“I love it because it’s flexible”

Hi, my name is Alyssa, I am a 12th grader and this is my last year of high school. I’m hoping to take one, one in a half to a couple of years off of school before college to work and earn money if I decide to go to college. My favorite subject in school would probably have to be a couple of the classes that I’ve already completed, those would be Art and Woodshop. I did those in an in-person school. My least favorite subject has and always will be math. Some of my hobbies include training and showing dogs and working horses. A couple of my life goals for a career would be to get on to the high scale of showing dogs in agility, barrel racing horses, owning a ranch, and becoming a veterinarian. 

I decided to give Centric Learning a try because during the pandemic when schools shut down I did better online than I was doing in person. I went To Eau Claire Public Schools before starting with Centric Learning. What really made me decide was the fact that I was doing a million times better online than in person. I didn’t necessarily think about online schools before the pandemic but then the pandemic happened and I found it a lot easier to do and handle stress-wise. I actually asked my principal about a way to stay virtual instead of going back once schools opened up again and she told me about this program. I contacted the director and got his information and he helped me and my parents sign me up for the WAY Program. 

I decided to join this program in the summer of ’21. I was just about to enter 12th grade. I decided to join due to how well I did online during the Covid 19 pandemic. I am 17 and I have been in this program since August 2021. So far I am 86% of the way completely done with high school and that’s with a job. I am from Eau Claire. I have been going to Eau Claire since pre-school until I switched to this program. I have been doing it from home or from friends’ houses. Due to the flexibility, it does make it easier to take my Chromebook anywhere that’s necessary. Here lately I have been slacking due to some mental health issues but I’m trying to get back on track. Another thing I like about the program is that if I’m struggling with mental health I can take a break and come back to it later. 

I would recommend it if students are having a hard time in in-person school. It’s a great option because it’s flexible and you could get done much sooner than traditional school. I love it because it’s flexible and somewhat easy. And with that flexibility, you can also pick up more responsibilities that can bring in some income or even you can pick up some more hobbies. It’s a great opportunity for those that get stressed and overwhelmed easily because you can always go back to it. Like I said before, this program is very flexible. 

This program has helped me educationally by helping me be able to get it done quickly and easily and personally by allowing me to have a job. The flexibility has helped me the most. Throughout this all, I thought the staff was very helpful. The projects are quite simple and being able to work on my own time and schedule has really benefited my lifestyle. I’m able to have a full-time job while being in school and yeah, it’s tough but it’s beneficial. The only challenge I really had was a flexibility issue and Centric Learning being flexible helped a lot.

Alyssa Garrison