WebMail, or online LiveLessons. I am very impressed with the high level of knowledge and professionalism displayed by the OCA staff.

I am very happy to have found OCA and to be participating fully in my children's education! It is a truly outstanding school filled with opportunity!

When I began researching virtual schools and found Ohio Connections Academy, I felt it was a perfect meld of the things I wanted in a school for my daughter. I wanted a personalized experience and high academic standards as well as flexibility. My oldest daughter began kindergarten in 2004, and I now also have my younger daughter enrolled. My daughters are in fifth and third grade and are doing very well academically.

Ohio Connections Academy has a progressive curriculum that includes up-to-date textbooks, workbooks, and lab supplies. They have Gifted and Talented courses available for advanced students, as well as courses for those who need remediation. Computers are used in learning, but the mainstay of my students’ learning comes from the interaction between me, as their Learning Coach, and them. Not to be minimized is the link between the teachers and the students. The teachers are caring, easy to work with, and eager to help. If you are experiencing any difficulty, they are happy to assist in whatever way they can.

There are many opportunities for enrichment, both from within the lessons themselves, and from the experiences you include yourself. For instance, our family takes educational field trips during the school year, which we all love very much. Last year we went to Colonial Williamsburg for a week, and this year we went to Washington, D.C. Yellowstone is on the books for September. If our daughters were enrolled in traditional school, it would be difficult to do this, but our family benefits from the flexibility of the program.

I highly recommend Connections Academy. I have been with them for six years and hope to continue through graduation. I truly appreciate that Ohio Connections Academy continually strives to improve the program for all involved parties. They listen to the parents and hear your concerns and feedback. They truly want your student to be fulfilled and have a good experience. With this winning combination, I feel confident that my daughters will have a successful education.

We have been with Connections Academy since 2006 and are planning to continue until my children graduate.

What has my experience been like as a Learning Coach? I am so thankful that I have this pleasure. Not only do I understand my children’s needs, I have also bonded better with them. As a mother, part of my job is to be their advocate. Since I am directly involved, I have a better understanding of what needs to be voiced or addressed, especially at their age. Ohio Connections Academy really does an excellent job at listening and solving an issue before it becomes a problem. As a Learning Coach, I don’t worry about teaching the material. I sit in and enjoy learning with my children and being part of their lives. The responsibility isn’t a burden like it would be if I homeschooled. Therefore, I enjoy it more.

What has my experience with the teachers been like? In the last four years, I have had exceptional encounters with Ohio Connections Academy teachers. When dealing with the children or Learning Coach’s concerns, they have responded almost immediately. The grades are given within a day or two. The teachers have always made the LiveLesson® sessions interesting and easy to comprehend.

What is our experience with socialization at Ohio Connections Academy? At first, I was criticized for doing virtual school because others felt it would ruin my children socially. I even feared this in the beginning. However, time has proven that virtual school has actually bettered them socially. I have had the children in gymnastics for five years, karate for four years, soccer for two years, and wrestling for one year. They go to church on Sunday and Wednesday. I am always told in amazement how well my children behave and get along with others.

If I could rewind time and change my mind about Connections Academy and enrolling my children, I definitely would make the same decision with less hesitation.

I am very pleased with my experience with Ohio Connections Academy. My daughter has truly benefited from being enrolled at this school as well.

The option of learning a foreign language especially appeals to me, as my daughter is very good with languages, and our family has been endeavoring to learn at least two new languages in addition to English. The fact that she doesn’t have to wait until high school to be able to learn a second (or third) language is wonderful, because children tend to pick up languages more quickly when they are young. The Educational Technology course is outstanding in that it teaches students how to use Microsoft products, which will be beneficial in the real world when it comes to finding a job. My daughter really enjoys creating PowerPoint presentations and learning new features of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

There is also great room in the curriculum for students to be creative. For some lessons, they can choose to pick their own science project, to do an interview as a character from a story on video for a language arts project, to create a board game for math, and the list goes on!

I’m very happy to be able to have greater parental involvement—knowing what is going on in her curriculum and having an active part in her learning process. I’ve also found that my daughter gets sick much less often than she did when she was in a bricks-and-mortar school.

I’ve also enjoyed attending school field trips, like the one to Harry London Chocolate Factory. I’ve enjoyed the field trips so much that I’ve volunteered as a Community Coordinator to help arrange field trips for the students. This has been very fun and helpful in getting my daughter needed interaction with her peers. Ohio Connections Academy has been the wisest educational decision that I’ve made for my daughter. Thanks, Ohio Connections Academy!

We have been with Ohio Connections Academy (OCA) since March of 2008. I transferred my daughter from her public school because I was at a loss for what else to do for her. She had accomplished nothing the entire school year prior. All she managed to do during class was talk and pass notes, and she was concerned with nothing but fashion and gossip. She was going to fail the sixth grade if I didn’t do something.

I did some research about online schools and loved what I read about OCA. The hook for me was the curriculum. As an education major, I know the importance of a strong curriculum, as well as first-rate resources, textbooks, and materials and activities to reinforce lessons. OCA supplied it all: up-to-date textbooks, online resources such as BrainPOP® and Discovery Education, LiveLesson® sessions, workbooks, Teachlet® tutorials, and projects to complement every unit in every subject. They even offer foreign language in elementary and middle school, as well as in high school.

Starting OCA was painless. The enrollment process was straightforward and quick. My daughter’s supplies reached us quickly. The school gives a tutorial that takes the Learning Coaches through every aspect of the e-school experience, so I didn’t feel overwhelmed or intimidated by this new experience. The staff as well as the tutorial helped me feel comfortable and confident in my role.

My daughter was upset with having to use virtual school at first, but within two weeks, her enthusiasm peaked, she began working voluntarily rather than by force, and she was more concentrated and careful with her work. The one quarter with OCA made all the difference. She was no longer defiant, careless, scattered, and sloppy. She was cooperative, careful, focused—the daughter I always knew I had but who was previously lost to me. My son, seeing the change in his older sister, decided that he, too, HAD to be a part of OCA, even though he was having no problems in his bricks-and-mortar school, but instead was excelling.

I have been very pleased with both of my children’s progress while being with OCA. The teachers are extremely helpful, patient, understanding, and giving. It is fortunate to find such dedication in teachers. It is nearly like my children have their own private tutors on call for their every need. I couldn’t ask for more for my children. That is saying a lot. I am extremely high-strung and demanding when it comes to the welfare of my children. Any school that can meet my standards and expectations has got to be something special.