‘Meet the K¹² Community’ is a regular blog series introducing students, learning coaches, teachers, curriculum specialists and anyone else who plays a role in making online education a reality for children world-wide.

Ashley MacQuarrie

Back in 2002, when I was 15 and about to start my junior year of high school, California Virtual Academy opened its doors (so to speak). Among its first few hundred students was my younger sister, who was going into the first grade. Prior to that, my parents had experimented with a variety of homeschooling options with my brother and me, after it became clear that the brick and mortar elementary school I attended just wasn’t working for me. From independently homeschooling, to enrolling in a church homeschooling program, to starting a small private school co-op with other homeschooling families, we had seemingly tried it all.

Yet, when those boxes of curriculum and a brand new computer showed up on the front porch, I remember being blown away, and just a little jealous. I’d never seen a program like K12’s, and was slightly disappointed that they would only be offering K-5 at first – no high school. A few months later, I tested out of high school and began taking classes at the local community college, going on to get a Bachelors in English at San Diego State University.

Though I wasn’t a student, I became quite familiar with the K12 program over the years as I would routinely help out as my sister’s Learning Coach when my parents were busy or at work; every once in a while I’d even accompany her on a school field trip. When my mother became a CAVA teacher a few years later, many of our friends with young children enrolled as well (Mom’s now a member of the K12 marketing team – Hi, Mom!)

When word got out that I knew how to use the OLS and curriculum, I soon had steady business babysitting, and serving as a substitute Learning Coach for busy CAVA parents while they ran errands or worked. Though the parents did most of the course work with their kids, it was certainly a help to have someone else who could work with them on those occasions appointments or other commitments took them away.

And that flexibility is the beauty of the K12 program. My sister could do her history in the back seat of the car while on a family vacation (tying in what she learned to the sights we took in along the way). I could step in and do a messy science experiment with a friend’s son, while she took a younger child to a doctor’s appointment. The fact is, Learning Coach doesn’t have to mean parent. It can be an older sibling, a grandparent or other relative, even a babysitter. For families with multiple children, especially babies and toddlers, sharing the Learning Coach duties can be invaluable for ensuring everyone gets some one-on-one attention.

Since my CAVA Learning Coach days, I’ve worked in education in a variety of capacities, in both virtual and brick and mortar environments, as a classroom aide, K-college English tutor, and ESL teacher. Though I’ve since found that classroom teaching isn’t my passion, I am thrilled to be a part of the K12 Social Media team this summer, as it means that I can still share my enthusiasm for education, but I get to combine it with my love of writing and social media!

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