From our crumbless corridors to our amazing school lunches (Taco Tuesday everyday? Count me in!), being in online school sure has its perks. And what’s the best part? We’re the NUMBER ONE online school in Texas! (Go owls!!) The reason why is because of our welcoming and encouraging community, amazing teachers, dedicated staff, and curious students. Students from all grades agree
that iUP is owl-some in many ways! It has helped us all grow, learn, and challenge ourselves to do better. In this article, we’re going to talk about why our owls feel this way and how iUP has helped them soar!
Why Pick iUP?
Why pick iUP in the first place? There are a lot of factors, the biggest ones being our flexible schedules, advanced academics, and welcoming atmosphere.
Schedule flexibility is a pretty big thing for a lot of our students. We have gymnasts, athletes, travelers, and everything in between. Flexibility is a HUGE factor for people with busy schedules, as it helps better plan and prioritize your time. Clarissa, 8th, says, “…it gave me a chance to get good grades, even though I don’t have the time.” Cassidy, 9th, likes “… being able to balance school and competitive volleyball.” Being able to plan your schoolwork around your interests and out-of-school activities is a huge advantage that a lot of schools don’t have.
Advanced academics is also a big factor. Brea Blay, 11th, says, “Moreover, the academics [in my old school] lacked depth and didn’t push me hard enough. I feel more challenged here and have definitely met my community with academic oriented classmates.” Bruce Heier, 6th, says that “It made [school] a bit more my level: advanced.” iUP courses are challenging enough, but perfectly balanced so that we are able to manage it. I for one really love the fact that the courses are advanced, as it helped me unlock my full potential.
Lastly, iUP has an extremely welcoming atmosphere. This helps a lot of owls feel comfortable to learn, grow, and truly be themselves. Nia, 9th, talks about how her old school has a strict attendance policy when she says, “If someone was there for 99 percent of the time, then they would get to skip their final exam. I am disabled physically, mentally, and emotionally. I would break their only 2 absences rule within a week or 2 or 3 for sure. I couldn’t deal with the fact that everyone else had more of an advantage at school because I was different.” That’s a horrible situation to be in. Luckily, Nia stumbled across iUP, where she is welcomed and treated fairly. Daquane Morgan Jr., 12th, was having a bit of trouble switching from a brick and mortar school to homeschool. He says, “With the switch to homeschooling came new difficulties: an unfamiliar schooling type and self-led learning. That was not ideal for me. iUP has structure, teachers, graduation, events, and clubs all for the at home student.” This makes it easy for owls to feel like they are a part of a school community, even if they are schooling at home!
How has iUP Impacted and Made a Difference in Us?
iUP has made a difference for us all. Whether it’s by helping us learn better or impacting our daily life, we all have that one thing about iUP that is the game changing factor for us. Let’s look at some ways that iUP has impacted our owls.
One amazing thing about iUP is that the teachers are so approachable, supportive, and kind. Moon, 11th, loves “ …the relationship I have with my teachers/ staff!! They all are so amazing and supportive!” Another one of our owls in 9th grade adds, “I feel that iUP has made it easier to get in touch with my professors. The community is really great, and they make you feel important and seen. You are not just another student in this school. The teachers are really amazing, and they are always supporting the students. Sometimes, if I have a question late at night or on the weekends, my teachers still help me.” She is most definitely right! In fact, I think all of our owls can agree that our owl professors are the best in the whole of Texas!
Being able to learn at your own pace makes learning a lot easier. One of our owls in 11th grade notes that “Learning at my own pace has allowed me to take enough time to fully understand concepts, which has in turn made me actually enjoy learning!” Sanmith Devan feels that being able to learn at her own pace has “…made a huge difference in my learning because it helps me understand topics faster without having to waste 3 days just to teach the topic.” Having the ability to enjoy and understand our work while working at our own pace is a huge advantage that gives us owls that extra edge over other online students.
Mental health is a huge factor for all of us. No one wants to be stressed out constantly because of school. That’d be horrible! Nia, 9th, is so happy that “I can come to school and enjoy learning instead of worrying about getting made fun of for the umpteenth time about how I look, dress, or act. I can enjoy learning.” Teagan Sontz enjoys that “I don’t have to stress myself doing 8 hours of school a day. Instead, I have time to do other things that interest me.” You know what they say: happy mind, happy life! (No one says that… but it’s- it’s ok.)
Conclusion
I could go on and on and on about all the ways that iUP is so incredible and how amazing our owls are. In fact, I could probably write on for another three whole pages. But I don’t think that anyone would make it through the article then, would they? So instead, I’ll leave you with a short summary of this article and a meaningful message from two of our fellow owls. People choose iUP for a number of reasons, including flexibility, academics, and atmosphere. So many of our owls love the fact that our teachers are caring and kind, and that we have the ability to finish our school work at our own pace while actually learning and enjoying it. Eriany Medina, 10th, puts it perfectly. She says that “iUP isn’t just any old school; it is a whole community!” And Nia, 9th, is extremely grateful as well. “Thank you for creating a world where I am not afraid to try” is her heartfelt message to this incredible school. Keep up the owl-some work, owls!!
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Salams (Peace)!
