Summer is a time of rest and relaxation, and for most people this means putting off most, if not all, of their academic endeavors. And while taking a mental break can be a good thing and actually result in renewed energy for school later, this doesn’t mean that learning has to stop. It’s easy to fall victim to laziness during the summer and cease reading and learning in every capacity.
Throughout the school year and during the summer, you may already be thinking about the upcoming school year and how you and your student can best prepare for the next grade level. At Enlightium, we have several opportunities and activities we recommend to students and their parents/guardians for how your family can best prepare for the upcoming year during the summer months.
What factor is more influential in crafting your child’s education: technology or teacher? Nowadays, technology opens the door to how students can learn, yet this can easily be mishandled and create barriers to education. Studies show that the effectiveness of education appears to have more to do with who is teaching the student than any other factor.1
No two kids learn the same way. Thus, the “one-size-fit-all” approach in education does not work for every child. Students have different learning styles, work at different paces, and have unique strengths and weaknesses. Nowadays, many brick-and-mortar schools are struggling to meet each child's individual needs in the following areas:
When looking at schooling alternatives for your child, you will find yourself with two options:
An immediate list of pros and cons for each option may come to mind, and the idea of monthly or annual tuition may land heavily in the “cons” column. But there are several factors that you may not have yet considered.
The critics of homeschooling argue that homeschooled students are socially delayed due to an inability to physically meet with other students; however, modern-day online homeschooling allows students to socialize face-to-face via video group sessions1. There are also numerous socializing opportunities available to students through sports, church, and extracurricular peer-to-peer opportunities within their own communities.
As parents consider the pros and cons of homeschooling their children, perhaps the most debated topic is that of social engagement, and the topic deserves our attention. The conversation is possibly the most polarizing part of making the decision to educate a child at home. Opponents of homeschooling assert that children in a brick-and-mortar school are given the opportunity to socialize with their peers during a crucial time of development in which they learn how to interrelate appropriately with other children their age. While it is true that traditionally schooled children likely do have more interaction with their peers, parents must consider whether this is in their child’s best interest.
Change is hard. COVID-19 has forced countless schools to change and has led to an unprecedented number of K-12 students completing their school work virtually. As a result, school leaders are in an unusual position in which they must seek temporary solutions to respond to the pandemic while considering their long-term strategic plan.
Several states have K–12 private school education tax benefits, deductions, or refund programs. Please keep the following in mind:
The main benefit of online learning is the teachers. Research indicates that teachers have more genuine relationships with students in online settings since they provide one-on-one interactions with their students and so have a better chance to learn about each student in comparison to the classroom setting.1
Online education is designed around the learner. It allows for self-paced learning that provides students with opportunities to speed up or slow down in their assignments as necessary. Online education also utilizes cutting-edge technologies to support the needs of diverse learners. For example, gifted and talented students can maximize their perceived gifts and talents and progress in their schooling at a quicker rate.2
An individualized approach to learning has been used for decades in K-12 schools as it addresses students who need to proceed through a curriculum more slowly or immerse in a certain topic or principle to really “get” it.
Personalized learning goes beyond individualization; it seeks to understand the personality of the learner which includes the student’s preferences, interests, and aspirations. In personalized learning, instruction is tailored to each student’s interests, innate curiosity, strengths, and needs. It includes enabling student voice and choice in what, how, when, and where they learn - to provide flexibility and support to ensure mastery at the highest standards possible.
With the recent worldwide pandemic, many parents are more concerned than ever about their children’s health and welfare while attending school in-person. Enlightium Academy, a private Christian online school that has gained valuable experience in teaching online courses since 2003, was able to seamlessly support many displaced students during the pandemic and other crises. Partnering with Enlightium Academy in educating your students can be easier than you think!
Since the dawn of the 21st century, various alternatives to K-12 public education have become more common. One of the rising school choice options available to parents, which reflects the reality of how students learn nowadays, is online education. Online education (1) is designed around the learner, allowing for self-paced learning that provides students with opportunities to speed up or slow down as necessary; (2) provides the flexibility offered by online technologies to support the needs of diverse learners; and (3) opens a wide array of options to all learners1.
With recent public and private school closures for in-person learning due to COVID-19, online education has drawn more attention not only from the media, but also academia and health organizations. In the fall of 2020 many public and private schools switched from in-person to remote learning. A decrease in teachers and students’ physical presence in the classroom resulted in an increase in interest in online learning. Perhaps this is why parents wanted to enroll their students in an online school such as Enlightium Academy to prevent academic gaps. One parent reported that they enrolled their child “due to COVID and that their public school was not being fully equipped for remote learning” (Parent of a 6th grade student, WA).
Ken Robinson2, an international advisor on innovative education, noted that a solution to the downsides of public education is individualized learning through technology to discover the individual talents of each child, put students in an environment where they want to learn, and help them naturally discover their true passions.
As you experience the differences of schooling with Enlightium Academy compared to your child’s previous school, you may feel the need to celebrate your journey with family and friends. Since you likely share stories with your friends and family about important milestones and events in your child’s life, along with the joys of watching them grow, we would like to empower you with this guide on how to share your educational achievements and the fruit of a sound Christian education through Enlightium. To help you celebrate your story with your friends and family, our Referral Program allows you to gift a tuition credit or Amazon gift card to anyone who enrolls and receive a tuition credit or gift card for your family per referral.
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Some of the most important developments in education have happened since the launch of the Internet - online learning.
Homeschooling has been an option for parents for decades. In the beginning, parents who educated their children at home faced societal backlash. Many felt they were doing their children a disservice.
Li’l Billy is working on a quiz or test when the internet cuts out and the assessment is turned in automatically. Suddenly, from the living room, “Moooom!” Li’l Billy needs the quiz or test unlocked so he can finish it.
Li’l Billy is going on vacation soon. He would like access to future assignments so he can work on them ahead of time and print a few off to work on while on the road. Suddenly, from the living room, “Moooom!” Some of the assignments are not yet assigned, so Li’l Billy cannot access them.
Li’l Billy is finishing a Bible assignment. He reviews the answer assignment, navigates through a few pages to make sure all of the answers are correct, then hits “submit”. Suddenly, from the living room, “Moooom!” Some of the answers were changed after the assignment was submitted.
Li’l Billy is finishing a history assignment. He’s feeling great about this assignment, navigates through a few pages to make sure all of the answers are filled in, then hits “submit”. Suddenly, from the living room, “Moooom!” Some of the answers are blank even though he just double-checked that they were all filled in.
