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“Not on my watch!” 

I was baffled by four students who failed almost every test. So, I asked my colleague for advice. Her matter-of-fact response was, “Some of them just aren’t going to make it.”

While I said nothing, inside I screamed, “Not on my watch! Not in my classroom!”

• Are you frustrated by an educational system that seems to have written your child off?

• Is it painful to watch your child struggle?

• Are you tired of spending long hours trying to help your child learn and not seeing results?

 

“Some of them just aren’t going to make it” was NOT an acceptable option to me and I suspect it isn’t for you either, especially not when it’s your child. I was so disappointed that the bureaucratic constraints of the school system left my hands tied to get the kids the help they needed. My colleague’s comment confirmed for me I did not belong in a traditional classroom. 

So, I started with tutoring. I learned through trial and error, research, and many specialized trainings what worked for students facing a variety of challenges. As I grew to care about the individual kids I was working with, my passion for the struggling learner grew. 

One mom expressed frustration that her 9-year-old was ashamed because her 6-year-old brother was catching on to reading faster than she was. While her daughter was making progress in tutoring, there was only so much I could do in the 2 hours a week I got to work with her. She was struggling to stay afloat in school, really just trying to keep her head above water, and slipping further and further behind. 

I had known since my first school of education course that I would need to design my own school someday in order to deliver truly personalized education. So, when a few of the homeschooling families I was working with asked me to provide more structure for their children’s education, I decided it was time to start the school I had been called to create. 

For 8 years, I served 3-13 struggling middle and high school students in a very homeschool-style setting, building the foundation of my personalized approach to education. This also gave me tons of practical experience with the challenges parents face every day while supporting their outside-the-box learners.

As I spoke and consulted at homeschool conventions, I had parents in over a dozen cities saying, “I wish your school were here!” when they heard about my personalized approach to learning. 

So, I decided my gifts would better serve a wider audience if I closed the physical school and shifted online.

 

Since 2011, Wings to Soar Online Academy has partnered with parents through our online school. Over the years, we’ve added more layers of support from our experienced teachers. This allows my growing team and I to personalize education for hundreds of students rather than just those few kids a year in my tiny brick-and-mortar school.

 

So many families right now are looking for alternatives to a system that has failed their child. 

• You may be looking to keep your kids safe at home (safe from losing their fragile self-esteem and giving up on themselves, bullying, illness, and violence)

• You want to support your child’s education without losing your mind

• And keep your child from falling further behind

• You want to fill skill gaps, instead of losing ground.

 

Perhaps you feel a bit like Grace’s Mom?

 

Parents often despair as their outside-the-box learners 

seem so unhappy as they struggle with learning foundational skills

 

• Paula felt like she had tried everything. It frustrated her that despite all the previous hard-work and genuine efforts from both herself and her daughter, Grace, reading was such a struggle. Grace had just turned 12 but was still reading at a 3rd grade reading level. And because reading was such a struggle, they had barely touched writing. First-grade spelling words were still a major struggle.  

• Grace would often cry when Paula tried to work on reading with her. So, Paula would back off as she didn’t want Grace to turn off permanently to reading.  

• Paula had grown weary and discouraged as one more program they tried ended in disappointing results.  

• Paula was feeling worried about whether Grace would ever learn the basic reading, spelling, and writing skills she was still struggling to learn. She felt desperate and nervous about finding a solution to help Grace before she “ran out of time” since high school was only 2 years away. These worries had Paula feeling anxious about Grace’s future opportunities and panicked that she had to find a solution soon.

 

Grace had so many skill gaps, 

but it was just SO HARD 

to figure out what to do about it!

 

• Grace had so many holes in her learning, but starting back from the beginning (again) seemed so babyish. She strongly resisted doing stuff again that she already knew and there were pieces she DID know. It felt overwhelming to identify what Grace knew and didn’t know or even what she “should” know.  

• Grace seemed restless and disinterested and was bored with the repetitive drill she needed, even when Paula tried to turn it into a bit of a game. She was so frustrated by all the hard work that had gotten so little results. Grace had begun to disengage to protect her fragile self-esteem.   

• Paula felt guilty when she became exasperated with trying to help Grace, who seemed to get it one day, but had completely forgotten a day or two later. They both dreaded reading time and often just avoided doing it altogether. 

• To make it worse, as a pre-teen desperately craving independence, Grace was beginning to resist Paula’s efforts to help more and more often. 

• Paula was frazzled and stressed-out trying to help Grace while meeting the needs of the rest of the family and her other responsibilities. Paula was worn-out and exhausted.

 

If you’re thinking, I don’t think I’m cut out to school my child at home, perhaps you’re thinking about it wrong.

 

What you should be thinking is, “What systems of support and accountability do I need to put into place to set both my child and myself up for success learning at home?”

 

Imagine fast-forwarding 2-3 years 

to see your child become a confident, independent learner!

 

• Foundational skills in reading, writing, spelling, and math are solid. 

• Your child has embraced systems, strategies, and accommodations to allow them to progress with learning appropriate to their intellect.

• Your outside-the-box learner understands their own unique style and knows what they need to achieve their learning and life goals.

• Your child has grown in all aspects of whole-person well-being.

• Your child has become a confident, independent learner.

 

Ready to hear the ending to Grace’s Path to Success Story? 

 

We created a Path to Success™ Personalized Learning Plan for Grace that targeted exactly where she was, which allowed her to gain confidence, independence, and success.

 

In only 6 months’ time, she had gone from a 3rd grade reading level and hating reading to a 6th grade reading level and begging to keep the light on longer to keep reading in bed.

 

The next year, Grace focused on building her reading fluency and stamina, growing her vocabulary, strengthening comprehension skills, solidifying spelling skills, and building a solid foundation for writing.

 

When life circumstances changed and Grace needed to transition to a public high school for freshman year, she had the solid foundation to be ready for the challenge! 

 

Picture a day when your child… 

• can confidently and independently complete most of their schoolwork. 

• begs you “Can’t I please keep the light on longer to keep reading!” 

• has the skills and confidence to not just survive but thrive in school and in life!

 

I founded Wings to Soar Online Academy because I am passionate about empowering dyslexics and other outside-the-box learners to transform as they gain the skills and confidence to not just survive, but thrive in school and in life.

 

At Wings to Soar, we believe … 

• every child deserves a personalized education where they can thrive in whole-person well-being.

• in choices and we don’t believe in all or nothing so we build a package that includes just what your child needs.

• that no child is a grade level package.

• in going as slow as your child needs, but as fast as they are ready.

• in supporting the student AND the parent.

• in monitoring progress and celebrating success.

• in connection. 

• in thriving, not just surviving.

• in breaking the chains of failure, shame, and inadequacy that so often surround learning challenges.

• in empowering world changers.

 

At Wings to Soar, we believe personalized learning gives students wings to soar.

 

Wings to Soar Online Academy has an 11 year track record of helping dyslexics and other outside-the-box learners make 1 1/2-3 year’s gains or more in their first school year. If you’re sick of a school system that has written your child off and passed your child along, Wings to Soar Online Academy has a system that has worked with over a thousand kids to help them gain skills and confidence to not just survive but thrive in school and in life.

 

Isn’t that what we all want for our kids?

 

Don’t you think your your child has struggled long enough?

 

Don’t wait to figure out where their learning gaps are and get them the help they deserve!

 

Are you ready for this to be the year that instead of your child falling further behind, that you’ll have peace of mind knowing your child is gaining skills and confidence to not just survive but thrive in school and in life?

 

At Wings to Soar Online Academy, we believe…

 

• Your child deserves a personalized education, so start with our Just-Right Level assessments as a part of taking stock of your child’s current academic situation to identify what’s working and what’s not.

• Your child deserves a personalized education, so don’t put your child into a canned curriculum box that just passes them along.

• Your child deserves a personalized education, so partner with Wings to Soar to provide the accountability and structure to set your child up for success.

 

Don’t you think YOUR child deserves a personalized education?

 

If this resonates with you, watch this recording of a recent Virtual Open House to understand our approach and the options available to personalize YOUR child’s education. Below the video you’ll have the option to sign up for our placement assessments if you’re ready to get started or book a call to discuss specifics related to your child.