Independence, self-discipline, and self-motivation are the three most essential factors for success in college, and it’s not a coincidence that those three factors are also imperative for success in cyber school. Each new school year, more and more students around the country are enrolling in an online school, like PA Distance Learning Charter School (PDLCS), because they strive to be independent, self-disciplined, and self-motivated.
PA Distance Learning gives students the choice to work with a teacher and work independently, which is very similar to college. Live classes are held at least once a week for each subject area, but for the other four days students mainly work autonomously. Of course they have the option to request extra time with the teacher, but most of our students enjoy the independence. College freshman and recent PDLCS graduate AJ Rasheed claims: “Cyber school teaches you to work on your own, and it allows you to get progressively better. You don’t hustle from class to class like you would in a brick and mortar school, and the same goes for college…if you can be independent and work well enough on your own in cyber school, then you will do just as well in college.” AJ learned to be independent at PDLCS and he carried that skill on with him to college. He has made the Dean’s list, received three internship offers, and a job within the university he attends. He gives much credit for his success to what he was taught at PDLCS.
Along with learning to be independent, PDLCS students are taught to be self-disciplined early in their studies so they can be successful in school. This skill is also kept at a high standard for success in college. Cyber school students (along with college students) can only be successful if they take on the responsibility to complete their work well and on time. Like in college, cyber school students are not given a set daily schedule; they know their class times and due dates, but it is up to them to decide when they will get their work done. It is a truth that only students who are self-disciplined are successful in cyber school and in college. PA Distance Learning 2011 graduate and current freshman at Geneva College, Olivia Mitchell says: “PA Distance Learning prepared me for college in many ways, but the most important aspect they taught me was self-discipline…I had to be disciplined in high school to do my readings and homework, and the same goes for college. Self-discipline is reflected in your grades. If you practice self-discipline in cyber school and in college, then your grades will soar as you do.” Self-discipline correlates with success, and the graduates of PDLCS have come to know that fact quite well.
High school teachers have come to accept that it is a challenge to motivate teenagers. It is difficult for many students to have the motivation to complete their schoolwork and want to be successful in high school when they are sitting directly in front of the teacher and around their peers in a brick and mortar school. Imagine how much more difficult it is for a student in a cyber school to acquire the motivation to be successful in school. Most cyber school students are, however, up for the challenge. A cyber school student has to find the motivation within to be successful in high school just as students have to do in college. Teachers and professors are there for encouragement, but it is ultimately up to the student to find ways to be motivated. Recent PDLCS graduate and college freshman Emma Daugherty stated: “Attending a cyber school helped me to learn how to motivate myself. After a few short weeks of entering PDLCS I had a routine that kept me motivated. At first, my parents and teachers gave me the encouragement and support to get my work done and do to it well, but after a while I was self-motivated. I now know that if I motivate myself I can succeed in anything I do.” Without this self-motivation it is very difficult to succeed in both cyber school and college; however, cyber school students learn to find this motivation early and carry it with them on to their post-secondary education.
Cyber school is the best preparation for college, because it gives students the skills necessary to prepare for post-secondary education. Independence, self-discipline and self-motivation are only three key skills. Other students interviewed claim that cyber school is a great preparation for college because of the similarities in work load, the teaching of time management skills, the mastery of technology, the relationship with the real world, and the support of teachers. PDLCS students who were interviewed state that the support cyber school teachers give their students helps with success in college. A recent graduate and current intern at Walt Disney World Aquarium states: “The PDLCS staff gave me the support I needed to succeed and reach my goals. Without them, I’m not sure where I would be.” Anything a student experiences in cyber school, from technology to the teachers, will help prepare them for post-secondary education.
