“Virtual school an idea that really works”
Opinion
by Wade Henderson
Shreveport Times
December 3, 2011
Four years ago, I got involved with several other parents and educators from across Louisiana to try to charter the first statewide online public school, or what is known as a “virtual” school.
I was interested in this concept because as film producers, my wife and I often dreamed of having a school environment which gave our son more flexibility in his schedule so he could travel with us without getting behind in school. An online public school schedule, we reasoned, could almost be as flexible as our filmmaker schedule.
That is how I came to volunteer to help organize Louisiana Connections Academy, and this fall, thanks to the help of many parents across this state, we opened this school to serve 600 children in grades K-12. Our principal is Caroline Wood. I now serve as board chair.
My son, a sixth-grader, is enrolled and my wife serves as his “learning coach,” the in-home person who helps keep him accountable for his assignments and diligent in his study.
My son’s lessons are tailored to his style of learning. He connects every morning with his teachers and fellow students online, where he is “virtually” in the classroom.
We’re all thriving under this new arrangement. My wife and my son have fallen in love with the school, its excellent teachers and their hands-on guidance. World history is my son’s new passion and algebra is a fun game for him.
Louisiana Connections Academy is a real place, however, located in Baton Rouge, where Principal Wood, her faculty of certified teachers and staff administrators gather during the school day to teach children like my son.
The classroom is “virtually” anywhere there is a child, a computer and the Internet in Louisiana. Lessons are tailored to the child; textbooks, science equipment, a computer and internet subsidy are provided as part of the school; and field trips are scheduled. In fact, the school just started its field trip program this month.
So, I’m writing to say “Thank you.” Thank you to Gov. Bobby Jindal and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for seeing fit to charter this school. Thank you to the Legislature for providing funding for charter education. And most of all, thank you to all the parents, educators, students and community leaders who spoke up and said this program was needed for students from across the state who are academically gifted, those who need extra assistance, those who want or need a flexible schedule, or those seeking an alternative to the traditional classroom — for whatever reason.
Louisiana Connections Academy is working, just like the hundreds of other excellent schools in our state. In addition to building the timeless skills students have always needed for success in school and in life — such as literacy, mathematics and critical thinking — Louisiana Connections Academy is uniquely situated to prepare students for their Information Age future. Join us. http://www.connectionsacademy.com/louisiana-school/home.aspx
Wade Henderson is the president of the Board of Louisiana Connections Academy, which is a new Type 2 charter school. He and his wife own Ocean Star Media in Baton Rouge and have a son in sixth-grade.