Featured
For Parents
If I asked you to think of a school, what would you imagine?
You’d probably think of rows of desks, assemblies, and (slightly questionable) school dinners. You’d almost definitely think of textbooks, exams, and lectures. And, in most parts of the world, you’d be right.
Despite unprecedented exponential growth in technology and our world becoming increasingly digitized, the global schooling system has remained unchanged since the industrial era. With a continued focus on memorization and standardization within localized communities, our traditional system is antithetical to our society at large, which is global, diverse, and unique.
But, learning does not have to be this way.
In this article, we’ll explore the rise of online learning, and cover everything-you-need-to-know as a parent considering online schooling for your child. Using School of Humanity as a case study, we’ll deep-dive into global recognition, higher education, learner satisfaction, and how to find the right online school for you.
So, what are we waiting for? Let’s begin.
As with brick-and-mortar schools, there are many types of online schools, which range in curriculum, learning model, schedule, price, time zone, teaching style and more:
A common misconception of online schools is that they are not “real schools”, and that it is impossible for learners to go to university if they have not attended a physical in-person school. This is not the case.
While it of course depends on the school you choose, many online schools are internationally accredited, and offer globally recognized qualifications and diplomas. For example, School of Humanity is internationally accredited by WASC, with graduating learners receiving a US High School Diploma. Our advanced credits are benchmarked against the AP exams (which are globally recognized), giving learners the option to complete these if they choose to do so for university admission.
You can learn more about what accreditation means for families in Dr Kevin House’s recent article: Deep-dive into WASC Accreditation and What Kinds of Advantages It Presents.
Additionally, many virtual schools also have school licenses in their country. For example, School of Humanity is licensed as a virtual school out of the US.
In a post-pandemic world, it is unsurprising that we are seeing a huge global shift towards remote working and digital nomadism. At present, nearly one-fifth of the global workforce working remotely. With Upwork projecting that by 2025, 32.6 million Americans will be working remotely (an increase of 16.8 million people from pre-pandemic rates), and an estimated 40 million digital nomads globally, this trend is showing no sign of slowing.
So what does this mean for families? In short, it’s all about flexibility.
Whether you are a fully remote digital nomad, a hybrid worker, or a 9-5 officer worker, traditional schooling means you are tied to one area on a fixed schedule (at least during term-time). For many learners, attending a school building every day, from 7:30am – 4pm, 5 days a week, can feel extremely prohibitive.
So, it is unsurprising that these families are looking for alternatives. They’re looking for a credible, inspiring, and flexible school for their child. Unlike the traditional online schools (which typically take the traditional school schedule and place it online), at our school we learn through a combination of live workshops and self-paced learning. With around three hours of fixed workshops four-days a week (yes, four days a week!), we give families freedom to fit their schooling around their travel, work and other commitments.
Meet Vanessa, a digital nomad attending School of Humanity
Meet Vanessa, a digital nomad who is travelling the world with her family. She joined our school as she was looking for a flexible and meaningful online school to complement her nomadic lifestyle.
Another key benefit to online learning is its personalizable nature. Traditional schooling systems are not fit for all, and are leaving many families globally dissatisfied. With a Gallop poll finding that satisfaction in K-12 education is at an all-time low, and subject-matter experts reporting that “outdated and repetitive” curricula are failing to prepare learners for the future, progressive online schooling provides an alternative to memorization and exams.
School of Humanity couples online learning with an innovative, project-based curriculum, which is personalized to each learner. This means that each learner can focus on their passions and interests, and tailor their curriculum to meet the post-graduation pathway of their choosing. Our curriculum is also mastery-based, meaning learners progress based on ability, not age.
Meet Brielle, a budding entrepreneur from Dubai
Brielle is one of our high schoolers based in Dubai. She has a passion for making a positive impact, and has been developing projects which tackle global issues including global illiteracy, and food insecurity.
Through tackling the Food, Water & Energy Security challenge at our school, Brielle developed an AI-powered app which connects fertilizer companies to restaurants, tackling food insecurity through circular economy principles.
The flexible nature of our school has enabled her to present her project at Museum of the Future in Dubai, and pitch at GITEX, the world’s largest technology conference.
One of the biggest challenges with traditional schooling is its locality. A physical campus inevitably limits the diversity of perspectives, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds within the classroom.
Alternatively, by its very nature, online schooling is designed to connect learners across the world, and facilitate global collaboration. Through group projects, internships, and extracurriculars, online schooling enables learners to make friends from around the world, and develop a global perspective and understanding of the world around them.
Our school brings together learners from 23 countries across 5 continents
With learners from 23 countries across 5 continents (and counting!), School of Humanity is designed for global collaboration, and positive human progress.
Traditional schooling leaves little room for and provides no formal recognition of, extracurriculars or passion projects. Many high school athletes, musicians, artists, game developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs are unable to receive recognition of their accomplishments within their school transcript. Adding to this, they have limited flexibility to dedicate time to their craft and are unable to combine these passions within their day-to-day schooling career.
Again, progressive online schooling provides an alternative. With flexible schedules and a personalizable curriculum, our school enables learners to earn credits through evidencing extracurriculars and passion projects.
Meet Emily & Hursh, high school athletes living in Chile & UAE
Emily (from Chile) and Hursh (from the UAE) are both athletes attending School of Humanity. Emily is a rower, winning multiple medals in the Chile National Rowing Championship. Hursh is a tennis player, winning 5 u16 tournaments, 2 u18 tournaments, and 1 adult tournament to date.
Both Emily and Hursh joined School of Humanity to enable their continued education alongside their sporting commitments.
Sound like online schooling might be a fit for your family? Here are some top tips we recommend when exploring online schooling for the first time:
Now, if I ask you to picture school, what do you envision?
I hope this deep dive into the world of online schooling has opened up a horizon of new possibilities for you and your family. Through heightened personalization, flexibility, space for extracurriculars, and diversity in perspectives, families globally are turning to online schooling to complement their lifestyles.
Through online schooling, education becomes interconnected to travel, exploration, and real-world experiences. Far from learning being confined to the four walls of a classroom, this approach integrates learning into everyday life, giving you and your child a new way of viewing themselves, their life experiences, and the world around them.
