Tessie Bailey
Parent and Learning Coach
Tessie Bailey is mother and Learning Coach to Conner, a middle school student who struggled in brick-and-mortar public school and private school. Tessie says, “My son has a very active life outside of school. … I appreciate the flexibility in his schedule and being able to provide him immediate instruction if needed.”
The Online School Experience at Utah Connections Academy
Utah Connections Academy believes communication with parents is very important. When asked how she connects with her son’s teachers, Tessie said, “I just email and always know they will respond.
“[Conner and I] like doing art together and I appreciate being able to help him with his writing. I think he missed a lot of the explicit instruction when he was in a traditional public school and was a bit behind.”
“As a former professor who taught online, I think it’s helpful for [my son] to be comfortable with online learning. This school provides that opportunity. It has also helped him learn to self-manage, which is a valuable life skill.”
— Tessie
Tips and Suggestions for Families Joining This School
Tessie offers the following advice to families new to Utah Connections Academy:
- Ask the teachers to connect your child with another student to learn how they move through school.
- Teach your student how to learn and manage their learning. Doing everything for the student can be overwhelming and worse for learning.
- Help the student set time frames for completing activities and clarify what a finished product should look like. The outcome is learning and content mastery, not completing everything perfectly.
- Establish routines that are predictable and can be taught. For example, always start at the same time and require outside play for a full 15 minutes around the same time.
- Don’t let kids work through classes [all day] without breaks. This teaches poor work skills and can reduce learning. Kids need to be away from the computer frequently throughout the day.
