VHS 2009 Scholarship WinnerKasey Bellegarde
Crunching quietly on tortilla chips stolen from the upstairs pantry, I stretch in my chair, pulling away from the wooden back that after all this time has probably tattooed itself into my skin. With the glow of the computer screen on my face, I tap lightly at the keys well into the night. There are no friends to distract my attention, no teacher's droning voice dictating notes, no piercing bells shuffling me from class to class. The pressure from the day slowly drains away with every jab at the keyboard. All that is left around me is silence, and the knowledge that I actually enjoy what I'm learning. This is an education through virtual eyes. Before my first encounter with an online classroom, I had always imagined what it would be like to be taught at home. I didn't mind the workload at school; it was the being at school part that was more of the burden. This is, of course, every teenager's complaint, and I am no different. To escape the crowded hallways and tackle my assignments in the comfort of my own home was a wish I was resigned to forget. That is, until the day came when I was summoned to the guidance office and asked to take part in the new program being implemented, called Virtual High School. Only a handful of students had been chosen. I was lucky to be included, because of my grades and academic standing, and I decided to participate in the program. Now, I could tell you that it was the computer that attracted me, that it was the technology that transformed my view of education. But I'd be lying. It was never about the computer, but what came with it, I suppose. The ease with which I could navigate the site soon gave way to more profound advantages. If I remember correctly, the course was 101 Ways to Write a Short Story, in the fall of my sophomore year. There were creative writing electives available to me during high school course selection, but this was presented in a new and exciting form. The material was something I had chosen for myself, under my own direction, completed in my own time. Typically, VHS assignments are administered on Wednesday and due on the Tuesday of the next week. While some teachers place deadlines as early as Sunday or even Friday, this still allows ample time to balance workload. At my school, a class period is dedicated to VHS. But the extensiveness of my schedule has many a time left VHS double booked with AP English, or European History. Thus, my online work was left to be completed at home, with no one to tell me to stop staring at the TV, blaring iTunes music, or turning on the computer only to check ticket availability at a local movie theater. It was my first experience with self directed academics, working independently without supervision or ultimatum. In the beginning, it was tempting to procrastinate and waste my time instead of getting my work done. I would put it off until about 11:30 on Tuesday night, when I had a half an hour to complete a half dozen assignments. I learned soon enough that time management was necessary for this kind of course. Surprisingly, as I found myself more sensibly completing my virtual assignments, I noticed that I had also applied the method of time management to my regular course load. Kasey Bellegarde |