Chelsea Mask-Oats
Teacher
My name is Chelsea Mask-Oats, student-turned-teacher at TCAH! I came to Connections Academy at the beginning of my senior year of high school (12th grade), needing a rigorous curriculum with a flexible schedule. I wanted to be able to continue to take honors and AP courses while keeping up with my work schedule and helping my family.
My favorite thing about learning online was the ability to reach out to my teachers via call or text message when I had questions. There would be times that I’d get to my schoolwork later in the evening, and I often heard back from my teachers about my work first thing in the morning.
I chose to go into education because I believe in the power of connection and communication. I wanted to reach students before they began to formulate a “can’t do” mindset. This is partly why I LOVE being able to do this work in the virtual environment. Learning at TCAH works best when we maintain our triad: teacher, as facilitator of learning; parent/learning coach, as support; student, as a stakeholder in their own learning.
My greatest piece of advice: ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS if you are unsure of something. There’s a chance that someone else has the same question; they just don’t know how to ask!