Online high schools are still a relatively unknown concept for many people, but for those of us who have seen many school years come and go, it’s easy to understand why online schools see increased enrollment year after year.

For those who aren’t familiar with online high school programs, I’ve put together a short list of the reasons we hear day in and day out, that students choose our online high school programs over other options.

Aside from my short list, why did your family choose an online high school (or elementary/middle school for that matter)? I would love to hear your story in the comments, we may be interested in learning more about you and featuring your story here on the thinktanK12 blog!

Without further adieu, here are five great reasons for college-bound students to consider an online high school:

International Literacy Day 2012

This past Saturday was International Literacy Day! Did you know we only have one year left in the United Nations Literacy Decade? Not even – the initiative started January 1, 2003, so we’re down to 3 months and 23 days.  Amazingly, the United States continues to report a 99% literacy rate across the population, yet since 1992 The Nation’s Report Card continues to show that at least one-third of our fourth graders are reading below the Basic level.

Back to School Time 

We are a few weeks into the back to school experience. Parents around the country are starting to relax, getting used to newly created routines. Even I noticed that this morning, both of my kids seem to be accepting of the one standard clock time that we need to follow. Usually they run on their own time schedule and I swear it's not based on any time that matches one of the many clocks in my house! 

There is no doubt that this time of year is hard on parents. Let me repeat that: this time of year is very hard on parents!  We all want our kids to be successful in life and we make choices and decisions based on what we believe will help them acheive all that they can. It's true that we all have different reasons for making the choices we do for our families but it definitley helps to  hear from one another to help remind us that success is possible.  Below is a collection of successes shared on our Facebook page by K¹² parents giving a shout out to their children as they completed their first few weeks of school. 

It's the Amazing Math Trick!

Some friends were over for pizza the other day, and one of the kids (an eighth grader) said she wanted to show me a math trick. I said sure, and so she asked me to pick any number. I mentally chose my favorite number, but then she could somehow tell that I had made an unusual choice. So, she told me to pick a whole number. I accepted her new constraint and said I had picked a new number. Again she was still suspicious, so she insisted that I pick a positive whole number. Deflated, I chose accordingly and followed along as she had me:

1. double it,
2. add 6,
3. divide by 2, and then
4. subtract the original number

Whether you are a first year or 25 year veteran teacher, preparing for the new school year is all the same. Your tool belt includes a staple gun for the bulletin boards, tacks to pin up the over-the-table desk tags, label maker to mark those crayon and pencil bins, brand new sharpie markers to label the turn in trays and folders for the students, and the sticky tack to hold up all of those signs you just bought at the teacher store.

“Let’s Go Team!”

At the elementary school level, it was also very important to have a theme.

Not having a theme meant you were fair game in the teacher’s lounge.

“Did you hear the news? Mrs. O’Donnell doesn’t have a theme and the school year is set to start in five days!” GASP!

Do you know how many animals or sports teams a teacher can go through in a career?

I’ve been the frogs, owls, O’Donnell Slammers, and even the O’Dizzly Bears, just to name a few.

After all of the preparation, it was time to meet your students at Open House. Even though your body was sore and tired, it was ready to stand and meet your students and families and welcome them into your classroom and life for 180 days.