Meet Gabbie and Josh

Gabbie’s a math whiz who needs a little extra time for writing. Josh finds a sense of calm and balance by taking deep dives into science. As advanced learners, they enjoy being challenged with lots of curricular choices they can work through at their own speed.

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Why This Family Chose K12

Mom and Learning Coach Elmater moves her advanced learners along through a flexible and challenging environment that unlocks their full potential, inside and outside the classroom. Gabbie and Josh excel at their own pace with time for basketball and ballet.

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Push your intellect further

Gabbie and Josh felt unchallenged in traditional learning environments. With K12, they speed past topics they’ve already mastered and focus on gaining new skills.

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Pursue outside passions

Thanks to flexible scheduling options, Gabbie and Josh now have more time for family time, trips to the museum, and fun, educational scavenger hunts.

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Personalize your education

Gabbie is energetic and refocuses after a tea party break. Josh finishes his math work early so he has time to play golf. It’s all possible thanks to the flexible, tailored learning environment backed by certified teachers and a mom like Elmater.

3rd Grade

A Day in the Life of Gabbie

When frustrations arise, Gabbie knows to go outside for a breath of fresh air, play a song on the piano with her brother, or shoot hoops with her friends to relax and recoup her focus. With coping strategies and her Learning Coach’s loving guidance, she stays on schedule for the live classes and breezes through her independent studies.

CLASSES AND ASSIGNMENTS

Sprout Up Strong With Mom’s Support

As a third-grader, Gabbie spends four to six hours a day working with her mom and Learning Coach. She takes live math and science classes and completes writing, English, history, and art on her own. With all materials delivered to her doorstep, Gabbie’s days run smoothly.

schedule

Break—or Breakdance—When You Need It

Gabbie may start her morning with vocabulary practice and a writing exercise, followed by live math and science classes. She whips up a hip-hop dance routine and checks on her big brother between assignments to destress. When she has questions, she can reach out to her teacher via live classes, email, or weekly office hours.

CURRICULUM

Supercharge Your School Structure

Elementary school students like Gabbie may take classes in between four and six subjects, two to four of which require live classes. Gabbie learns her English, math, science, and social studies core through engaging, interactive online lessons based on tried-and-true educational approaches. As she gets older, her schedule will have more room for electives that she can choose to further her interests and love of learning.

FUN AND RELAXATION

Enjoy a Balanced Life With Time to Let Loose

Gabbie lives in a neighborhood with lots of kids her age. Her flexible school schedule allows time to enjoy her vibrant community. Sometimes the whole community congregates around their backyard basketball net, providing a great opportunity to socialize and trade stories. Thursday field trips are a highlight of her week, whether they involve games at the playground or a hayride with friends through the park.

8th Grade

A Day in the Life of Josh

Josh does his best thinking and processing while practicing three-pointers in the fresh air and sunshine. K12 flexibility lets him lead a more well-rounded life, giving him wings to fly.

CLASSES AND ASSIGNMENTS

Gain Independence

Middle schooler Josh takes charge of his own schoolwork with greater independence. If he gets stuck, he can ask his mom questions or connect with his teacher during office hours. His mom helpfully checks in with him daily to ensure he completes all his offline assignments. Through a mix of live classes and independent coursework, Josh prepares for high school.

SCHEDULE

Grow a Garden Variety of Knowledge

Josh’s day starts with graphing equations in live math class led by a state-certified teacher. Next, he learns about early civilizations and World War II through self-guided history and language arts lessons. His live physics class covering the laws of motions is especially inspiring, as Josh will compete in the science fair this year.

CURRICULUM

Slam-Dunk Your Studies

Eighth graders like Josh typically take classes in between five and six subjects each semester, two to four of which may require live scheduled classes. When he’s not in a live history or science class, he furthers his studies with trips to the museum, science fair projects, and downtime for sports like basketball and golf.

ADVANCED ACADEMICS

Personalize Your Path and Reach Your Potential

Josh is continuously challenged at school now — especially in math, where his teacher gives him extra assignments to push him forward. Since switching to K12-powered online school, Elmater notices a confidence boost in both her children as they engage with coursework that matches their potential.

FUN AND RELAXATION

Socialize With Your Community

Josh is fortunate to live near lots of other kids his age. After school, his backyard basketball net becomes the community’s central meeting grounds. Through field trips, piano lessons, family time, and K12’s large list of local extracurricular clubs and activities, Josh leads a well-rounded life.

Learning Coach

A Day in the Life of Elmater

Learning Coaches have a unique opportunity to get involved in their students’ academic and social lives. Through the K12 portal, Elmater arranges extracurricular activities that enrich her children’s learning and social circles. She meets regularly with teachers and sees that Josh and Gabbie learn important skills like how to self-regulate, redirect, and focus.

TIME COMMITMENT

Divide Your Attention According to Need

Learning Coaches typically spend between four and six hours each day with third-graders and other elementary school students like Gabbie, providing guidance and oversight. Middle schoolers like Josh tend to be more independent, with a time expectation closer to one to three hours per day.

FAMILY SCHEDULE

Flex and Support Your Students

While no two days are exactly alike, the program provides enough schedule and structure that families never feel lost. When energetic Gabbie needs to take a moment to bounce around or wants to talk through something she’s learned, Elmater is there with undivided attention. When Josh is putting together his science project for the state fair, she can lend a hand.

TEACHER SUPPORT AND COMMUNICATION

Partner With Experts in Online Education

As a Learning Coach, Elmater receives a front-row seat in watching her children “learn how to learn.” As their confidence blossoms through the engaging, interactive lessons, Elmater’s confidence in her role grows as well. All the teachers she works with are well-supported with intuitive tools, technical experts, and training in the latest online education methods to provide the best possible homeschool learning path.

Family Q&A

Hands-on Learning Coach Elmater schedules weekly office hours with Josh and Gabbie’s teachers and sees her role as an important part of parenting. Backed by a “village of support,” Elmater confidently steers her children in the right direction.

Question 1 of 6

Why did you switch to online school?

Traditional schools seemed to have a one-size-fits all curriculum, where everyone had to fit into the same box. They weren’t focused on the individual child. I wanted a more student-focused option for my children — an option where they could work at their own levels and take more advanced courses.

Question 2 of 6

How has K12-powered school benefited your family?

I’m quite happy with K12. My children are learning how to learn. They’re becoming more independent, and we can tailor our approach more. For example, they can both move more quickly through their math lessons so Gabbie can take more time on writing skills and Josh can take more time on history reading.

I like online school because you don’t have any distractions. I enjoy being able to take breaks with my brother, too. We like to go on walks or ride bikes together.

The biggest benefit for me is that I can work at my own pace, so I can move through things faster. I don’t have as much homework because I get my assignments done during the school day. I have more free time to do my experiments, write up my data, and get outside more.

Question 3 of 6

Was there anything that surprised you about online school?

I’m continuously surprised by how much I get out of my children being in online school. It’s fulfilling to be a part of their learning, and I’ve also been inspired to advance my own lifelong learning journey. I’m taking a few online world language courses now.

I talk to my friends from my old school, and they’re surprised by the types of things I’m already learning. It’s like I’m further ahead in school now.

The whole science fair experience surprised me, too. I wasn’t expecting my project to make it so far, to the national level.

Question 4 of 6

How do you navigate life as a Learning Coach?

To me, being Josh’s and Gabbie’s Learning Coach is simply another part of parenting. I don’t think it makes me special. I’ve learned so much from working closely with my children. We also take field trips to local parks or playgrounds with other families when we can.

Question 5 of 6

What do your breaks look like during the day?

I like the schedule because it’s flexible enough for us to take the breaks my children need. That helps teach them how to self-regulate and get back on task. That’s an essential set of skills they weren’t learning in their old schools.

I like to do a lot of different things for breaks. I like to dance. Sometimes I want to make tea with mom or play piano with Josh. Other times I want to be outside, so we’ll go for a walk or sit on the front porch.

We have a basketball hoop outside, and when I get frustrated by something in class, I like to go out after and play for a bit. It helps me relax so that I can think about the concept or problem differently. Sometimes my friends will come over to play basketball, which is fun.

Question 6 of 6

Do you have any advice for families that might be considering online school?

Relax and look for the good side. I was worried at first because I wasn’t going to be around other kids all day, besides Gabbie. Once I got used to online school, I saw how much more free time I had, and that was worth it to me. Plus, I still get to see and talk to my friends.

You can do it, too. Don’t be bashful when it comes to asking questions. K12 gives you a lot of resources, your daily class schedules and assignments, and all the materials your kids need to do their work. You also have your own village of support in the teachers and other Learning Coaches.

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Learning With K12

From kindergarten to high school, K12 provides tuition-free online education that empowers students to learn in ways that work for them. Browse options in your state to find the perfect fit for your family.

These are the stories of real students attending K12-powered schools and their families. Content is a combination of direct quotes and summaries from interviews. Their stories each reflect their experiences at their respective schools. Actual experiences can vary by student and school. These pages are designed to reflect a typical day in the life of a student attending an online K12-powered school. Individual class schedules and requirements will vary by state, school, and the individual needs of each student.