Meet Micah and Sarai

Energetic Micah and natural leader Sarai strike the right balance between scheduled live classes, flexible independent study time, and outdoor activities, while parents Ana and Steven arrange each school day in a way that works best for them.

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Why This Family Chose K12

Life doesn’t always fit neatly into a mold. As entrepreneurs and parents of two children who are gifted and talented in their own unique ways, Ana and Steven understand this all too well. They came to K12 for a school option that flexes with their family and lets them lead the journey.

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Regain family flexibility

When a family emergency required out-of-state travel, Ana and Steven were able to take care of their family while ensuring the kids didn’t miss any classwork.

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Achieve work-life balance

Outside of live classes, the family is free to choose their daily schedule based on each child’s energy levels and what busy entrepreneurial parents have going on.

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Discover academics that raise the bar

Ana and Steven like having insight into what their children learn and how it’s taught. The personalized approach works for them.

1st Grade

A Day in the Life of Micah

Have you ever met a first grader who likes sitting in a seat all day? Like his peers, Micah has lots of energy — and with online school, he can move around as he needs to and still finish his work. 

When Micah is super active and energetic, it reminds his parents how lucky they are. Micah suffered a birth injury that left him paralyzed for months. Doctors said he wouldn’t be able to play sports or do half the things he does now. 

They’re so proud of all he accomplishes — physically and academically. Online school helps Micah show everyone what a brilliant child he is.

CLASSES AND ASSIGNMENTS

Learn From a Book, on a Computer, and Out in the World

Schoolwork for Micah is a mix of scheduled, live classes and self-guided offline assignments he does at his own pace. His parents plan nature hikes where he learns about science through hands-on activities. If he needs a break, he takes it. When he has a question, he asks it.

3rd Grade

A Day in the Life of Sarai

Sarai is the oldest and boldest — a natural entertainer who incorporates joy, laughter, and dance into everything she does. Blessed with a big personality, Sarai feels comfortable joking with her classmates, but can also focus and work independently when her Learning Coach reels her in.

Online school encourages Sarai to shine brightly, explore her curiosity, and take leadership roles that build upon her natural strengths. She develops the confidence to succeed academically and socially with a flexible program where she can be herself: bold, beautiful, and out-of-the-box.

CLASSES AND ASSIGNMENTS

Navigate Your Day With Flexibility

Sarai’s day is a mix of live classes — typically taken in the earlier part of the day — followed by independent study time with one of her Learning Coach parents. She can ask her state-certified teachers questions in class, via email, or during weekly office hours.

CURRICULUM

Set the Stage for Success

Sarai approaches each new day and assignment with enthusiasm, equipped for success with a computer, textbooks, and supplies provided by K12. She takes all the same core academic subjects as her peers at traditional schools — English, math, science, social studies, and art — with flexibility to advance beyond grade level as she’s ready and participate in electives like dance.

Learning Coach

A Day in the Life of Ana and Steven

Entrepreneur parents Ana and Steven take turns holding the torch as Learning Coaches, where their guiding light inspires and leads their children to success.

TIME COMMITMENT

Guide Your Children as They Grow

Some children love the challenge and freedom of independent study time, while others benefit from more hands-on guidance as they grow. As a Learning Coach, you get to provide what’s best for your child. Typically, elementary-level Learning Coaches spend four to six hours with their students each day. Teachers and other parents are available all day to answer questions, provide support, and share resources.

FAMILY SCHEDULE

Divide and Conquer as a Family

Ana and Steven take turns as Learning Coaches, depending on the family’s needs each day. They can each help a child for the day, both help at once, or switch between children for certain lessons or topics. Learning Coaches sail a smooth ship between live classes, interactive portal work, breaks, and activities, so their children can focus on learning.

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Explore Your Interests and Imagine All That’s Possible

On a typical day, Micah starts with a live science class taught by a state-certified online teacher. Maybe he’s learning about different types of forests during an environmental science unit, or discussing what he wants to be when he grows up in a lesson about career tracks. Later on, he takes a nature hike with his family and has some quiet time for drawing with his sister before diving into self-guided language arts and math lessons.

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Soak Up the Best in Life

A typical day for Sarai may start with spelling practice, followed by live math and history. She takes a nature hike and completes a science lesson with her brother midday, followed by quiet drawing time, a dance class, dinner, and cuddles with her pets.

CURRICULUM

Be Active and Learn Interactively

The number of classes students take varies by grade level and individual preferences. As an elementary school student, Micah typically takes between four and six subjects each semester — with maybe two to four of those requiring scheduled, live classes. The offline assignment portal and skills labs is an interactive, fun way to tackle the day’s work.

Beyond the Classroom

FIELD TRIPS

Learn as a Family

Ana plans outdoor activities like family hikes and trips to the trampoline park, where the kids jump, hop, flip, and expend extra energy — all part of a balanced life. A lot of learning occurs beyond the classroom, like on family hikes where Micah and Sarai get to exercise, explore, and ask questions.

SOCIAL TIME

Make Room for Fun and Friends

Micah and Sarai are social butterflies! Both children like to play basketball, and Sarai is in a dance class. With an expansive collection of clubs and extracurricular activities to choose from, there’s plenty of support for Micah and Sarai.

Time away from the computer looks like …

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Family Q&A

Online learning can provide a personalized approach to school, where her children can excel and learn at their own pace.

Question 1 of 4

Why did you switch to online school?

We wanted something to challenge Micah and Sarai more. I worked at a school-based health center—which gave me an inside look at how schools operate. It was easy to see how children could get lost in the system, and we wanted each of our children to get enough attention academically.

Question 2 of 4

What is it like doing school at home with your whole family? How do you navigate that as the Learning Coach?

Every day is different, and we can schedule in a way that works best for us. Our anchors are live classes with scheduled times and we work the rest of the day around them. For example, both kids have classes in the morning, so we don’t schedule anything outside of the house for that time.

Question 3 of 4

How does the school support you?

We get regular check-ins from the support team at the school; asking how things are going and if we need anything. Technical support checks in, too, which we don’t usually need help with but it’s nice they ask. It seems like somebody is always on top of things and ready to keep us updated.

Question 4 of 4

Do you have any advice for families that might be considering online school?

The best advice I could give is don’t underestimate the power you have to teach your children. Just because you may not be a certified teacher doesn’t mean you can’t help them in this kind of role. You know your child better than anybody, plus schools powered by K12 have great to help you along the way.

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Learning With K12

From kindergarten to high school, K12 provides tuition-free online education that empowers students to learn in ways that work for them. Browse options in your state to find the perfect fit for your family.

These are the stories of real students attending K12-powered schools and their families. Content is a combination of direct quotes and summaries from interviews. Their stories each reflect their experiences at their respective schools. Actual experiences can vary by student and school. These pages are designed to reflect a typical day in the life of a student attending an online K12-powered school. Individual class schedules and requirements will vary by state, school, and the individual needs of each student. Course materials vary, and certain schools may not provide computers or may have specific requirements for providing equipment.